Sussex trainer Lydia Richards enjoyed the sweet smell of success as her stable star Eau de Cologne scored his second win on the trot this season.

Victory in the £10,000 Grosvenor Casinos Handicap Chase at Ascot helped make up for the disappointment of the horse missing out on Kempton's Racing Post Chase last month.

Richards had her charge primed for a crack at that big prize when a minor injury on the morning of the race ruled him out.

With the abandonment of so much racing, the Funtington trainer had been struggling to find an opportunity for the nine-year-old.

Even the Ascot race was far from ideal. The 2m 3f trip was too short and the ground too soft but, with Eau de Cologne out of action since he won at Kempton last December, Richards was prepared to take the chance.

The gamble paid off handsomely with jockey Jimmy McCarthy bringing home Eau de Cologne for a six-length success over Super Tactics.

Victory looked in doubt at halfway because McCarthy was pushing along to stay in touch with the leaders.

But the Sussex horse's stamina came into play rounding the home turn and he forged clear in the straight.

The victory continued Eau de Cologne's excellent record at Ascot, where he has now won twice and been placed three times. But where he goes now is uncertain.

A trip to the rescheduled Cheltenham Festival was on the cards until the meeting was abandoned and Richards is reluctant to have another crack at Sandown's Whitbread Gold Cup in which the horse finished down the field last year.

As Eau de Cologne was winning at Ascot, Sussex jockey Ben Hitchcott was making a near 500-mile round trip in his quest to become champion amateur.

The driving paid off with the rider, attached to Gardie Grissell's Brightling yard, landing a double at Market Rasen.

Odds-on Fiori set the Hitchcott ball rolling in the novice hurdle before Mercato followed up his recent Fontwell success with another handicap hurdle victory.

The double kept Hitchcott just in front of Tom Scudamore, who scored one success at Ascot, in the race to become leading amateur. However, the championship is far from over and the pair look like going head to head for the rest of the season.

Eau de Cologne came back in style at Ascot and, if not tried too highly, can land his hat-trick next time.