BILBOA PUTS ON CHAMPION SHOW

Bilboa put herself bang into the reckoning for next year`s Champion Hurdle as she annihilated her rivals at rain-lashed Aintree today.

The filly put the seal on a fabulous day for Francois Doumen and his jockey-son Thierry - earlier successful with First Gold - as she came home alone in the Glenlivet Anniversary 4-Y-O Novices` Hurdle.

Coral Eurobet quote Bilboa at 8-1 for the Champion Hurdle with William Hill offering 12s.

Doumen junior said: 'She`s very special and who knows what`s going to happen with her now. She`s getting better and better.'

'She is very willing and a real pro. Every time I hid her behind horses she got very relaxed.'

The trainer admitted he had been concerned by the relentless rain that had transformed the course into a mudbath.

'She has won in similar conditions but it wasn`t ideal and I still think she`d be better on a sounder surface,' he said.

Doumen senior was not prepared to assert that Bilboa would have won the Triumph Hurdle had that race taken place.

'She`s won well today but that doesn`t mean she would have won any other race,' he said.

Bilboa would have crossed swords with Jair Du Cochet, also trained in France, if Cheltenham had gone ahead.

She was beaten by that horse when the pair clashed at Chepstow at the end of the year.

'When she was beaten by Jair Du Cochet it wasn`t D-Day - I was preparing her for Cheltenham and anything could happen if they met now.'

Bilboa is likely to be in action again soon with France`s big juvenile race at Auteuil next month a probable target.

Martin Pipe, who has 10 runners in the Martell Grand National, launched the meeting in style when supplying 25-1 shot Carlovent to land the Barton & Guestier Handicap Hurdle.

The six-year-old, one of four Pipe runners in the race, was guided to a 10-length margin over Springfield Scally by Tom Scudamore.

Aghawadda Gold showed tremendous to oblige at 12-1 in the Martell Red Rum Handicap Chase.

Russ Garritty`s mount had to see off a determined challenge from Wahiba Sands to score by a short-head.

Only six of the 27 who went to post completed the course over the gruelling Grand National fences in the Martell Fox Hunters` Chase with Caroline Bailey supplying the first two of the sextet in Gunner Welburn and last year`s runner up Secret Bay.