Jered has Champion look

Jered stormed to the top of VC Bet’s ante-post Champion Hurdle list with a fluent triumph in the Anglo Irish Bank Hurdle at Down Royal.

Trained by Noel Meade and ridden by Tony McCoy, the talented six-year-old clinically brushed aside the zesty challenge of Cork All Star to oblige at 13-8.

Jered was last seen claiming the Grade One Champion Novice Hurdle at Punchestown and turned in another highly impressive display to defeat the former Champion Bumper winner by three-quarters of a length.

VC Bet reacted quickly to his Grade Three triumph and cut him to 6-1 co-favourite (from 12s) with Binocular and Katchit for the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham.

William Hill and Paddy Power both go 8-1.

Meade said: ``I thought that it was a fair task to give away 11lb to the other horse (Cork All Star).

“I’m absolutely thrilled with him. I was as impressed with him today as I ever was.

“We’ll see what happens, but I would say the next obvious race is to go to Punchestown for the Morgiana Hurdle.”

McCoy added: “He took off with me a little bit at the first, so I had to slow him down and get him settled.

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“He jumped great and won it well.”