Tears followed the triumph of Lookaway in the Ladbrokes Trophy Handicap Chase at Kempton Park on Saturday as Neil King landed the £150,000 prize with what he has described as the best horse in his yard.

The well backed Lookaway has long been a standout performer for the Wiltshire trainer as he captured the prestigious bumper at Aintree's Grand National meeting as a five-year-old in 2022 before finishing runner-up in the Grade One Challow Hurdle and Greatwood Handicap Hurdle the following year.

Disaster struck midway through his novice chase season and at one stage it looked as though he may not return to the track, but the nine-year-old has bounced back this season and relished the step up to three miles to back up his course win in January.

"I live for the horse," said King, unable to hide his emotion. "I can't say that loudly enough. I ride him every day and he's the first one I talk to in the mornings.

"It's such a shame he missed his novice chase year because he came back with a breathing problem and he had complications with that. Well done to our veterinary surgeon Ben Brain for getting him back to this form, because at one time it looked like he would never be a racehorse again.

"He had an epiglottic entrapment and needed two procedures to try to correct it, both failed and then we had a third try and fortunately Ben has worked the magic on him and got him back."

Lookaway took up the running narrowly at the second last and under Jack Quinlan he denied The Doyen Chief by two lengths.

King said: "I've always thought of him from his early hurdling days as a King George-type horse – this isn't a King George but it's three miles around Kempton. We strongly believed that stepping up to three would bring out the necessary improvement and it's worked.

"He's so gutsy, so game. Jack knows him inside out and has given him a smashing ride. We normally try to make the running with him but we don't have to."

Lookaway has entries in the Ultima Handicap Chase, Plate and Kim Muir at the Cheltenham Festival but that meeting could be skipped for an alternative option at Aintree, and possibly an option at Sandown in April.

Klub De Reve made it two course wins from as many starts with a smooth performance in the Grade Two Dovecote Novices' Hurdle under Paul O'Brien.

The six-year-old showed his liking for conditions and mastered Kocktail Bleu to run out a ready winner of the hurdling feature.

Jax Junior put in a flawless round of jumping to land the Grade Two Pendil Novices' Chase for Lucy Wadham and Tom Cannon by six-and-a-half lengths from Jasmine Bliss.

Jane Williams continued her fine spell of Saturday big race winners by taking the Grade Two Ladbrokes Adonis Hurdle over two miles.

The bottom weight ran out a comfortable 13 lengths winner under Ciaran Gethings, who put the race to bed two out to run on impressively to make it three wins in her past four runs.

Hold The Serve completed a hat-trick of victories after landing the opener to give Sean Bowen his 201st winner of a very productive season.

After the heroics of Constitution Hill at Southwell on Friday evening, Nicky Henderson was in buoyant mood after very little sleep and was celebrating another victory after Califet En Vol sealed the two miles four furlongs handicap chase with a superb jump at the last to go on and win by two-and-a-half lengths.

By Peter Moore