SAN THE MAN UP IN TRIP

NEWSBOY’S 1-2-3 1 SANTINI 2 CHEF DES OBEAUX 3 KILBRICKEN STORM

SANTINI should find this three-mile test right up his street.

Nicky Henderson gave the son of Milan his debut in a novice event over two and a half miles at Newbury in December, for which stablemate Chef Des Obeaux went off the 2-1 favourite.

But Santini, a £150,000 purchase from the point-topoint field, beat his rival by four and a half lengths.

Henderson (above) then elected for some match practice at Cheltenham, sending Santini to the Trials card at the end of January.

Again racing over two and a half miles, my selection finished strongly to wear down Black Op, who franked the form with an excellent second to Samcro in Wednesday’s Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle. Chef Des Obeaux

will relish the underfoot conditions and should be in the Kilbricken shake-up, while Storm

had excuses for his Newbury flop last time and remains capable of better.