I AM more than hopeful Celestial Halo can give his Champion Hurdle prospects a big boost by winning at Sandown this afternoon.

The Paul Nicholls-Ruby Walsh dream team shows no signs whatsoever of grinding to halt as the season draws to a close and the pair dominated the first day of the Scottish Grand National meeting at Ayr.

Paul Nicholls, with a second successive trainers’ championship already sewn up, got his Ayr raid off to a good start when Otto Des Pictons ran out a convincing winner of the Dawn Construction ’National Hunt’ Novices’ Hurdle at the Scottish course today.