Fortunate Place introduced himself as a Stayers’ Hurdle contender with a battling victory over the admirable Gowel Highway within the Dornan Engineering Relkeel Hurdle at Cheltenham.
Nicky Henderson’s progressive performer had made a successful return within the Ascot Hurdle and was once more taking up Jeremy Scott’s Cheltenham Competition winner Golden Ace, who was despatched off the 5/2 favorite for this New Yr’s Day characteristic.
Ridden by Nico de Boinville, Fortunate Place was one of many runners to maintain tabs on the forward-going Gowel Highway as Sam Twiston-Davies tried to deliver stamina to the fore aboard his father Nigel’s strong-staying and constant performer.
In the meantime, Golden Ace and Gary and Josh Moore’s Salver travelled stylishly in behind as they stealthily moved into competition heading downhill for the ultimate time.
With Salver taking a crashing fall on the final and Golden Ace’s stamina starting to waver, it was left to Fortunate Place to carry off the rallying Gowel Highway who refused to lie down and made the younger Seven Barrows pretender reply each name.
He returned a successful verdict of three-quarters of a size at odds of three/1, with Henderson suggesting the Cleeve Hurdle could possibly be subsequent as he seeks additional proof to warrant a tilt on the Stayers’ Hurdle on the Cheltenham Competition in March, for which Coral went 16/1 from 20/1.
Henderson stated: “He is simply probably the most likeable younger horse you would want to have. He was meant to go novice chasing and he jumps very effectively, however I simply could not discover the alternatives to go chasing and I do not thoughts saying that as a result of he ought to have been chasing.
“Luckily we have some very good novice chasers doing that and he has now slotted back into the Ascot Hurdle and into this, and I think he has batted himself into the squad for the Stayers’ Hurdle. He stays.
“You could possibly go to the Cleeve, however I do not know, racing over three miles is at all times going to be a tricky battle and does he want one on the way in which to the Stayers’ or not? Nico and I had a fast chat afterwards and we determined he should have a crack on the Stayers’, however do we have to check that earlier than March as we’re fairly assured he stays.
“He was ridden to take the sting out of the race today and we had to ride him like a stayer today, we needed to quicken it up and get on with it and take the sting out of the speedier horses which he did and then he put his head down and battled well.
“It is a division that’s open and I believe he has earned his ticket to the Stayers’. We do not have anything for the race.
“I don’t think we have to prove he stays to ourselves, we know he stays and he is on a progressive curve.
“We expect he is a three-miler, he is progressive and I would say he’s higher to continue to grow than throw one other race at him. The one level in working within the Cleeve is to show he stays and why do not we ask that in March slightly than the tip of January.”
