Mount Mews books Aintree ticket with Premier performance at Kelso

Mount Mews continued his rise through the ranks with a bloodless success in the totescoop6 Premier Kelso Novices' Hurdle.Malcolm Jefferson's six-year-old won bumpers at Market Rasen and Kelso last spring and returned to the Borders venue to make a successful debut over obstacles in December.He suffered an odds-on reverse on his next start at Wetherby, but righted that wrong in style at Doncaster and he was the 11-8 favourite to complete a course hat-trick at Grade Two level.With Mirsaale a non-runner, just four runners went to post and only two finished.Capitaine was the first to drop away and was eventually pulled up, leaving Mount Mews and Chalonnial to track the pacesetting Fairlee Grey into the home straight.Mount Mews and Chalonnial moved on to fight it out, but it was a short-lived battle as Jefferson's charge moved comfortably clear under a confident Brian Hughes.He skipped over the final flight and passed the post 49 lengths clear of an extremely weary Chalonnial.Fairlee Grey fell at the final flight, but eventually got to his feet. Jefferson said: "He was very impressive and kept galloping."He handled the ground. I think the rain that came overnight was a big help as it made it loose. A lot of horses go through that better than when it's sticky."All being well, he'll go to Aintree now for the two-mile novice hurdle we won with Cyrus Darius a couple of years ago (Top Novices' Hurdle). It was a Grade Two then, but it's a Grade One now."He has plenty of toe and they'll go a good gallop, which will suit him."Hughes went on to complete a big-race double aboard the Sandy Thomson-trained Seldom Inn in thetotepoolliveinfo.com Premier Chase. Tenor Nivernais was the 4-6 favourite following a runaway victory at Ascot a fortnight ago, with Le Mercurey rated his biggest threat having chased home Cheltenham Gold Cup favourite Native River in last month's Denman Chase at Newbury. However, 8-1 shot Seldom Inn was travelling the best of the three rounding the home turn and came home 21 lengths clear.Tenor Nivernais was a clear second. Thomson said: "That was brilliant. He's a horse that has had his jumping problems, so we've done plenty of work on that, but he obviously has a lot of ability. "He hadn't run since falling at Newcastle in November, but he always runs well fresh and this is a nice race to win with him. "We'll probably go to Ayr with him for either the Scottish National or there's a nice novice handicap at the same meeting. "If it came up soft there's a chance we could go to Aintree, but he certainly won't run before then."Hughes hit a total of four winners on the day with the Nick Alexander-trained pair of Clan Legend (100-30) and The Orange Rogue (11-4 favourite) also triumphing on the card.Clan Legend's success in the Cyril Alexander Memorial Chase was especially dear to the trainer's heart as the race is named in honour of his father.Alexander tweeted: "Very, very special to win Father's memorial race at Kelso 25 years after he died with the last foal out of the last horse he bred."