Newbury Saturday

Coral Challow Hurdle (Grade 1)

THE New Lion (Dan/Harry Skelton) booked his ticket to Cheltenham with a stylish victory in the Grade 1 Coral Challow Novices’ Hurdle at Newbury on Saturday. A winner at Chepstow on hurdles bow, the five-year-old (now six) was gaining a second win at Newbury and powered clear after being switched before the final hurdle to score by four and three quarter lengths from Wendigo (Jamie Snowden/Gavin Sheehan). Favourite Regent’s Stroll was a disappointing fourth.

“That was brilliant,” said Dan Skelton. “I hoped he’d do something like that. Harry was great on him. He was great the whole way round with his jumps. He’s such a trainable, easy horse. Some horses just make life easy for you and he’s one of those.

“It’s the unassuming nature of the horse that makes it even more enjoyable because he’s just so easy to do; sometimes those great horses have their little quirks and sometimes aren’t easy but this one does it for me to be honest with you, he’s so good.”

Pauling’s run continues

The Mandarin Chase, run over three and a quarter miles saw Ben Pauling and Ben Jones continue their good run of form as Henry’s Friend won the contest by six lengths from Hymac (Harry Fry/Bryan Carver) having raced prominently from the outset and stayed on strongly from the last. He looks worth a try over further on this evidence and remains lightly raced over fences.

Tom David, representing Pauling, said: “Henry’s Friend jumped well today and we know he stays all day. He’s got a good heart and he tries, and I was pretty confident from three out. It was nice to see him pull out and hit the line hard. He looks to be improving again and it’s onwards and upwards with him.”

Cheltenham New Year’s Day

Dornan Engineering Relkeel Hurdle (Grade 2)

NICKY Henderson tends to do well at this meeting, and he secured a double when Lucky Place landed the Grade 2 Dornan Engineering Relkeel Hurdle under Nico de Boinville later on the card.

Lucky Place – sent off at 3/1 here - had beaten Golden Ace in the Ascot Hurdle last month and confirmed that form under a penalty, with Gowel Road (Nigel/Sam Twiston-Davies) staying on for second having made most of the running.

Golden Ace travelled best for much of the contest but, as at Ascot, she didn’t see out this trip as well as she had when beating Brighterdaysahead in the Dawn Run last March. It will be interesting to see whether Jeremy Scott drops her back in trip.

“Lucky Place is an absolute terrier,” said Nico de Boinville. “He doesn’t know when he’s beat and galloped all the way to the line. I think we’ll be stepping up in trip again because he saw out today’s trip on soft ground. On spring ground in March, I think three miles [in the Stayers’ Hurdle] is where we’ll end up.”

House blows off cobwebs

It was a day to turn back the clock at Cheltenham on Wednesday, with Chantry House (Nicky Henderson/Nico de Boinville), a two-time Grade 1 winner in his pomp, returning from the wilderness to record his first win in three years in the Betfair Handicap Chase by six and a half lengths from Our Power (Sam Thomas/Dylan Johnston).

Chantry House’s last win had come in the Grade 2 Cotswold Chase here in January 2022 but he has been racing over hurdles in recent times having failed to complete in three consecutive races over fences later that year.

Henderson, fresh from a triumphant couple of days at Kempton over Christmas, was pleased as punch to see a former stable star return to form at last. “It has been a long time since he has won,” said Henderson.

Fooled

“But he has fooled us a bit there. We just let him do his own thing at home and not really pretending we are trying to train him very hard. He just does what he feels like and between us all we get the job done.

“He looked as if had been enjoying his jumping again so we decided to go back over fences. We had been schooling him on and off and he looked as if he got his confidence back again. He ran a very good race at Punchestown last season and went into the race going well and he didn’t quite finish it off so there were little glimpses of hope, but he is the sort of horse you love having around the place.”

Chantry House was fancied for the Gold Cup after his Cotswold Chase win, and while those heights are the stuff of fantasy now, a Grand National bid could be on the cards for the veteran.

Henderson said: “He has run in a Gold Cup and a Grand National, and maybe now he will go and win a Grand National as we have to enter something in it. He looked like a young horse popping around there. It is just great when these old boys do come back.”

Rest of the card

IT’S been a quiet enough Christmas for Paul Nicholls, but despite a few of his horses shaping as if under a cloud, he’s produced a few promising performers in recent days and none more so than Kalif Du Berlais (Harry Cobden), who was barely out of a canter to justify odds of 4/7 in the opening Sonic The Hedgehog 3 In Cinemas Now Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase.

Carrying the colours of Ged Mason, who has enjoyed a productive couple of months at home and abroad, Kalif Du Berlais looked a smart prospect for all this three-runner contest didn’t take a great deal of winning.

Mason said: “It is nice to have quality horses. We have all been in the game for a long time. It was a fantastic display from Kalif Du Berlais as he was foot perfect. Harry just got him nicely positioned and he jumped fluently which is what you want to see.”

Delivering on promises

Springwell Bay (Jonjo and AJ O’Neill/ Jonjo Jnr) landed the Betfair Exchange Handicap Chase by nine lengths from Marble Sands, confirming the impression he made when an excellent second to Jango Baie at the track last month. He was effectively 2lb well in for this contest, but won with more in hand than that and seems to be progressing well since switched to the larger obstacles.

Henrietta Knight had her first Cheltenham winner since taking out a licence again last year when Precious Metal landed the Listed Raceridecheltenham “Junior” National Hunt Flat Race at 16/1 under Lilly Pinchin. Unfortunately Knight was not present, as she was saddling Motazzen to win at Southwell, but assistant trainer Brendan Powell was on hand to greet the winner.