Dream win for Johnson

Dream Alliance rewarded Richard Johnson for his quick dash to Chepstow from Cheltenham when making hacks of his rivals in the Letheby & Christopher Maiden Hurdle at the Welsh course.

The five-year-old, who stood head and shoulders above his rivals on the evidence of the form book, took control from Back Among Friends at the first in the home straight and steadily drew clear.

At the post the 10-11 favourite, trained by Philip Hobbs, had seven lengths in hand of Principe Azzurro, with Carew Lad a further 14 lengths away in third

Hobbs was represented by Alex Elliot, who said: “He looked the one to beat on the book and is a chaser in the making. This ground was far from ideal but he did it very easily.”