Royal & SunAlliance Chase hope An Accordion followed up his debut win over fences with another impressive display at Fontwell. The David Pipe-trained 4 to 9 shot gave his supporters few anxious moments as he bounded home by three lengths from The Luder in the WBX.COM World Bet Exchange Novices' Chase.
Tony McCoy did the steering and was content to let The Luder bowl along in front, although Sam Thomas had a tough time keeping Paul Nicholls' charge up to his work. The race was as good as over once An Accordion jumped into the lead at the second-last and he won with the minimum of fuss. Spring Brook, the only other finisher in this four-runner affair, was a distance in arrears.
Meanwhile, Soviet Song is shortly to travel to Coolmore Stud in Tipperary to be covered by Montjeu. The seven-year-old mare, owned by the Elite Racing Club and trained by James Fanshawe, retired to the paddocks at Kirtlington Stud in Oxfordshire at the end of last season after a glorious racing career that included five Group Ones among nine victories and a total of £1,168,370 in prize money.
Montjeu was also a proven Group One performer, winning the Irish Derby and Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in 1999 and the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes the following year. He has made a great start to his career as a stallion, siring Epsom Derby victor Motivator and Hurricane Run, who followed in his father's footsteps by winning the Irish Derby, Arc and King George.
"Soviet Song seems to have settled well into her new, more relaxed life and she'll be heading off to Ireland in a week or two to be covered by Montjeu," confirmed Elite's racing manager Matthew Budden.
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