Power marks new job in style with dazzling success on Pingshou

Winning the Cheltenham Gold Cup is an achievement of monumental proportions for a jockey. Yet for Robbie Power it also triggered a job proposal he accepted without a moment's hesitation. At Aintree on Friday you could understand why.

So impressed were Alan and Ann Potts with Power's performance on their Gold Cup hero Sizing John and Coral Cup winner Supasundae, they decided to offer him a retainer, even on those horses trained in Britain by Colin Tizzard.

One of them, Pingshou, became the first Grade 1 runner of the newly formed association, and he became its first Grade 1 winner when scoring at 16-1 in the Crabbie's Top Novices' Hurdle. It was a performance that shocked many of those watching, not least Tizzard.

"I'm as surprised as anyone," said Tizzard, who went on to add two more winners with Fox Norton in the Melling Chase and Ultragold in the Topham. "In our wildest dreams we couldn't have seen him doing that – or the way he did it."

Tizzard was spot on, for the way he did it was more than a little striking.

The winning margin over Mount Mews was no fewer than four and a half lengths, in part attributable to a dazzling display by Power, who kicked Pingshou for home at the top of the straight and put the contest in handcuffs there and then.

"Mr and Mrs Potts have some fantastic horses, so it was a no-brainer for me when they asked me to ride them," said Power, who made a point of praising Pingshou's former jockey, Aidan Coleman, who had finished tenth on the seven-year-old in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle.

Fast forward to next year's Cheltenham Festival and Pingshou is a 33-1 shot for the Stan James Champion Hurdle.

"That was fantastic," added Power, who later completed a double on Fox Norton. "I sat on him at Colin's last week and absolutely loved him. Full marks to Aidan Coleman, though. He looked after him at Cheltenham when his chance was gone, so thanks to him for that."

Pingshou and Robbie Power clear the last in the Top Novices' HurdleCredit: Mark Cranham

Alan Potts, who paid £300,000 for the top lot at Thursday evening's Aintree auction – "I was determined not to do so, but we love horses and we only want the best" – was full of praise for Power, first to his face and then after his jockey had returned to the weighing room.

"I think he's a super guy," said Potts. "I spoke to our four trainers –Colin, Jessie Harrington, Mouse Morris and Jim Dreaper – and they all agreed it would be good for him to ride for us, so now he's our number one jockey."

Number two on this occasion was Brian Hughes, who found Mount Mews unable to bridge the deficit.

"When one is three or four lengths clear round here, they sometimes don't come back," said trainer Malcolm Jefferson, while the winning trainer was reflecting that Aintree in April was going much better for his yard than Cheltenham in March.

"Perhaps we're out of the woods," said Tizzard.

Perhaps, as well, Pingshou is rather better than they imagined.