Zarkandar powers home to land Betfair Hurdle

Report: Newbury, Friday

Betfair Hurdle (Grade 2) 2m, 4yo+

ZARKANDAR, having his first start of the season, powered to the front inside the final furlong to stake his claim for the Stan James Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham next month.

The Paul Nicholls-trained five-year-old, who won the JCB Triumph Hurdle at last year's festival, is now as short as 5-1 for the 2m contest.

Tony McCoy took a crashing fall two out when travelling well aboard Darlan but thankfully, the 16-time champion jockey walked away unscathed.

Get Me Out Of Here was badly hampered by the fall of Darlan but ran on to snatch second ahead of Raya Star and Sire De Grugy.

Zarkandar, sent off the 11-4 market leader, was buried in the pack by Ruby Walsh for the majority of the contest as outsider Double Ross disputed the running with Abergavenny.

As the field packed up turning into the home straight, Walsh began to niggle away on Zarkandar as McCoy made a forward move on the sweet-travelling Darlan.

Approaching the second-last, Raya Star, Sailors Warn and Sire De Grugy were all disputing the lead with Darlan when he dived at the flight and ejected McCoy out of the saddle and on to the turf.

Get Me Out Of Here was impeded badly and and the momentum shifted to Sire De Grugy, who held a definite advantage over the last before Walsh came a withering late run in between runners to snatch the spoils on Zarkandar.

Nicholls said: "That was worth the wait and no horse has won it in 40 years on his first run. He has never seen any of the first four hurdles and he got outpaced as in the Triumph and then pulled himself up in front.

"There is huge improvement between now and Cheltenham but obviously we had him right. If Ruby stays with Hurricane Fly then Daryl, who won the Triumph on him, will ride."