Mark Pitman ended his dramatic week on a high note when his exciting hurdler Monsignor produced a performance of true class at Sandown today.
On Thursday the young trainer was dealt a body blow when owner Robert Hitchins removed 17 horses from his Weathercock Stables.
This afternoon Monsignor did his bit to ease the pain in the Sun 'King of the Punters' Tolworth Hurdle, the 11-8 favourite scoring by two and a half lengths from Best Mate.
Pitman was disinclined to dwell on the events of 48 hours earlier and said: "Today is today, we move on, and you've just got to keep on working in this game, haven't you?
"This horse is all about the future. We didn't buy him to be a champion bumper horse and we certainly didn't buy him to be a Champion Hurdle horse.
"When he's running over three miles and fences I think he'll be awesome. Although he's pretty awesome at the moment, isn't he?"
Monsignor, who took the Weatherbys Champion Bumper at Cheltenham last March, certainly lived up to Pitman's assessment. In front from the third flight under Norman Williamson, the rangy chestnut galloped home powerfully to take his unblemished record over hurdles to three.
Pitman will enter Monsignor for both the Capel Cure Sharp Supreme Novices' Hurdle and the Royal & SunAlliance Novices' Hurdle at the Festival.
He said: "Norman said that if he'd had winged the last two he'd have been even more impressive. But I thought it was a thoroughly convincing display against some highly-promising opposition. He's pretty much destroyed them.
"Norman said over two miles he's got to have a real strong gallop. I've always said this horse wanted further, but I'll speak to Malcolm Denmark, the owner, and I'm sure we'll enter him for both races at Cheltenham.
"The most important thing about him is that he's doing his job and he's just improving. I thought he was fitter than he was at Ascot last time and more mentally attuned.
"He's living up to everything we've hoped. But you won't see the best of him until he's running in the Gold Cup in two years' time when he's an eight-year-old."
Lancastrian Jet put up a superb staying performance when making all the running under Andrew Thornton to win the Coral Mildmay Cazalet Memorial Chase.
The Pond fence was omitted because of the low angle of the sun, but it was the downhill fence beyond the stands which nearly brought Lancastrian Jet to earth.
However, Henry Daly's nine-year-old survived and fended off the nagging attentions of Jocks Cross from a mile out to score by one and a quarter lengths.
Lancastrian Jet is not certain to have his stamina tested over the seven furlongs longer distance of the Martell Grand National and Daly said: "He has to go right-handed and have soft ground, but I think we're going to have problems with that, but we might have to go left handed with him. He likes to make the running, so why change, and he doesn't appear to have a dazzling turn of foot."
Daly added that Edmond, his winner of the Coral Welsh National would be entered for Aintree, but said: "He's another that has to have soft ground."
The same downhill fence almost brought about the downfall of Tiutchev, the 2-1 favourite, for the Sun Punters Club Novices' Chase.
Mick Fitzgerald kept the partnership intact and Tiutchev ran on to beat Good Vibes by three and a half lengths.
Tiutchev is now as low as 8-1 for Cheltenham's Arkle Trophy with Coral, and part owner Gerry Wright beamed: "It makes our Arkle bet look even better now. We've had a sizeable bet at 33-1 early doors."
Lord Brex advertised the claims of Elite Racing Club Triumph Hurdle favourite Mister Banjo with his five-length success over Zahari in the Ken Ambrose Juvenile Novices' Hurdle.
Philip Hobbs' four-year-old, who had finished third to Mister Banjo at Chepstow on his hurdling debut 11 days earlier, is a 25-1 chance for the Cheltenham juvenile championship with William Hill, who have trimmed Mister Banjo to 4-1 in the wake of the injury to the French-trained Grand Seigneur, who has been removed from the list.
