Garde Champetre is one to watch

Garde Champetre is a name for the notebooks after a highly-encouraging performance in the curtain-raiser at Cheltenham today.

Having just his fifth start for Paul Nicholls, the ex-French gelding was all at sea for most of the way and at the start of the final turn had only two of his 18 rivals behind him.

But having been unable to keep up with the early gallop, he made relentless progress in the closing stages to finish fifth under Timmy Murphy.

Garde Champetre has been regarded as an embryonic chaser since his arrival at the Nicholls stable and it would be no surprise to see him switched to the larger obstacles before long.

But if connections persevere over hurdles then a step up to two and a half miles can see the five-year-old win a good prize before the campaign is out.