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Cheltenham Festival options for Pipe-trained winner and Skeltons bag Ascot hat-trick.
Remastered put in an exemplary jumping display to make every yard of the running for trainer David Pipe and jockey Tom Scudamore in the Grade Two Bateaux London Reynoldstown Novices' Chase at Ascot.
The 9-2 winner is likely to head to the National Hunt Chase or Brown Advisory Novices' Chase at next month's Cheltenham Festival – for which he is respectively 20-1 (from 33) and 25-1 (from 33) with Paddy Power.
Remastered appeared to face a major threat from 5-2 favourite Demachine rounding the home turn, but Pipe's front-runner found extra to score by four lengths.
Scudamore was suitably impressed, and said: "He jumped superbly all the way round, and fences have made a real man of him.
"He's unbeaten over fences and has really taken to them. He's got plenty of options at Cheltenham. He's only run once there before, but that was over hurdles and a couple of years ago."
Second-favourite Sevarano pulled up in the early stages – while Kalooki looked dangerous until hitting the final ditch, four out, and then fading to finish a distant third.
Sadly, Sevarano suffered a fatal injury – confirmed via Twitter by the Oliver Sherwood stable.
A tweet read: "We are all devastated to lose Sevarano today @ascot_races. He had the world at his feet. He was such a lovely laid-back gentleman who didn't deserve his life to end this way. Thank you for all your wonderful memories."
In the opening greatbritishstallionshowcase.co.uk Novices' Hurdle, the market told the story as Midnight River usurped Gallyhill as favourite – and then got the better of that rival in a rousing finish.
One True King made a bold attempt to lead throughout, but a mistake at the penultimate flight set him back – leaving 5-4 shot Midnight River and Harry Skelton to beat Gallyhill and Nico de Boinville by a length and a half.
After riding another winner for his brother Dan, Skelton said: "He's a horse we've always liked, with a good attitude.
"He used to be a bit free but has been taught to settle, and I think the best is yet to come because he's a three-mile chaser of the future.
"We might look at Cheltenham, and certainly Aintree, but fences are the main objective."
The Skeltons completed a double when Captain Chaos made virtually all the running in the 'My Oddsboost' On Betfair Swinley Limited Handicap Chase.
Accompanied by Cobolobo for three-quarters of the three-mile journey, the 10-1 winner shook off the attentions of that rival turning for home, but in the end was all out to hold the late rally of Regal Encore by a head.
The strongly-supported 3-1 favourite Jerrysback recovered from an early mistake to track the clear leaders, but then lost touch and was pulled up by Richard Johnson.
Harry Skelton praised the accurate jumping of the winner and observed: "He really enjoyed himself and took off again when Jonjo's (O'Neill jnr, on Cobolobo) horse came back at him. It was a brilliant jumping display and all credit to our superb team who worked so hard during the bad weather."
A fantastic treble for the Skeltons was achieved in carbon-copy fashion as Shannon Bridge served it up to his foes from the front in the Betfair Cheltenham Free Bet Pot Builder Handicap Hurdle.
In the knowledge his mount liked to be competitive, Harry Skelton wasted no time in sending his 12-1 partner to the front and although under strong pressure before two out the eight-year-old kept responding.
He was briefly headed by 80-1 outsider Thibault on the run-in, but instantly regained the initiative to pull two lengths clear.
Skelton observed: "Our owners are great about the way I ride the horses and never stick me down to do one thing or the other. Shannon Bridge likes to get on with it, and the blinkers have helped. He just idled a bit over the last two hurdles, but just as suddenly he took off again."
Adam West was thrilled with bargain-basement purchase Thibault, saying: "He cost a grand and has been a revelation since we put him back over hurdles. He's given us another great thrill today."
There was a sad postscript to the race, with the popular L'Ami Serge quickly pulled up after the sixth flight, having looked to have gone wrong. Yalltari, in the race won by Captain Chaos, was another casualty.
Ascot's director of racing and public affairs Nick Smith extended his sympathy to all those involved with the three horses.
He said: "It's always very sad when these things happen, and we extend our sympathy to all the connections."
