Halo impresses at Fontwell Celestial Halo impressed when winning the Grade Two totesport.com National Spirit Hurdle at Fontwell. Paul Nicholls' charge, runner-up in the 2009 Champion Hurdle, returned to winning ways with a comfortable victory in the feature race of the card. The seven year old had reverted to hurdling in December after two disappointing runs over fences and had run his best race for some time when going down narrowly in the Kingwell Hurdle at Wincanton last time when making Champion Hurdle hope Mille Chief pull out all the stops over two miles. Always travelling well for Harry Skelton, Celestial Halo held a commanding advantage with two flights to jump and came home six lengths clear of last year's winner Trenchant who was having his first start since disappointing at the Cheltenham Festival 12 months ago. They were followed home by Afsoun who had also finished third in last season's renewal for his previous connections. Celestial Halo holds entries in the Ladbrokes World Hurdle and the Vincent O'Brien County Hurdle at next month's Cheltenham Festival although he may not take them up according to winning owner Andy Stewart who said: "He has been taken out of the Champion Hurdle but he has been left in the Ladbrokes World Hurdle purely as a precaution in case my other horse Big Buck's was not able to run. "His aim now is the Aintree Hurdle over two and a half miles and in the summer we hope he can hit the headlines as Paul Nicholls' first winner on the Flat in the Queen Alexandra Stakes at Royal Ascot."
