VISION Des Flos may have given trainer Colin Tizzard plenty of headaches in the past but he looked a reformed character after posting a decisive victory in the In Play Betting At 188Bet Novices' Hurdle at Exeter.

Having been turned over at 1-4 last time out the five-year-old showed why connections went to 270,000 euros for him with a 31-length victory in the Listed event on his first start since having a wind operation to form the middle leg of a treble for the Milborne Port handler.

Joe Tizzard, son and assistant, trainer said: "We've just tweaked his wind. The rest got stuck in the ground and he handled the ground better than anything else.

"It is a good pot to win and lovely for the horse to have that experience as he was brought to do that.

"Off the back of that he looks like one for the two-and-a-half-mile race (Ballymore) if he goes there which I think he will."

Elegant Escape advanced his Cheltenham Festival claims when making the most of a drop down in class with a 13-length success in the Six Nations Rugby At188 Bet Graduation Chase.

Tizzard said: "The graduation race ticked all the boxes and it is a week earlier going into Cheltenham. We couldn't have been happier and it was a lovely performance.

"I would have thought we are favouring the RSA at the moment and I would have thought he was good enough to run in the RSA."

Golden Sunrise (2-1), running in the silks of leading Cheltenham Gold Cup contender Native River got the ball rolling for Tizzard when defeating stablemate Mount Rushmoore in the 188Bet Daily Racing Specials "National Hunt" Novices' Hurdle at Exeter.