Celtic Native stretched her unbeaten record to six when overcoming a final flight blunder to comfortably land the Dick Reynolds 'National Hunt' Auction Novices' Hurdle at Wincanton today.
And now trainer Philip Hobbs intends sending the mare to the Cheltenham Festival where she will lock horns with Monsignor in the Royal & SunAlliance Novices' Hurdle.
"She's good isn't she?" declared Hobbs. "If we go to Cheltenham we will be taking on Monsignor but I suppose that will be the plan. It's just a case of whether we give her another race beforehand or not.
"Monsignor is obviously a very classy horse but she's not slow either."
Andrew Thornton was always sitting pretty aboard Celtic Native before smoothly hitting the front two out and, despite meeting the final hurdle all wrong, the combination soon recovered to gallop 16 lengths clear of No Tale To Tell.
"Andrew thought the further she goes the better she is and soft ground suits her well. She's owned by Peter and Jill Emery who lost Dr Leunt recently so it's nice for them to have another winner," added Hobbs.
The Minehead trainer had earlier initiated a 23-1 double after Ross Minster earned a tilt at the National Hunt Chase over four miles at Cheltenham next month when making a winning debut over fences in the Fovant Novices' Chase.
Robert Widger urged the six-year-old to the head of affairs four out and the combination lengthened up the straight to stretch 16 lengths ahead of Devonshire.
Hobbs reported: "We've got the Cheltenham race in mind where he will be ridden by one of our stable amateurs, David O'Meara or Paul Flynn.
"He jumped well there and I'm pleased with that."
The Land Agent will bid to go one better in the Racing Post Trophy Chase at the end of the month after digging deep to fend off Strong Promise in the Racing in Wessex Chase under Timmy Murphy.
Seamus Mullins' nine-year-old was in front with a circuit to race and managed to stay there up the straight and lift the prize by a length and a quarter.
"The Racing Post Chase has always been his aim as he was second to Dr Leunt in the race a year ago so we are hoping he can go one better this time," reported Mullins.
Strong Promise, runner-up to Cool Dawn in the 1998 Cheltenham Gold Cup, has struggled to recapture his form this term but delighted trainer Chris Kinane with his gutsy performance.
"He jumped well and that's what kept him in the race as the ground would have been much softer than he wants and it's a step in the right direction," he said.
"I would not rule out the Mitsubishi Shogun Ascot Chase in nine days or the Jim Ford Chase back here or even the Racing Post Chase at Kempton for him next but the ground will decide.
