Paul Nicholls claimed a sixth career success in the Grade 1 Coral Challow Novices' Hurdle at Newbury.
Having been successful in the Newbury feature with the likes of Denman in the past, the Ditcheat trainer had also won the past three renewals courtesy of Bravemansgame, Stage Star and Hermes Allen, and Captain Teague added his name to the illustrious honours list under Harry Cobden after a slow-motion finish.
Cobden sat quietly on the well-backed 2/1 favourite before producing him coming to the second-last. He took it up from long-time leader and eventual runner-up Lookaway before getting lonely on the run-in and being driven out to score by a length and a half.
Neill King's Lookaway performed admirably in defeat back up in trip, while The Jukebox Man ran a big race in third for trainer Ben Pauling, defying odds of 20/1 in the process. The Jonjo O'Neill-trained Johnnywho was another plugging on in the closing stages and he was fourth in a bunched finish for the minors.
The disappointment of the race was easy-to-back 9/4 second-favourite Willmount for Nicky Henderson and James Bowen, who had enjoyed a double together earlier on the card thanks to Jeriko Du Reponet and Spring Note.
Betfair reacted by cutting the winner to 14/1 from 33/1 for the Ballymore Novices' Hurdle while Sky Bet go 16/1 from 25 about Johnnywho for the Albert Bartlett over three miles.
“He travelled well and jumped brilliantly today and he’s learning all the time,” Nicholls told ITV Racing.
“He just idled in front and I said to Harry if you are going well stride on a bit and try and put the race to bed, but he wishes he had hung on a little longer because he just doesn’t do anything in front.
“He’s basically just learning all the time and he’s a lovely horse and I’m thrilled.
“He will keep on improving and he’s a laid-back horse. We’ve done a lot of work on his jumping and he jumped better today – he didn’t jump that great at Cheltenham. It just comes too easy for him and he’s almost too laid-back. There he’s travelled well, hit the front and thinks he has done enough.
“The best you will see of him is when he jumps a fence next season and he will ultimately get three miles one day, he’s a proper horse.”
On future plans, Nicholls answered: “I will discuss it with Johnny (De La Hay, owner) and I do think soft ground is very important to him.
“If you are talking about Cheltenham and things like that and it was goodish ground you would want to be going three miles (in the Albert Bartlett) and you wouldn’t be afraid of going three miles. If it was testing ground, this sort of trip is ideal, but soft ground is important.
“If you go where Bravemansgame, Stage Star and Hermes Allen are, then he is in that sort of mix and they all ended up being decent chasers and that is where he will be one day.”
Timeform: Albert Bartlett the obvious aim
by David Cleary
The Challow Hurdle at Newbury has long been one of the most significant British novice hurdles outside the spring Festivals, and despite barely two lengths covering the first four home in a slow-motion finish, there is little reason to think that this season's renewal won't continue that record.
The well-backed Captain Teague had already shown form good enough to win an average running of the Challow and probably didn't have to improve in grinding out victory.
His hurdling wasn't fluent in the straight and having been going clearly the best of the four in contention before the last, he had to work really hard to maintain his advantage.
Captain Teague, a fourth successive winner of the Challow for his trainer Paul Nicholls, has raced around two and a half miles so far, but a step up to three miles for the Albert Bartlett is surely the Cheltenham option.
The front-running Lookaway, who brought good handicap form to the table, run another good race in defeat, deserving credit for how he stuck to his task after going hard in front.
The Jukebox Man and Johnnywho, both stepping up a good deal in class, acquitted themselves well to make the frame. Johnnywho was the least experienced of the principals by some way and shapes like an out-and-out stayer.
The favourite when the markets opened, Willmount, drifted alarmingly in the betting and ran no sort of race, pulled up before three out. Although nothing came to light immediately after the race, he may well have been amiss.
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