Messire beats Ballyandy in Sandown Grade 2 Messire Des Obeaux won a three-way duel for the Neptune Investment Management Novices' Hurdle at Sandown. The Grade Two event, better known as the Winter Novices' Hurdle, has a decent history with the likes of Fingal Bay and Taquin Du Seuil successful in recent years. Champion Bumper winner Ballyandy was looking to break his duck over hurdles at the third time of asking, but he looked beaten approaching the second-last when Cultivator loomed up. However, Nicky Henderson's runner hit the flight hard, losing all momentum and handing the initiative back to Ballyandy, only for the eventual winner to begin to stay on strongly. Daryl Jacob had been hard at work for some time on Alan King's 9-4 chance but he galloped on purposefully to win by half a length from Ballyandy, who was getting 7lb from the winner. Cultivator lost little in defeat in third place, another two and a quarter lengths away. King said: "He was very game. I thought between the last two he was going to run very well but finish third, but then he knuckled down well. "That's the first time he's had a gun put to his head and he was giving 7lb to Ballyandy so it was a good performance. "I thought it was a cracking renewal of the Winter Hurdle. I've won it a few times before but, to me, this year had the most depth. "He's a horse that will get better as he's a big, rangy horse. "The Challow Hurdle (Newbury) would seem the obvious place to go but the only thing that would put me off is my last few runners have been lapped in it. "I should think he'd be a bit better again on even softer ground as he likes plenty of juice. "If he didn't go to Newbury he'd go to Warwick for the Leamington (Novices' Hurdle). "I wouldn't be surprised if come March we're looking at the three-miler (Albert Bartlett)."
