AINCHEA created a favourable impression after registering a battling success in the IPA Purchasing “National Hunt” Novices Hurdle at Sandown.
Having finished second on his debut in a bumper at Cheltenham in October, the Colin Tizzard-trained four-year-old made an instant impact.
On his switch to hurdles he got getting the better of Whatswrongwithyou by a length.
Tizzard said of the 11-4 winner: “He is a lovely horse. We could not run him last year as he was so big and backwards. We almost had him ready in April, but the ground was too firm.
“He has got very good on the gallops at home and Robbie Power just said if he jumped properly, he would have won by 20 lengths. I think that might be a bit of an exaggeration though.
“He is a gorgeous young horse and he has got a good bit of size to him. I don’t know where we will go next as he had a hard race there.”
Meanwhile, Tizzard felt a couple of scruffy jumps had proved pivotal for Fox Norton and jockey Power, who finished second in the Betfair Tingle Creek at Sandown.
He said: “As Robbie said, he missed the first a bit and was just chasing them and we never got there - it was as simple as that. I would say we will be stepping up in trip now. We’ve always been talking about doing it.
“Whether he is a Ryanair horse or a King George horse, that is not to think about at this minute as I don’t know.
“He ran on and at two out, you thought he was still going to have a pretty good chance.
“I am sure if the race was run again and he pinged the first he would have been right up there. There were no excuses, he was beaten by a better horse on the day.”
Politologue staked his Queen Mother Champion Chase claims as he presented Paul Nicholls with his 10th win in the race.
The six-year-old finished fourth in the JLT Chase at the Cheltenham Festival last season before slipping up at the last with a Grade One seemingly in the bag at Aintree, but he righted that record here.
Politologue showed the benefit of his Haldon Gold Cup win at Exeter last month as he travelled strongly for Harry Cobden before fending off the late challenge of 8-13 favourite Fox Norton by half a length at the line.
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