THE Kings Caple yard of trainer Venetia Williams and her stable jockey Charlie Deutsch were the team to follow at Haydock race over the weekend when they scored a double for the second successive day.

The pair also triumphed in the feature race, the Betfair Chase, for the second successive season with stable favourite the Royale Pagaille beating the 15/8 favourite Grey Dawning.

Deutsch controlled the three-mile one-and-a-half-furlong race from the front and in the final straight it was clear the stamina sapping conditions had reduced his challengers to just Grey Dawning who seemed to have the race in his hands as his jockey Harry Skelton sent him to the front approaching the final fence only to blunder and hand Royal Pagaille a chance.

The star of Venetia Williams' stable battled back on the run-in heroically for Deutsch to win the race by two lengths.

To add icing on top of the celebratory cake it was a 100th Grade One winner worldwide for owner Rich Ricci, a strong supporter of national hunt racing.

 A delighted Williams was proud of her stable star’s performance as the 10-year-old had been off the track since fracturing a shoulder in a fall in the Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham back in January.

She said: “It’s unbelievable because he was beaten wasn’t he?

“He’s had to do all the hard work and was being a bit careful at the obstacles, but he’s not beaten until he’s beaten.

“He’s a horse we’re obviously very proud of and I’m thrilled Rich has got a very nice horse to carry his colours in this country. I bought him as a four-year-old and he’s very much homegrown.

“I knew in the summer that Rich wasn’t far off his 100th winner and it was mentioned it would be rather amusing if it occurred here!”

Considering future plans for the ten year old, she added: “We’ve got options. He’s been second in a King George and he would have been back here last year for a third Peter Marsh but it was abandoned. I know it’s a handicap, but that’s obviously an interesting option.

“It’s quite clear that ground is key for him to be at his very best and you don’t often get that after February and into March, but you never know – it might be different this year.”

An emotional Rich Ricci said: “It’s fantastic. It was brilliant. The rain came and Venetia has done a brilliant job with him. Willie (Mullins) has won 98 of the 100, but this meant a lot doing it here as I love Haydock. The people here are great.”

Winning trainer Venetia Williams, who enjoyed a double at the Lancashire track with Fontaine Collange also had a winner at Ascot with Martator, partnered by Ned Fox; which complimented the two winners she had on Friday,.

The stable had also scored at the Ascot meeting the day before where Deutsch returned to the saddle after injury, completing a double as he steered Bucksy Des Epeires to win in the two-mile five furlong three furlong novice handicap chase and then followed up when partnering stablemate Gemirande in the feature two mile five furlong handicap chase.

Deutsch had missed almost two weeks of riding after a head injury when falling heavily from the Richard Hobson-trained Roger, at Ffos Las on November 10.

He said after the winners: "I had about 10 days off and I was a little bit lost not racing everyday, so it’s nice to get back into it. It makes it easier when you’re riding nice chasers like that. The two of them jumped very nicely."

Bucksy Des Epeires was making his first appearance over fences and Venetia Williams said: "He was a little bit novicey early on, but he warmed to it and I always hoped he’d be a better chaser, so it was nice to do it, especially at Ascot."

The two winners took Williams past a half century of winners at the Berkshire track.