O`Neill young chaser a sensation Tony Dobbin warmed up for his date with Barton by winning on another promising young chaser at Bangor today. The Irishman, who partners Tim Easterby`s top hurdler in tomorrow`s Stanley Racing Novices` Chase at Newcastle, guided the Jonjo O`Neill-trained Mini Sensation to a fourth straight victory in the Malise Nicolson Novices` Chase. His mount put up a much more impressive effort than when scrambling home on his chasing debut at Wetherby four weeks earlier, jumping well, cruising to the front at the second-last fence and coming home an eight-length winner from Hussard Collonges. 'The ground was a bit quick for him last time and he loved this soft going,' Dobbin said of the winner, who carries the Istabraq colours of owner JP McManus. 'He isn`t very big but he is very economical, he jumped great and he`ll stay all day. 'Jonjo won`t overface him but if they stay and they jump in this ground they are definitely going places.' As too is Barton, a Grade One winning hurdler who got off the mark at the second attempt over fences at Newcastle earlier this month and carries a 6lb penalty as he steps up to three miles in a £10,000-added novice event tomorrow. 'He was really good last time and he oozes class,' Dobbin said of the eight-year-old. 'Hopefully tomorrow will be another run on the learning curve. 'I have always said he wants three miles. He will stay all day but he has got plenty of gears.' Dobbin, O`Neill and McManus looked set to compete a double until their Shamawan was hampered by the fall of Arctic Spirit two fences from home in the Tommy & Tuppence Novices` Handicap Chase. Well though the 4-1 joint favourite rallied, he was unable quite to reel in length-and-a-quarter winner Arctic Spirit (25-1), whose trainer Richard Bevis admitted: 'We were probably quite fortunate that Jonjo`s horse got stopped in his tracks a bit.' Echo`s Of Dawn, outsider of the six-runner field at 11-1, returned from an 18-month break to spring a surprise in the Morris Nicholson Cartwright Handicap Chase. The John Upson-trained gelding went clear from the third-last fence and found extra when challenged again in the closing stages to score by seven lengths from The Pickled Duke. 'He got a bit of heat in a leg so they gave him a year off,' recalled winning jockey Denis Grattan. 'He travelled well and I got there a bit soon today. He`ll come on for the run.' But the nine-year-old may need treatment on his return home, having drawn blood when knocking his near-hind fetlock on a concrete step in the winner`s enclosure. Fast King, refitted with the blinkers he wore when running his best race on the Flat in France, made short work of justifying 8-13 favouritism for Philip Hobbs in the Eyton Juvenile Novices` Hurdle.
