In reality, it was far more pleasant than that for L’Homme Presse, who was last seen placing third in the King George VI Chase. The winning distance was only three parts of a length, and victory didn’t seem certain until the last few yards. On the other hand, even if L’Homme Presse and Gentlemansgame were never far away, Stage Star seemed to enjoy himself out in front of Harry Cobden, even though it had been a while since he had displayed his best form. After finishing third in the Savills Chase the previous time, Gentlemansgame might have been anticipated to go a little farther in the race, but he and Chantry House were quickly overtaken as the front two kicked into the second last.
Although they were unable to be separated at the end, Charlie Deutsch was remarkably calm on L’Homme Presse and didn’t get serious with his partner, as they only did enough to score a noteworthy and confidence-boosting win, while Cobden was asking Stage Star for everything. For the Cheltenham Gold Cup, Paddy Power reduced L’Homme Presse’s odds from 25/1 to 20/1 and his Ryanair Chase odds from 40/1 to 16/1. “Having a horse like L’Homme Presse in the stable means the world, and I feel excited every time I mount him. I was ecstatic as I drove to the races today,” Deutsch disclosed. “He jumped with such ease. It became somewhat of a race to the line.
He’s really calm and relaxed, which makes my job easier, but I didn’t believe we went that quickly.He’s a really cool character, but he’s not the same as he was when he was younger and more eager. He seemed relaxed throughout the race, but I would say, “Come on, we really need to go and try to put it to bed.” He definitely has a lot more there than most horses. “I believe Charlie is blowing more than the horse,” remarked trainer Venetia Williams. Although we haven’t seen that in a while, Stage Star is a good horse when he is in his best form. He was quite relaxed the entire time, and his jumping was excellent. Owner Andy Edwards said: “Personally I think he just did enough. He finishes and his ears were pricked; wonderful.”
