Young Spartacus showed gladiatorial qualities to land the #35,000 Tote Silver Trophy Handicap Hurdle at Chepstow this afternoon and give conditional rider Mark Bradburne his biggest career success.
Henry Daly`s charge was switching back to hurdles after taking a nasty fall at last season`s Cheltenham Festival but his trainer declared he will go back over the bigger obstacles following this confidence-boosting victory.
Bradburne was never far away aboard the 12-1 winner before unleashing the seven-year-old to take the initiative approaching the second last hurdle and gradually pull five lengths away from Gunnerblong.
Daly said: 'He will go back chasing now but he`s rated 137 and a bit twixt and tween off that mark as it`s going to be very difficult to place him and that`s the main reason we ran him here over hurdles.
'I got into a bit of a muddle with him last season before he ended up falling in the Cathcart Chase at the Festival and the only other race for him at the moment was the Thomas Pink Gold Cup but I didn`t really want to go back to Cheltenham after the fall,' he added.
Bradburne has been with Daly since the summer and the trainer observed: 'He rides well and I`m pleased for him as he also rode my first winner at the Cheltenham Festival when Relaxation won the National Hunt Chase last March.'
Paul Nicholls introduced a smart horse in the shape of Valley King who made short work of some more experienced rivals to collect the Grade Two Persian War Novices` Hurdle under Joe Tizzard.
Always travelling well, the five-year-old, a bumper winner in Ireland, hit the front two out before stretching five lengths clear of Risk Accessor on his British debut.
'He`s a serious horse for the future,' observed winning owner Paul Barber.
'He`ll only have about three more runs over hurdles this season as he`s a chaser in the making.'
Nicholls and Tizzard appeared robbed of a double after Ask The Natives came down four out in the Grade Two Courage Best Bitter Novices` Chase when travelling very strongly up sides eventual winner Bindaree.
The fall left Nigel Twiston-Davies` charge with the race at his mercy and he was able to pass the post with a heavily eased down 12 lengths to spare from Nearly A Score in the hands of Carl Llewellyn.
Twiston-Davies said of the winner: 'He jumps and gallops for fun and his next race will be a step up to three miles for the #50,000 Elizabeth Hitchins Memorial Worcester Novices` Chase at Newbury on the Friday before the Hennessy Gold Cup later this month.
Tizzard bounced back from Ask The Natives and Lucky Tumble to galvanise Master Rastus back past Kates Charm on the run in and lift the Ladbroke Casinos Handicap Hurdle (Qualifier) by three lengths.
Norman Williamson and trainer Philip Hobbs teamed up to take the Roy and Annette Holbrook Silver Anniversary Handicap Chase with Ragamuff who had almost a fence to spare over Be Zealous.
