TRIALS day at Cheltenham presented the final opportunity for a full dress rehearsal at Prestbury Park before the Cheltenham Festival in March and Pied Piper (136+) eagerly grasped the opportunity as trainer Gordon Elliott tightened his grip on the Triumph Hurdle.

Paisley Park (158) also staked his claim for festival redemption as he produced his Cheltenham best to win the Grade 2 Cleeve Hurdle and depose Champ as favourite for the staying showpiece, a result which took some of the gloss off Nicky Henderson’s day following the victory of Chantry House in the Grade 2 Cotswold Chase.

Battle

The mid-race pace in the juvenile hurdle was the fastest of the day as Boulette and Interne De Sivola joined battle for the lead entering the back straight.

Through the section from the first hurdle on the circuit to the flight at the top of the hill, the pair were two seconds faster than Geromino (125), who led the opening handicap hurdle, and Lisnagar Oscar (146).

Davy Russell was at his patient best on Pied Piper who aided the partnership’s cause with a series of fast accurate leaps conserving valuable energy.

As the field descended the hill, the Caldwell Construction-owned gelding eased into contention and, with another slick jump at the second last hurdle, assumed control of the contest and won as he liked. A closing sectional from the third last of 106.7secs could have been faster if extra effort was required.

The time-figure achieved by the son of New Approach was the equivalent of the more experienced handicap winner Cormier (136), who was fully extended in covering the closing sectional in 103.8 to reach the line at a similar time to the juvenile.

Further credibility is added to the performance when taking a view of the Triumph Trial against the Cleeve field from the last with a circuit to run as there would have been just 1.3secs between Pied Piper and Paisley Park as Emma Lavelle’s gelding closed off fastest of the hurdle winners on the day in 103.7secs.

Unseated

North Lodge (126+) proved best in a muddling Grade 2 Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle which lost impetus when the front-running Harper’s Brook fell and caused Richard Patrick to be unseated from the well-supported favourite, Hillcrest.

Brian Hughes attempted to set the race up for himself aboard A Different Kind (121) only for the winner to sweep by passing the omitted final flight as he covered the ground from the third last in 105.5secs, not allowing for missing the final flight.

Pied Piper’s target at the festival hinges on how his stablemate Fil Dor (120+) fairs in the Grade 1 Spring Juvenile Hurdle at the Dublin Racing Festival. If his attentions are switched to the Grade 1 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle he will have to improve considerably, should he take his chance in the Triumph this performance makes him the one to beat.

Improve

Chantry House (159) booked his passage to the Gold Cup although will have to improve considerably on Saturday to make his presence felt on the Friday of Cheltenham. The overall time was the fastest on the day over fences when adjusted for distance, however, I am not convinced the eight-year-old could have run any faster. This theory is supported by the closing sectional from the fourth last being the slowest of the three chases.

Nico de Boinville was forced to sit tight on more than one occasion through the final circuit before producing the son of Yeats with his challenge at the second last, as the pair eventually toiled to a closing sectional of 83.2secs.

Santini (157) was closing again as the line loomed and will, in my mind at least, finish closer with the extra furlong to cover.

Competitive

Torn And Frayed (144+) was a convincing winner of the Grade 3 handicap chase and posted data which will see him competitive in the Plate Handicap next month.

The eight-year-old showed a liking for Cheltenham earlier in the season in small-field novice contests without winning and looked much more convincing in this larger field with a stronger gallop.

Sam Twiston-Davies looked to be hard at work turning for home and may have been slightly short of room as his eventual winning margin of six lengths looking unlikely.

However, when afforded a gap approaching the second last, Nigel Twiston-Davies’s gelding seized the moment and, ears pricked, was soon in front before sealing the race with a prodigious leap at the concluding fence.

The son of Califet covered the ground from the fourth last in 78.6sec, 4.6 secs faster than Chantry House and 1.7secs faster than Imperial Alcazar (142) who won the preceding novice handicap chase over the same course and distance in a slightly faster overall time.

However, a shortened race comparison between the two two-and-a-half-mile contests portrays the Grade 3 handicap winner to be faster by 0.5secs despite being slower through the middle section of the final circuit.

Having won off a BHA rating of 131 on Saturday a rise in the handicap should be enough to fit nicely into the middle of the weights in the Plate Handicap over the same course and distance and a repeat of this performance will see him go very close to adding to his Cheltenham victories.

Scintillating

The meeting closed with a scintillating performance by Mullenbeg (110+) in the mares’ bumper as she took the step-up in class in her stride to confirm the promise of her easy debut victory winner at Ludlow.

The overall time and final circuit figures were slow in comparison to the hurdle races over two miles as the race only started to develop at the top of the hill.

On reaching the Cheltenham landmark, Mitchell Bastyan asked his mount to close on the leaders, a task the five-year-old was more than equal to as she swept through to lead crossing the path to complete the closing sectional in 100.6secs, which when adjusted for the three hurdles would have been a second faster than Paisley Park.