A mud-splattered Now Is The Hour and Sean Flanagan at Haydock© Photo Healy Racing
Now Is The Hour has progressed rapidly this winter and the Gavin Cromwell-trained gelding could yet be supplemented into Grade 1 company at next month’s Cheltenham Festival.
The point-to-point winner was soundly beaten twice in maiden hurdles last year before unluckily falling two out when holding a clear advantage at the Limerick Christmas meeting.
The son of Westerner gained compensation when easily landing a 2m4f Fairyhouse maiden for horses who had not previously finished in the first three under Rules, but really stepped up a gear at Haydock recently.
The seven-year-old was very easy-to-back at 12/1 for the Grade 2 Albert Bartlett Prestige Novices’ Hurdle but relished the combination of three miles and testing ground when readily drawing clear on the run-in for Sean Flanagan to beat Don’t Rightly Know by 17 lengths.
Cromwell said, “He could be supplemented for the Albert Bartlett. We’ll wait and don’t have to supplement until the 9th of March, and we can see what the ground is shaping up to be.
“If it looked like being soft ground we might supplement him.”
The Danestown trainer is not getting carried away by the easy victory at Haydock where half of the ten runners were pulled up on the heavy ground adding: “I’m not losing the run of myself with the win in Haydock.
“They went a right strong gallop and Sean was very good on him. He took his time and snuck around the inside. The race fell apart a bit, but he won very well.”
Only a few firms have Now Is The Hour quoted for the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle with Sky Bet and William Hill both offering 10/1.
