Stage Star lands Newbury's Grade One Challow Hurdle for Paul Nicholls

The five-year-old was sent off the 5/4 favourite following victories at Chepstow and over course and distance and didn't disappoint his backers in winning the Grade One by six and a half lengths.

A useful performer in bumpers, he has taken his game to a new level over hurdles and Harry Cobden was happy to sit in third for much of the extended two-and-a-half-mile trip as High Stakes set out to make all with Lossiemouth racing on his heels.

All seven runners looked to have a chance turning for home, but as Lossiemouth started to toil, it was evident Stage Star was travelling much the best and he quickly put the race to bed from the second last.

A number of the field were still in contention at that flight which saw Party Business crash out when far from done with but there was only one horse in it approaching the last and Stage Star negotiated that flight with the minimum of fuss.

Denman features among Nicholls' previous winners of this race and the Ditcheat handler has compared last year's winner Bravesmansgame to the National Hunt legend and Harry Cobden was happy to compare Stage Star to last year's champion.

"He wouldn't be a million miles away from where Bravemansgame was a season ago," he told ITV Racing. "Two lovely, lovely horses.

"Loads of ability. He's got a great mind and attitude with it too. He's very easy to ride and very easy to do at home.

"I got him all wrong, I always thought he was slow and a stayer and I got there way too soon. It's a really long straight from the back of the second last. I travelled smoothly but I got a bit lower in the saddle and he really took off and I got to the front too soon.

"He's improving and impressing us even more every time he runs.

"He's got loads of size and scope and he jumps brilliantly so that will be where he will really excel."

A delighted Nicholls said: "He stays and is a proper horse. He would not want to go three miles yet – he has too much speed for that.

“We might follow the same route that Bravemansgame did last year. He is straightforward and that was a really taking performance. I’m delighted with him.

“He ran on soft at Chepstow and ran on soft at Ascot and he has just got stronger and better. I can’t believe how much speed he has got.

“That is by far and away the best performance he has given. He has got better and fitter and has learned his job. We were very happy with the way he looked going into the race. Harry was quite surprise at how well he won. He said he had so much speed.

“All in all a great performance from a horse who is going to be a lovely chaser in time.

“He just needed a little bit of time and we haven’t been too serious with him until after his last run, as we knew this was going to be a tough task and he had to be at his very best. He will certainly need a little break after today.

“He is a very exciting horse.”

While Cheltenham remains in Nicholls’ mind, the handler could instead opt to wait for the Grand National meeting in April.

He added: “You are always anxious in a Grade One but just the way he quickened up from the last was really good.

“Today was always the target and we will think about what we will do with him in the future.

“I’m not afraid to wait for Aintree with him. The most exciting thing about this horse was when he started jumping fences last year, as Bravemansgame did, and hopefully we will follow the same route.

“You want to go to Cheltenham to win – you don’t want to go to Cheltenham and finish fifth or sixth and give yourself a hard race unnecessarily. You have got to be competitive and I have learned that even more so over the last few years.”

Stage Star was quoted at 12/1 for the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival by Betfair while Coral went 8/1 (from 16s) for the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle.

Dan Skelton was thrilled with the performance of West Balboa, the runner-up, adding: “I’m delighted with her.

“She is the only mare. She is having only her third lifetime start, her second race over hurdles and she travelled really well, jumped beautifully and got beat by a very good horse. She has beaten the others comprehensively and there is nothing to grumble about.

“You have got to be a good horse to keep going in that ground.”

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