Supreme ruler Labaik in great heart with Fairyhouse and Punchestown on the radar

Supreme Novices' Hurdle hero Labaik has been pencilled in for appearances at both F airyhouse and Punchestown before the end of the season. Having refused to race twice in succession on the Flat, Gordon Elliott's grey looked to have been reformed by a switch to the jumping game when scoring in impressive style at Punchestown and Navan in the autumn. However, his old problems resurfaced as he failed to jump off in the Royal Bond at Fairyhouse and the Navan Novice Hurdle in December and his career looked all but over after he trailed home 100 lengths behind the winner at Naas last month.But Elliott has never made any secret of the regard in which he holds the six-year-old and he put his best foot forward to run out a brilliant winner of the Cheltenham Festival curtain-raiser.Owner Aidan O'Ryan said: " It was a brilliant day and it was just great to see the horse deliver what he'd promised to do. "The main thing was getting him to jump off. Once he'd done that, we knew what he was capable of."I don't think there was any fluke about it. It was a good race, Melon was the talking horse going into it and he was second."I went to see him earlier in the week and he seems in very good form and great order."I think the plan will be to go for the Grade One novice hurdle in Punchestown, possibly taking in a Grade Two at Fairyhouse along the way."He seems good and fresh as although he's been to the racesa few times, he hasn't had many runs!"