Double delight for Neil Mulholland at Cheltenham Double Powerful extended his winning streak to six when taking the Lycetts Insurance Brokers Conditional Jockeys Handicap Hurdle on the opening day of Cheltenham’s November meeting. Neil Mulholland’s chestnut got off the mark in March last year and has not looked back since, returning this season in October to land a Kelso event by eight lengths. Two more victories followed at Worcester and Fontwell, by 24 and 10 lengths respectively, and as a result the gelding had to shoulder a 7lb penalty under Dylan Johnston at Cheltenham. The burden proved no hindrance, however, and he powered up the hill to prevail by half a length from Young Lucy as the 3-1 favourite. Mulholland said: “I had people texting me all morning asking if I fancied him. I mean, he’d won his last five and was favourite! I kept it polite all morning. “Fergal’s horse had won his last five too and in this world you’ll always meet somebody bigger and better than you one day, but he just keeps improving and answering the questions. “We could have gone to Southwell for a lesser race and carried a lot more weight, but we took a chance and we were hopeful. Thankfully he did what we wanted and it’s great for the owners and the yard. “Long-term you could be thinking of the conditionals’ race (Martin Pipe), but there’s a few bridges to cross between now and then. At least he handled the track so we’ll see what the handicapper does to him after this.” He went on: “We actually had Peltwell who won seven in a row, but if I was bothered about breaking my own record we wouldn’t have come here we’d have gone to Southwell! “I can assure you I’d rather be here than trying to beat my own record, though.” The Valda Energy Novices’ Handicap Hurdle then went the way of Jonjo and AJ O’Neill’s Wreckless Eric, who was a winner at 11-2 under Kielan Woods. The chestnut looked to be going promisingly before falling on his stable debut, but made no such mistake this time when finishing strongly to claim a one-length victory from 50-1 chance Cavern Club. Co-trainer Jonjo O’Neill said: “We’ve had a good week and any Cheltenham winner is always nice. “He was unlucky at Wincanton when he fell, he might have won, we think he might have anyway, and it suited him here today, he liked the hill and jumped really well. “He loves good ground and we’re very happy with him. We don’t know that he doesn’t go on soft, I don’t know, but he likes good ground and they normally don’t go on everything, do they – although they say good horses do! “I don’t know where he can go, I hope he’ll improve and he’s a young horse, so he should do. He might get further but as for now, we’ll keep him where he is until he gets beaten.”
