THE Grade 2 Peterborough Chase was rerouted to Cheltenham on Friday after the brooks surrounding the track at Huntingdon overflowed with the result that last Sunday’s meeting was called off.

The change of venue was certainly not an issue for Nicky Henderson’s Mister Fisher, who was a winner in novice company at this meeting 12 months ago before finishing fourth to Samcro in the Grade 1 Marsh Novices’ Chase at the Festival.

The six-year-old failed to fire and was pulled up on his return in last month’s Paddy Power Gold Cup, but is normally a most reliable performer, and the 9/2 third choice bounced straight back under a positive ride from Nico de Boinville, who sent him to the front on the turn for home, and while he didn’t jump the last cleanly – it must be said that he was very fluent otherwise – giving the well-backed favourite Kalashnikov a glimpse of victory, he found enough up the hill to repel that determined challenge by a length and three quarters. Clondaw Castle was hampered by the fall of Fanion D’Estruval at the top of the hill and rallied gamely to finish third, a little over seven lengths behind the winner.

Mister Fisher was considered a Ryanair hope prior to the start of the season, and he’s very much back on track for that race after putting a rare poor run behind him, the going at the previous meeting excuse enough for any horse to have had an off day.

Kalashnikov was only added to the field when the race was switched to Cheltenham as Amy Murphy feels he needs a left-handed track, ran a fine race having made a mistake at a crucial stage and been off the bridle well before the winner. It would be wrong to call him unlucky, but he did his reputation no harm in the circumstances, and he could also have the Ryanair on his agenda in the spring.

Nicky Henderson was upbeat afterwards, saying: “Being up there with a bit of daylight suited him and they went a good gallop all the way. He jumped great too. He’s learning and looks like a young horse on the up. Nico says Ryanair and I’ll go with that. He doesn’t want to go three miles, so it looks like the Ryanair road. I won’t wrap him up and put him away, he’ll run again but he wants a spring campaign rather than a winter campaign. He wants better ground, but he’s proved he can handle it today.”

Unibet Handicap

The Grade 3 Unibet Handicap Chase saw recent Porterstown Handicap Chase winner Court Maid backed almost to the exception of all others, and Tom Mullins’ mare was sent off a solid 11/8 favourite, but she couldn’t get to grips with the front-running Storm Control (Kerry Lee/Richard Patrick), who set up a useful early lead and was never headed, although that tells only half the story.

Storm Control was being chased by Commodore at the last when that rival unseated the ill-starred Charlie Deutsch, leaving him clear, but he immediately idled badly, and both Potters Legend (Lucy Wadham/Jack Quinlan) and Court Maid were presented with a target to aim at.

The pair almost joined the dossing Storm Control with 50 yards left to run, only for the leader to pick up again and won cheekily by a length, with a nose separating second and third, Potters Legend just shading that photo.

It did look for most of the race that Court Maid was travelling well within herself, but Robbie Power looked reluctant to go for her, and she was just beginning to paddle when he switched her approaching the second-last fence, and while she closed markedly on the leader up the run-in, it’s significant that she was still unable to pass Potters Legend, who she had stalked throughout the race.

The jockey’s failure to go for the whip before the run-in raised some eyebrows, but the final result suggests that a more vigorous ride would not has elicited a better result.