Teeton Mill kept up the honour of grey horses by simply annihilating a high-class field to land the Pertemps King George VI Chase at Kempton on Saturday.

Venetia Williams' charge followed in the recent footsteps of fellow greys Desert Orchid and One Man in taking the St Stephen's Day showpiece - and landed the three-mile event with as much authority as his illustrious predecessors.

Always close up, the Hennessy winner simply ran away with the £100,000 race, galloping his rivals into the ground until only Escartefigue was within shouting distance coming to the last.

Although the strength-sapping conditions made it a slog for Norman Williamson's partner on the run-in, he still had enough in hand to record a six-length verdict over David Nicholson's charge.

Irish raider Imperial Call finished a distant third with last year's runner-up Challenger Du Luc a very tired fourth.

"I can't believe it," said Williams as she greeted Teeton Mill. "He's a fantastic horse and it shows what a fabulous grounding he had in the hunting field."

Bookmakers William Hill reacted to Teeton Mill's emphatic success by promoting the gelding to the head of both their Tote Cheltenham Gold Cup and Martell Grand National markets.

After announcing that the grey's odds for the Cheltenham Festival showpiece had tumbled from 14 to 1 to 4 to 1 and 8 to 1 from 14 to 1 for the Aintree extravaganza, Hills spokesman David Hood said: "It wasn't a great result for us but at the same time it wasn't a terrible one.

"Teeton Mill proved that the step from handicap company to the top flight was easily within his limits. He simply disheartens his rivals by the way he gallops them into the ground."