There were any number of promising performances from both Festival veterans and young pretenders, with various ante-post Festival markets revised as a consequence.
In particular Menorah, Cue Card and Time For Rupert all recorded championship-standard performances and all now seem likely to be put away until the Festival in March.
Menorah assumed pole position in the Champion Hurdle ante-post market after a devastating display in what looked a very competitive International Hurdle on Saturday. He has always been a bit vulnerable in slowly-run races, so the inclusion of a pacemaker by trainer Philip Hobbs appears to have been a smart move, even if Nicene Creed was slightly ignored out in front.
But, travelling well on the heels of the unbeaten pair of four-year-olds Cue Card and Siliviniaco Conti round the last bend, Menorah showed a startling turn of pace to go between them running to the last flight and win the best hurdle race run this season by four and a half lengths.
“He did it very well,” said Hobbs. “He was a bit short of room round the last bend, so Richard [Johnson] had to wait rather than barge through, which wasn’t ideal but might have made it look a bit better than it actually was.”
As a result of which most bookmakers promoted him to 4/1 ante-post favouritism from around 9/1, with last season's winner Binocular now a best-price 5/1 (Bet365).
Those odds look set to stay solid through the winter with Hobbs on Sunday making clear his preference for the five-year-old - also successful at Cheltenham in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle and Greatwood Hurdle - to avoid the campaign's remaining trials: "We’ve always felt he’s better on better ground. He’s not certain to run again before the Champion."
Connections were not disappointed with Cue Card, who confirmed he is in the big league with a fine performance, but it may help them lower their sights back to the novice division come March. He is also likely to head straight to the Cheltenham Festival without another run according to trainer Colin Tizzard:
"He's fine, he's come back and eaten up. He's just had the hardest race of his life and I don't think he lost anything in defeat," said the Dorset handler.
"It was what racing is all about. Menorah with a pacemaker was going to grind us into the ground. From being stuck in a pocket, Menorah burst through and went from two lengths down to three lengths up in 10 strides. It was a magical race.
"We are mindful of the jewel we've got and he won't run again until the Festival now.
He'll be entered in both, no doubt. I've been talking to his owner Bob Bishop and we'll see what happens in the next month, but he won't run again. He doesn't need to.
"He ran in January last season and we didn't run him again until the Champion Bumper. We'll let him fill up and have a go at one of the races at the Festival this year. He's a beautiful horse and we want to have him like this for the next three or four years."
Cue Card can currently be backed at best-price 9/2 (Totesport) for the Supreme Novices Hurdle and best-price 25/1 (Sportingbet) for the Champion Hurdle.
Silviniaco Conti did not jump with the same fluency as he did at Ascot and was comfortably held by the front two. Paul Nicholls suggested that he may well have ran up light after a number of recent runs and that he would be better suited by a more evenly run race. A tilt at a Champion Hurdle trial at Haydock or Wincanton looks the most likely option and his current best-price for the Champion Hurdle is 16/1 with the new race sponsor Stan James, who will also refund losing ante-post bets on the race, up to £250, if Binocular wins (offer ends Christmas Day).
You will not see too many better displays of jumping by a seasoned handicap chaser let alone a novice than Time For Rupert put up in the DRS Contracts Novice Chase. Back up to three miles, the further they went the better he went and he galloped on strongly up the hill to beat Chicago Grey by eight lengths for trainer Paul Webber and jockey Will Kennedy.
“It’s an honour to have a horse like this and reasonably nerve-racking,” said Webber about the liver chestnut chaser who looks destined for greater things on the staying chase circuit than this term’s target, the RSA Chase for which he is now best-price 4/1 (Victor Chandler)
Somersby had proved unruly in the preliminaries where he slipped over, and his participation was in doubt. He ran on well despite making a mistake at the eighth and he will be seen to better effect when stepped up in trip and ideally, on better ground. He looks a very likely contender for the Ryanair Chase and the best-price 8/1 (Bet365) looks an attractive each-way bet.
Last season, Master Minded, the two-time Champion Chaser, lost his way and hearing him choke as he completed a workout, trainer Paul Nicholls decided they had nothing to lose by giving him a wind operation. It appeared to have worked when he won at Ascot last time, but with an even more imperious display to win the restaged Tingle Creek Chase, he looked right back to his best. Still only seven and with a few more years in him yet, he cruised up to the leader Petit Robin at the second-last and then powered up the hill to come home eight lengths clear.
“When he worked on Wednesday it was the first time I thought he was back to what he was two years ago,” said Nicholls. He is now best-price 2/1 (Bet365) to win a third Queen Mother Champion Chase next March.
