Montifault the Brewery toast

Improving young chaser Montifault was the star of a fantastic 17-1 treble for trainer Paul Nicholls and stable jockey Timmy Murphy at Wincanton today.

The six-year-old, sent off the 11-4 favourite, was a thoroughly impressive winner of the Stg£40,000 Badger Brewery Handicap Chase and now has the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup at Newbury next month as his target.

Sent into the lead by Murphy with almost a circuit to run, Montifault quickly put distance between himself and his seven rivals with some fine leaps and was eased down dramatically after the final fence to beat Carbury Cross by three lengths.

Half an hour later, Phar From A Fiddle played his part in the day when landing an effortless 14-length win in the Fieldspring Novices` Handicap Chase.

The treble had been initiated when Azerytyuiop shrugged off concerns over his race-fitness to land a convincing success in the KJ Pike & Sons Elite Hurdle.

The performance was enough for Victor Chandler to cut Azertyuiop`s price for next year`s Champion Hurdle from 25-1 to 16-1.

Majed made every yard of the running to lift the featured Tote Silver Trophy Handicap Hurdle at Chepstow today for the champion combination of Martin Pipe and Tony McCoy.

The five-year-old was bidding for his fifth victory on the trot having ended last term on a four-timer and McCoy dictated matters from the front before coming home with four lengths to spare over Legal Lunch.

Trainer Alan King and jockey Robert Thornton were in double form courtesy of victories for veteran hurdler Old Rouvel and the highly regarded Gola Cher who made a winning debut over fences, albeit in very fortunate circumstances.

King rates Gola Cher as star material now that he has been switched to fences but his victory in the Grade Two Rising Stars Novices` Chase has to be considered most lucky as the Martin Pipe-trained Royal Auclair was well clear when hitting the deck five fences out.

The incident left King`s charge to fight out the finishwith Gentle Rivage and he proved nine lengths too good where it mattered, much to the relief of his trainer.