Rooster cocks a snook at Champion rivals

RICHARD JOHNSON and Philip Hobbs combined to land their first every Champion Hurdle when the grey Rooster Booster punctured some big reputations with as easy a win as you could wish to see at Cheltenham yesterday.

Disappointingly, the Irish challenge was sunk without trace, with none of our four possibilites ever threatening to take a hand at the business end.

The much vaunted Rhinestone Cowboy went off market leader, but the doubts about him had surfaced after the first race, the Surpreme Novices’ Hurdle.