Next stop Kempton for 'dream horse' Santini

Owner-breeder Richard Kelvin-Hughes described watching Santini’s winning chase debut as “terrible” but for the rest of Newbury it was poetry in motion as one of last season’s leading novices over hurdles sailed over his fences on the way to a comfortable success in the Grade 2 John Francome Novices' Chase.

Bookmakers were tripping over themselves to cut the winner’s price for the RSA Chase in March after a fluent four-length success over Rocky's Treasure, with Coral longest at 9-2 (from 6) but as short as 3-1 offered elsewhere.

“The nerves were terrible,” said Kelvin-Hughes. “There’s been nerves about it all week and when you breed a horse like that you expect so much, because you only get so many come along like that.