Hard to oppose Newmill
The Cheltenham two mile Queen Mother Champion Chase hero has a minimum of 9lbs in hand of all of his rivals and, if running up to his best, will obviously prove very hard to beat.
John Murphy’s gelding has always been a good horse, but his performance at Prestbury Park was well in advance of anything he had previously produced over fences.
There was no fluke about it, however, after Andrew McNamara had allowed the eight-year-old stride on from the start.
Newmill never showed any signs of flinching in the closing stages, beating Fota Island by a cosy nine lengths.
Central house was a further two lengths away in fourth place and both of those rivals appear safely held.
The other Grade One on the Programme, the VC Bet Champion Novice Hurdle, can go to Nick Gifford’s Straw Bear.
He was touched off in the final strides by Noland in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham and then made no mistake at Aintree subsequently.
Tony McCoy had him in front a fair way out at Cheltenham, but was far more conservative next time.
Such tactics reaped a rich dividend when he proved 13 lengths too good for the useful Conna Castle at Liverpool.
Sublimity and Sweet Wake, fourth and fifth respectively in the Supreme Novices, aren't without hope and Iktitaf too is an interesting challenger for the certain favourite.
I haven’t totally thrown in the towel with Our Ben, little has gone right for Willie Mullins’ charge this season, and give him another chance in the Ellier Developments Novice Chase.
He made no show, under top weight, in the Irish National at Fairyhouse, but the conditions of this race suit a lot better and we might, finally, see the real Our Ben!
