Saturday 31 December 2016 17:41, UK
A round-up of the rest of the action from Newbury on Saturday as Final Choice gave the Jockey Club Ownership syndicate their first winner .
Final Choice gave the Jockey Club Ownership syndicate their first winner when going one better than on his debut in the Betfred "£5K BTO Cash Draw Today" Juvenile Hurdle at Newbury.
Building on his encouraging effort at Warwick, three-year-old stuck to the task well in the extended two-mile affair, pulling smartly clear of early pace-setter Siruh Du Lac by eight lengths.
Winning trainer Warren Greatrex said of the 8/1 chance: "He has surprised me a little bit.
"At Warwick he was only just fit enough to go there. After that I knew we would see a lot of improvement.
"You can ride him positively and his jumping was slick. I knew he was going to finish, I know Alan's (King) was travelling strongly but I knew we would outstay him.
"Maybe we can look at something on trials day at Cheltenham and if he proves he is not going to embarrass everyone then we might have a day out in the Triumph."
Sky Bet make Final Choice a 33/1 chance for the Cheltenham Festival Grade One event.
Belami Des Pictons (16/1) got the better of an entertaining conclusion to the Betfred "Follow The Action On Twitter" Novices' Limited Handicap Chase.
Although well held on his first try over fences, the five-year-old showed his true colours to make it three wins from four starts since joining Venetia Williams when holding favourite Aurillac by three-quarters of a length.
Williams said: "I had him in one or two races and I thought going down to the start why have I picked this one as it ended up being so competitive.
"He made a very bad mistake at a downhill fence at Fontwell which pushed him back and that was really the end of his race that day.
"Clive Hitchens (owner) was due to be here, but he was not feeling too good. He was watching from the comfort of his home - I imagine he is feeling a lot better now."
Tim Vaughan's long-term plan for Theligny (12/1) moved nearer to fruition following his success in the Betfred Wishing You A Happy New Year Handicap Hurdle.
Vaughan said: "If we keep him fresh, the Sefton (at Aintree in April) is an easy three miles on a flat track and it might well suit him."
Nicky Henderson claimed the Betfred "Supports Jack Berry House" Introductory Hurdle for the 10th time in the last 11 years after William Henry (4/11) led home a 1-2-3 for the Seven Barrows handler with a seven-length success.
