Top Notch comes good at Sandown for Henderson
WHAT Top Notch may lack in size he more than makes up for in heart as he completed a significant double for Nicky Henderson with a stylish success in the Betfred TV Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase at Sandown.
The six-year-old was left to fly the flag alone for the Seven Barrows handler after a decision was made on Tuesday to switch Buveur D’Air back over smaller obstacles for the Contenders Hurdle earlier on the card with a revised long-term target of the Champion Hurdle.
In a race that was made a true test by the pace-pushing Baron Alco, Top Notch jumped with great fluency and moved up to lay down his challenge with the Paul Nicholls-trained pair of Le Prezien and Clan Des Obeaux over the third-last.
After quickly seeing off the attentions of that pair, Daryl Jacob effortlessly cruised his mount past a hard-at-work Jamie Moore on Baron Alco to take up matters over the last before readily quickening clear to claim a superb five-length success.
Henderson said of the 11-4 winner: ‘He was great. It is all about confidence. He has just now got so much confidence that size doesn’t matter any more. He is full of himself.
‘When we started novice chasing it was just an experiment. We found two nice, easy races. His jumping to start with was good, but it was hard work as he has not got the scope.
‘He loved it and liked the two and a half miles so I think that’s answered another question. I’d say the JLT (Novices’ Chase at the Cheltenham Festival) is what we’ve got to go to.’
The decision to put the chasing career of Buveur D’Air on hold may have taken some by surprise but it looked to be the correct one after he sauntered home in the Contenders Hurdle.
Despite having won both his first two races over fences, the six-yearold was switched back to smaller obstacles for the first time since claiming Grade One honours at Aintree last April.
With Henderson using the same race as a stepping-stone for the JP McManus-owned Binocular ahead of his 2010 Champion Hurdle success, the 1-4 favourite, who runs in the same silks, fuelled his own claims of victory at the Festival when he barely came out of cruise control to master Rayvin Black by a length and a half.
He said: ‘We didn’t learn a lot, I just think at this stage of his life he might just be a sharper hurdler than chaser. Barry (Geraghty) said he can make a length or two over hurdles with him, but not so over fences. He is very quick, slick and pacey.’
Meanwhile, tomorrow’s meeting at Lingfield has been abandoned due to a waterlogged track.
Elsewhere, Lucy Alexander has been discharged from hospital with a facial injury after falling at Musselburgh. Alexander parted company with Rocklim, who was fatally injured, at the second flight of a handicap hurdle.