Three And Easy For Super Nicholls

Paul Nicholls and Sam Thomas teamed up at Sandown to register a near 21-1 treble courtesy of Silverburn, The Tother One and Gungadu.

The partnership enjoyed considerable success before Christmas when stable jockey Ruby Walsh was sidelined through injury.

With Walsh in action at Doncaster, Thomas stepped back into the plate.

Silverburn was cut by Ladbrokes into 10-1 for the Royal & SunAlliance Chase after an all-the-way success in the Grade One totesport.com Challengers Novices' Chase.

Sam Thomas kicked on aboard the 10-11 favourite heading to the Railway fences and obliged by six lengths from The Market Man.

Nicholls said: "That was always going to be the race for him ? the ground suited him and Hobbs Hill coming out (due to the ground) made it easier.

"He's in the Arkle and would only go there if it came up bottomless and the SunAlliance is more likely."

Silverburn is also a full brother to Denman, who won the SunAlliance at the Festival last season.

The champion trainer's first win on a day brimming with Festival clues came as The Tother One defied a massive rise in the weights as the 9-4 favourite in the totescoop6 Heroes Handicap Hurdle.

Totesport trimmed him to 10-1 from 12s for the Albert Bartlett Novices' Spa Hurdle, while going 12-1 from 25s for the Ballymore.

Nicholls said: "He was off a higher mark but the race was run to suit and he has won nicely.

"He won't run before Cheltenham where he is in the Ballymore and the Albert Bartlett.

"We'll leave it a while before making a decision but the Ballymore is the more likely."

The Ditcheat team completed a hat-trick in the totesport Masters Handicap Chase as Gungadu (5-2 favourite) rallied gamely on the run-in to hold off Burntoakboy by a length and a quarter.

Last year's Champion Hurdle third Afsoun and Straw Bear again did battle, with the former emerged well on top with his three-and-a-half-length victory in the totepool Contenders Hurdle.

The pair jumped the last upsides, with Straw Bear travelling marginally the better, only for Nicky Henderson's runner to pull away and deny the Nick Gifford-trained 8-13 favourite.

Totesport cut the winner into 25-1 for the Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle, while easing Straw Bear out to the same price from 14s.

Henderson said: "We have got to go for the Champion Hurdle after that but I am not saying he is going to win it and there aren't that many options for him."

Gifford added: "I am obviously disappointed but he got outstayed up the hill and has been beaten by a better horse on the day."

Pamak D'Airy ensured the day finished on a high for Henderson when taking the Tim Chappell 70th Birthday Celebration Novices' Handicap as the 7-2 joint favourite.

Ashkazar only needed to be pushed out by Timmy Murphy to land odds of 4-7 in the toteplacepot Juvenile Novices' Hurdle, after which Coral made him a 16-1 shot for the JCB Triumph Hurdle.

(C) PA Sport