Lucky Place announced himself as a Stayers’ Hurdle contender with a battling victory over the admirable Gowel Road in the Dornan Engineering Relkeel Hurdle at Cheltenham on New Year's Day.

Nicky Henderson’s progressive performer had made a winning return in the Ascot Hurdle and was again taking on Jeremy Scott’s Cheltenham Festival winner Golden Ace, who was sent off the 5/2 favourite for this New Year’s Day feature.

Ridden by Nico de Boinville, Lucky Place was one of the runners to keep tabs on the forward-going Gowel Road as Sam Twiston-Davies attempted to bring stamina to the fore aboard his father Nigel’s strong-staying and consistent performer.

Meanwhile, Golden Ace and Gary and Josh Moore’ Salver travelled stylishly in behind as they stealthily moved into contention heading down hill for the final time.

With Salver taking a crashing fall at the last and Golden Ace’s stamina beginning to waver, it was left to Lucky Place to hold off the rallying Gowel Road who refused to lie down and made the young Seven Barrows pretender answer every call.

He returned a winning verdict of three-quarters of a length at odds of 3/1, with Henderson suggesting the Cleeve Hurdle could be next as he seeks further evidence to warrant a tilt at the Stayers’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in March.

Henderson double

Henderson and de Boinville had earlier teamed up with Chantry House who rolled back the years to take the Betfair Handicap Chase in decisive fashion.

The veteran was a dual Grade 1 winner in his novice chasing days, winning at both the Cheltenham Festival and Aintree in 2021.

He would go on to be a Gold Cup contender the following year, but was pulled up in the blue riband after claiming the Cotswold Chase on Trials day. Since then he has found victories hard to come by and has most recently been seen campaigning over hurdles.

Reverting back to the larger obstacles on the day he turned 11, Chantry House showed plenty of his old zest when sent off at 8/1 and travelled kindly for his pilot Nico de Boinville to stalk Ben Pauling’s Bowtogreatness and Sam Thomas’ Our Power into the straight.

He was delivered by De Boinville heading towards the last before galloping home six and a half lengths clear of Our Power who edged out Bowtogreatness for second. Nigel Twiston-Davies’ 5/6 favourite Broadway Boy was well held in fourth.

A surprised Henderson told ITV Racing: “The plan was to actually go hunter chasing with him and I just needed to get another run into him to get him ready.

“I’m not sure we haven’t made a bodge of this and I’m not sure he is still eligible (for hunter chases) now – he might have to go and win a Grand National or something instead!

“It has scuppered me a little and we were just trying to rekindle his enthusiasm as he was a very, very good horse. We might have to rethink.

“He’s really enjoyed himself and he hasn’t been over fences for a long time only because he had a fall at Wetherby a couple of years ago which really hurt him and damaged his confidence.

“He spent last year running intermittently over hurdles and it has been hard work, I must admit, but he is just lovely.

“He’s jumped well, travelled well and he’s just followed them round. I thought he would get tired, but it is lovely to see him come back and do that. It was slightly unexpected at the time though I must admit.”

Impressive winner

Springwell Bay stayed on strongly to run out an impressive winner of the Betfair Exchange Handicap Chase.

Trained by Jonjo and AJ O’Neill, he was sent off the 11/4 joint-favourite for the extended two-and-a-half-mile contest after winning a Listed race first time out at Chepstow, before placing at the Cheltenham meetings in November and December.

Ridden with plenty of patience by Jonjo O’Neill jnr, Springwell Bay was travelling exceptionally well on the turn for home as the stride of the pacesetting Seddon just started to shorten a little in front.

The eight-year-old easily closed down the leader when asked, staying upsides until asserting his authority at the last, in a race worth £56,950 to the winner.

He coasted home a nine-length scorer, with Marble Sands swooping late to deny the game Seddon of second place by two and three-quarter lengths.

The winning rider told Racing TV: “I would say the race probably fell apart a little bit, they went a good gallop in the ground and obviously Seddon got tired then at the second-last.

“I wasn’t as fluent as I would have liked to have been all the way round, he was a little bit careful over a few jumps, I think the ground was probably just getting to him, so I had to just change tack and hunt him into it.

“We always thought he was a classy horse and it’s nice he’s got his day in the sun.

“He’s one of those horses you could go two or three (miles), he definitely gets three miles as he got it at Musselburgh last year, but just that race in November, he absolutely hacked and was just far too keen in a better race where they go a proper gallop.

“I’d have no problems with him over three or on slower ground over two, he’s just one of those horses that is probably quite versatile, but I think two and a half is his trip.”