Champion Hurdle the aim as Pied Piper cruises to Cheltenham win

Pied Piper gained revenge on old rival Knight Salute as he emerged victorious in the Masterson Holdings Hurdle at Cheltenham.

The two horses met in the Anniversary 4-y-o Juvenile Hurdle at Aintree in April and could not be separated as the race was declared a dead heat.

However, Knight Salute, trained by Milton Harris, was subsequently awarded the race in the stewards’ room as his opponent was deemed to have caused interference on the run to the line.

On this occasion there were no such fine margins as the Gordon Elliott-trained Pied Piper strode to a two-and-three-quarter-length triumph under Jack Kennedy as the 5-6 favourite.

Knight Salute was the runner-up at 9-2, just outperforming Joseph O’Brien’s Bella Scintilla by a head.

Elliott said: “We were looking forward to a bit of improvement coming over here and we thought it was a nice race to start him off in. Jack gave him a lovely ride and it worked out well.

“He won well and has got a lot stronger since last year. I loved the way he put his head down and galloped to the line. I’m very happy.

“He is a nice horse. We are going to dream for a while (of the Champion Hurdle), but it is a hot division and he is going to have to keep improving.

“We will go to Down Royal for the WKD in two weeks and on to Christmas, all being well, from there.

“He’ll be trained like a Champion Hurdle horse, but it is a very, very hot division and he’s going to have to improve, but if you’re not in, you can’t win.”

Betfair clipped Pied Piper from 20-1 to 14s for the Champion Hurdle back at Cheltenham in March.

Elliott continued: “If you look at the way he jumps his hurdles, he is going to be a chaser down the road – he’s one to look forward to.

“We bought him at the Horses In Training Sale last year and he’s getting stronger every day. There’s a big Flat handicap in him as well, you know?

“I would imagine we will keep him over timber this season.

“He is way stronger than he was last season. With those juveniles, that is what you want – a bit of scope. If he keeps going the way he is going, we’ll be happy.”

Harris offered no excuses in defeat for Knight Salute.

He said: “Nature of the beast, isn’t it?

“It is sport. There’ll be another day. I wouldn’t shy away from him again. He ran a good race. I’d love to offer an excuse, but I don’t have one. He hasn’t let us down.”

Jockey Brian Hayes had a red-letter day at Cheltenham on Saturday, riding his first winner at the iconic home of jump racing.

Hayes gave Dads Lad (7-2) an ultra-confident ride, pouncing late to pick off Effernock Fizz inside the final furlong of the 888Sport Handicap Chase, a two-mile event where the pace fell apart.

The Willie Mullins-trained Dad’s Lad has got his career back on track since going over fences and the trainer’s son and assistant, Patrick Mullins, said the seven-year-old will likely return to the Festival meeting in March.

“That was magic,” said Mullins. “I thought it was a Ruby (Walsh) ride from Brian. He rode him with loads of confidence and got everything right.

“We might have to look at the Grand Annual – he might get in at the bottom.

“I was a bit worried, but I left the instructions to Brian as he knows the horse. I said to ride him as you find him and he thought there was loads of pace in the race. Brian is a very good rider. It was his first winner at Cheltenham and it won’t be his last.

“He has been a big part of our team at Closutton for the past couple of years and I just thought the ride won it, to be honest.”

He added: “He is not a mid-winter horse. I think he is very well-in over hurdles and there is a big hurdle in him somewhere – and there’s a big Flat handicap in him too.

“We will look at the Connacht Hotel, the big amateur handicap at Galway next year. There are a few more pots to go for before that.”

Decent staying handicap chases will provide targets for Lord Accord (15-2), who jumped superbly to claim the 888Sport Is Made To Play Handicap Chase under Richie McLernon.

Neil Mulholland’s seven-year-old had the benefit of a pipe-opener over hurdles and put that fitness to the test in style, drawing readily clear of The Wolf to win by four and a half lengths.

“It was nice and convincing,” said Mulholland. “It was good to have the previous run under his belt and he came up the hill well. That was a nice confidence-booster.

“He does jump and does stay, so races like the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury are the sort of races he should be in for and having a look at.

“We won this race in the past with Young Master and Midnight Chase. They came back and won in November and December, but this horse wouldn’t want it too soft, that’s why Newbury might suit him, because it is a fairly dry track.

“We will run him wherever the ground is nice, definitely not on soft ground.”

When you are given the name of Shearer (100-30), big things can be expected of you.

The record-breaking former England, Newcastle and Blackburn striker’s equine namesake scored for the third time over hurdles, arriving just when it mattered to mow down Twig and take the 888Sport Novices’ Hurdle under Adrian Heskin.

Trainer Paul Nicholls, said: “I’m delighted to win with him. He has improved a bit and strengthened up. He had sore shins last year which was playing him up all the time.

“He has got over that and grown all the time and is improving all the time.

“I was fairly confident going to the last, as he usually keeps a bit in the tank.

“Adrian was always going to arrive late. That’s three of his last four he’s won now and he’s getting there. He is a lovely horse who has been immature and just needed all the time he’s had, but hopefully he will keep improving.”

Owner Max McNeill named the six-year-old and Nicholls added: “We always thought a lot of him when he started off, when he was a baby. Max wanted to call a good one Shearer. Touch wood he wasn’t far wrong.

“We were going to go chasing, but now he’s won a couple, we’ll probably stay over hurdles.”

Shoot First (9-4 favourite) may be put away until the Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle Final at the Festival after a cosy success in the qualifier.

Charles Byrnes watched with pride as his son, 7lb claimer Philip, powered to success on the horse’s third outing in a handicap.

Byrnes said: “The rain just came in time. He likes a slight bit of ease in the ground. He travelled unreal and jumped brilliant all through the race. He got there a bit soon.

“The final would look the obvious route and that will probably get him in. It’s Philip’s first time riding here, so it is a bit of a dream.”

He added: “I’d imagine we will put him away and you probably won’t see him again until March.”

Chemical Energy could also be put away until the Festival after his victory in the Jim Wilson Memorial Novices’ Chase saw him slashed to 12-1 from 50s by Paddy Power for the National Hunt Chase.

Trainer Gordon Elliott, who was completing a double along with jockey Davy Russell, said: “He has done it well. Davy said he pulled him wide for a bit of better because he hated the ground on the inside. He just needs good ground.

“The National Hunt Chase is the type of race he will be going for. He probably won’t have run now until then. He wants better ground, you couldn’t knock his performance, but he is ground-dependent.”