Stage Star went off the 5/4 favourite and had no issues landing the odds for Harry Cobden and Paul Nicholls; he is now as short as 8/1 for the Ballymore Novices' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival; Grade One winner Dashel Drasher also won on the card
Wednesday 29 December 2021 16:14, UK
Stage Star looks a potential star in the making for the Owners Group team after a commanding victory in the Grade One Challow Novices' Hurdle at Newbury.
Following in the footsteps of Bravemansgame for the same trainer-jockey combination of Harry Cobden and Paul Nicholls, Stage Star proved much too good for his rivals and quickened away off a slow pace to win by six lengths.
Back in second was West Balboa for the Dan and Harry Skelton team, with Gringo D'aubrelle back in third for Gordon Elliott and Denis O'Regan.
The winner has been trimmed into 8/1 for the Ballymore Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham after the easy success.
Paul Nicholls said after the race: "He stays and is a proper horse. He would not want to go three miles yet - he has too much speed for that.
"We might follow the same route that Bravemansgame did last year. He is straightforward and that was a really taking performance. I'm delighted with him.
"He ran on soft at Chepstow and ran on soft at Ascot and he has just got stronger and better. I can't believe how much speed he has got.
"That is by far and away the best performance he has given. He has got better and fitter and has learned his job. We were very happy with the way he looked going into the race. Harry was quite surprised at how well he won. He said he had so much speed.
"He just needed a little bit of time and we haven't been too serious with him until after his last run, as we knew this was going to be a tough task and he had to be at his very best. He will certainly need a little break after today but he is a very exciting horse."
Dashel Drasher was a heart-warming all-the-way winner of the Bank A Winner With MansionBet Handicap Hurdle for Rex Dingle and Jeremy Scott.
The eight-year-old put behind him a slightly under-par seasonal reappearance as he fended off the late challenges of Beauport and Kamaxos who both rallied in the run-in.
Regular jockey Matt Griffiths suffered a brain injury in a car accident back in October.
The Grade One-winning rider was travelling along a road near Exford, a village on Exmoor, when the crash happened on Sunday, October 3.
Earlier on the card, the Mandarin Handicap Chase went the way of Saint Palais, who saw off the strong-travelling Gericault Roque for Harry Bannister and Richard Bandey.
The two battled out a stirring finish, with 11 lengths back to the third horse.
The MansionBet Faller Insurance Handicap Chase was won by Gallic Geordie, who sliced through the field with relative ease to give Samuel Drinkwater and Adam Wedge a big-race winner.
Held up in the early stages. Wedge delivered the eight-year-old between the final two fences and he picked up well to deny The Russian Doyen for Harry Cobden and Jeremy Scott.
In the second race of the day at Newbury, Peking Rose was a convincing winner of the Introductory Hurdle for Fergal O'Brien and Paddy Brennan, coming home clear ahead of Hardi Du Mesnil for amateur rider Sam Waley-Cohen.
Surfman - who placed in the 2019 Dante Stakes at York - was ultimately well-beaten after racing exuberantly under Nico De Boinville in the first mile for the in-form Nicky Henderson team.