Nicholls sent out four winners on Saturday, including top-weight Poquelin, who became the first horse ever to win the Vote AP Gold Cup on two occasions. Carrying a burden of 11st 12lb, less conditional jockey Ian Popham's 5lb claim, the seven-year-old found plenty after the last to see off the determined challenge of previous Cheltenham Festival victor Great Endeavour.
"It is a dream to ride horses like that," a clearly ecstatic Popham said.
"He made my life so easy. He had a lot of weight on his back so I was trying to hold on to him as long as I could. I am really chuffed with that. He is a brilliant horse and the going is definitely the key to him."
Nicholls has put down much of the repeat as being down to the horse's ability to act around the New course at Cheltenham but his conditional rider gave him the perfect ride - racing handily at all times and holding off Great Endeavour (who was in receipt of 16lbs) as they raced up the hill to the line. The trainer is likely to put him away until the Ryanair Chase at the Festival for which he is now best-price 6/1 (Paddy Power).
The form of this race seems to have a very solid look to it as the second was well fancied for the Paddy Power Gold Cup. As expected, he had come on for that run and whilst requiring plenty of encouragement from Timmy Murphy, he is only a six-year-old and he looks open to further improvement still.
Sunnyhillboy appeared to be going nowhere with five to jump though he stayed relentlessly up the hill to be third. Although a winner over two miles, he could be worth a try over further and it would be no surprise to see the owners having staying chases on their mind for the future.
Owner Paul Duffy already has a legitimate Cheltenham Gold Cup contender in Diamond Harry but he believes he has discovered a future heir to the greatest Festival prize by way of Friday's course winner Reve De Sivola.
Duffy is the figurehead of the Diamond Partnership, raised to such prominence when Diamond Harry landed the Hennessy a fortnight ago, and he does not hold back in his predictions for the younger horse.
Just five, Reve De Sivola needed to show a little more than when he was fourth on his first attempt over fences a month ago and the early signs were hardly encouraging. The 3/1 shot found himself right at the back after walking through the first couple but the whole shape of the race changed when the leader Othermix fell on jumping the water, bringing down Radium and hampering Wishfull Thinking.
Rebel Du Maquis was left out on his own but he ran out of steam before the last and Reve De Sivola picked him off, holding the brave Wishfull Thinking by a length and a quarter.
"He is relentless at the back-end of a race and his potential is unbelievable as a three-mile chaser," said Duffy.
"This is a Gold Cup horse of the future and the plan this season is to come back here at the end of January and then go for the two-and-a-half-miler (Jewson Novices Chase) at the Festival."
He is currently best-price 10/1 (Bet365) for the Jewson.
Midnight Chase earned the right to be considered for this season's Gold Cup after staging a remarkable comeback the Majordomo Hospitality Handicap Chase.
Neill Mulholland's gelding has now won four of his five starts over fences at Prestbury Park and rallied gallantly on the run-in after losing his lead to Presenting Forever with two to jump.
Mulholland said: "He was running off 155 today, which is a grand lot of weight to carry. He'll have a break now and be entered for the Gold Cup, with possibly one more run before, maybe in February.
"I don't think we'll beat the big boys, but everyone dreams about the Gold Cup and he is entitled to have a crack at it."
Midnight Chase was cut by bookmakers for the 2011 Cheltenham Gold Cup with best-price now 25/1 (Totesport).
Sam Winner confirmed his prominence at the head of the JCB Triumph Hurdle market with a solid display of hurdling on Friday, making it two from two at Cheltenham in Triumph Hurdle trials.
Kept in mid-division, he took closer order with a spectacular jump at the fifth before leading two out and quickly putting the issue to bed. Paul Nicholls reported that he felt the ground was quick enough for him today and that while there is plenty to come for the future, he wouldn't be at his best on fast ground.
Already favourite for the Triumph Hurdle, bookmakers reacted by and large by trimming the three-year-old who is now best-price 9/2 (Totesport).
However, Sam Winner could have another Cheltenham Festival target according to trainer Paul Nicholls, who said: "He is a smart horse and I am pleased for Noel. The ground was quick enough for him and the faster they go the better. The best is yet to come.
"It is not set in stone that he will go for the Triumph, he will have an entry for the Supreme as well. He will make a chaser in time - that is what we bought him for."
Another trip to Prestbury Park is on the agenda, as Nicholls added: "He will not run at Christmas. His next run will be back here in January and then we will think about Cheltenham."
He is as short as 10/1 for the Supreme with some bookmakers and currently best-price 16/1 (Totesport).
Menorah (left) pulls clear of Cue Card (right) on Saturday to establish himself as favourite for the 2011 Champion Hurdle
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