Pipe star in Crus control

DAVID Pipe’s great grey hope Grands Crus gave every impression he could be as capable over fences as he was over hurdles with an almost flawless debut in the Steel Plate And Sections Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham.

The normally reserved Pipe talks in rare terms about Grands Crus, whose only defeats last season came to the incredible Big Buck’s at the Cheltenham and Aintree Festivals, and the trainer looked particularly edgy in the preliminaries.

One minor fault for an over-exuberant leap at the top of the hill aside, the 6-4 favourite was operating at another level to some very smart horses like Champion Court and Zaynar and eventually finished 10 lengths clear.