Wine set for Triumph date

Red Wine is on course for a crack at the JCB Triumph Hurdle after landing an easy success at Newbury.

Trainer Jamie Osborne breathed a huge sigh of relief after seeing his charge stroll home in the Berkshire Stand Bookshop Juvenile Novices’ Hurdle.

Ridden by Jimmy McCarthy. The four-year-old was always handily placed before lengthening impressively to skip eight lengths clear of Indien Royal.

Last Flat season’s Tote Scoop6 November Handicap winner had disappointed Osborne on his hurdles debut at Leicester earlier this month but made handsome amends much to the trainer’s delight.

He said: “I felt a bit of a prat at Leicester on that soft ground as he was only half ready and it was trainer’s error to run but he’s kept our dream alive there and if he gets in the JCB Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham he will run.

“But whatever happens at Cheltenham that’s it as he’ll go back on the Flat this summer and I think there’s a nice race to be won with him somewhere.”

Osborne always maintained when starting training that he would have no jumpers but added: “I always said I wouldn’t be interested in jumping horses and I’m not going to make a habit of it.

“This horse’s owner Paul Dixon has around 10 Flat horses with me and we decided one day to let this one take his chance over hurdles but that will be it.”

David Elsworth missed seeing Backbeat make all the running under Barry Fenton to lift the Arkell’s 3B Bitter ‘National Hunt’ Novices’ Hurdle at the expense of Intymcginty as he is currently in America to supervise the running of smart Flat performer Smirk at Santa Anita tomorrow.

He had not saddled a jumps winner for over a year and his assistant Jeannie Brown said: “We decided to change tactics on him today and let him bowl along in front. He obviously liked it and it’s changed our luck.”