Edwardstone 'seems grand' despite Sandown mishap admits Alan King

Alan King’s stable star was running in the Sandown feature for the third year in succession, having claimed a brilliant victory in 2022 before finishing second to Jonbon 12 months ago.

But while his old rival Jonbon produced another dominant display to successfully defend his crown, Edwardstone crashed out four fences from the finish.

“He seems fine and has ridden out this morning, all seems grand,” King said of his stable star.

“It was just one of those things. He was still travelling at that stage, but there’s no point thinking what might have been.”

For the second year in a row, the Desert Orchid Chase will be run as a handicap following a change to the race conditions, but King is not overly concerned.

He added: “I would imagine if we’re happy, he’ll go Desert Orchid. There are not many options for him and if he has to carry top-weight, he’ll carry it.”