Colin Tizzard has started 2008 in the same rich vein of form he ended last year in and Ironside netted another valuable prize for his West Country stable in the feature race, the £25,000 (€33,450) skybet.com Sussex National, at Plumpton yesterday.

Royal & SunAlliance Chase candidate Joe Lively has done plenty to advertise Tizzard's Dorset yard this winter and Ironside never saw another rival as he made all in the East Sussex track's seasonal feature.

Dave Crosse kept the 25 to 1 shot up to his work and he galloped on dourly to hold the 4 to 1 favourite Petite Margot by six lengths, with just five of the 11 runners completing the marathon contest.

A delighted Tizzard, sending out his fourth winner in the last 14 days, said: "Typical Ironside, he never ran a race at Warwick on Monday but being allowed to dominate here helped a lot.

"He should have never been an outsider and we thought he had a good chance of getting placed, and they gave him an easy lead," added Tizzard.

n Mansony is on course to clash with Twist Magic in Ascot's Victor Chandler Chase on Saturday week after gaining his second Grade One success last month.

Arthur Moore's nine-year-old proved one length too strong for the prolific Nickname in the Paddy Power Dial-A-Bet Chase when last seen in action at Leopardstown over the Christmas period.

Having taken the race well, Moore is keen to run Mansony on Ascot's right-handed circuit and hopes the £140,000 (€187,300) feature will give him a guide as to where his charge sits in the two-mile pecking order.

"Mansony is fine after Leopardstown and we're hoping to go to Ascot with him. All being well, that is the plan," said the Co Kildare handler.

"It should show us where we stand and he is fairly versatile as regards the ground.

"He's shown us that he can win on any ground now. He's a very genuine horse and he's been a grand servant for us."

Mansony currently trades as the 9 to 2 second favourite with sponsors VC Bet, with Paul Nicholls' Tingle Creek winner Twist Magic an 8 to 11 chance.