Zarak The Brave got back on track by claiming a straightforward victory in the Grade Three Naas Racecourse Business Club Limestone Lad Hurdle.

Paul Townend was last of the four runners aboard the 2-5 favourite approaching the turn for home but then made a forward move to track pacemaker Telmesomethinggirl entering the straight.

Two smooth jumps put the five-year-old in control and he kept on well enough to prevail by a length and a quarter.

The Simon Munir and Isaac Souede-owned gelding showed plenty of promise last season when placed behind stablemates Lossiemouth and Gala Marceau in Grade One events at Punchestown and Auteuil.

He picked up a valuable prize when landing the Galway Hurdle but was found to be all wrong after being pulled up as a long odds-on favourite for a three-runner Tipperary contest in October.

Trainer Willie Mullins said: “It’s nice to put that bad run in Tipperary behind him and we felt he’d been doing things nice at home.

“He might need a longer trip, as he’s getting settled now compared to what he used to be like. I’m very pleased to get him back on track.

“He’s only in the Champion Hurdle (at Cheltenham) and I’m not sure if he’ll go there. We might look at a few of the Graded races at Fairyhouse over Easter.

Mullins also has Impaire Et Passe for Zarak The Brave’s owners and he is set for action as part of the Closutton squad for the Dublin Racing Festival.

Mullins added: “We’ll work the horses during the week and decide then what we will do next weekend.

“Impaire Et Passe will run in the Irish Champion Hurdle along with State Man and probably Echoes In Rain.”

Ndaawi looked a nice prospect for Gordon Elliott when cruising to victory in the Download The BetVictor App Maiden Hurdle as a 10-11 market leader.

Jack Kennedy sent his mount a dozen lengths clear after a fine leap at the final flight and was able to ease down well before the finish, eventually obliging by a comfortable two and a half.

Once a Group One runner in France for Andrew Balding as a two-year-old, the son of Cracksman was cut from 14-1 to 10-1 with Betfair for the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle at Cheltenham.

Elliott beamed: “It was a good performance and he jumped well. His form was good and we knew he’d improved from the last day. He was entitled to do that. He’ll go for the Boodles at Cheltenham.”

Kings Halo made all when running out a convincing winner of the Clinton Higgins Chartered Accountants Novice Handicap Chase.

Danny Mullins set out to make the two-and-a-half-mile contest a true test of stamina on James Dullea’s 7-4 favourite and succeeded in doing that before drawing 18 lengths clear at the line.

“Our fella jumped and travelled,” said Dullea. “Danny was brilliant and got the fractions right on him. I thought he’d gone a tad quick early on, but Danny knew what he was doing.

“The drop back in trip didn’t make any difference to him and it was a good performance. He’d a lovely weight and everything suited him – ground, weight.

“He has plenty of options now with trips and he’ll get into better handicaps now.”

The Football Association has launched a swift investigation into the crowd trouble which marred the FA Cup derby between West Brom and Wolves.

Play at the Hawthorns was suspended for over half an hour due to disorder in the stands and fans spilling onto the pitch.

West Midlands Police said two people have been arrested.

An FA statement read: “The disorder that occurred at the Black Country derby between West Bromwich Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers is completely unacceptable.

“Safety and security are of the utmost importance, and the behaviour of those involved is dangerous and inexcusable.

“We will be investigating these serious incidents alongside the clubs and the relevant authorities, and the appropriate action will be taken.”

The stoppage came shortly after Matheus Cunha had struck to give Wolves a 2-0 lead in the 78th minute.

Police and security needed to rush to a corner of the ground supposedly holding home fans as the disturbance developed.

Some West Brom players were concerned for family members seated nearby and went into the stand to remove their children.

Referee Thomas Bramall eventually took the players from both teams back to the dressing rooms.

There had earlier been pockets of trouble in other parts of the ground.

Flares were thrown in the away section after Wolves opened the scoring in the first half and objects were also thrown at Wolves’ Tommy Doyle as he prepared to take a corner.

Play eventually resumed with just over 12 minutes of the game remaining.

West Midlands Police said: “We have extra officers at this local derby and they responded immediately as disorder in the stands caused fans to spill onto the pitch. Two people have been arrested for public order offences.

“We worked with officials to get the game restarted as soon as possible.”

Ben Stokes hailed England’s heroes of Hyderabad after claiming his “greatest triumph” since becoming Test captain.

Stokes has overseen some outstanding victories since taking charge almost two years ago – with record run chases at home, a historic 3-0 whitewash in Pakistan and a thrilling Ashes contest last summer – but now has a new favourite.

Facing an India side who had lost just three times on their own patch in the past decade, England somehow turned a 190-run first-innings deficit into a jaw-dropping 28-run win.

The biggest lead any touring team had ever previously overturned in India was just 65, by Australia all the way back in 1964.

Stokes’ vice-captain Ollie Pope was player of the match, saving the game with a stunning knock of 196, while debutant Tom Hartley forced the win with fourth-innings figures of seven for 62.

Reflecting on an unforgettable turn around at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium, Stokes said: “Since I’ve been captain this is definitely the number one win.

“We’ve been part of some amazing games over the last few years, had some incredible victories, but considering where we are and who we are playing against, this is 100 per cent definitely our greatest triumph.

“Being captain you are the one who has to come down and take all of the praise when you win or all of the bullets when you lose. The thing about winning is you obviously want to give the praise to the people who deserve it.

“This week two people in particular – Ollie Pope and Tom Hartley, amazing match-winning performances. I can only do so much and it is not me who has done this it is 10 other blokes who committed and managed to put in some pretty special things in the past four days.

“It’s amazing what you can get out individuals if you walk the walk after talking the talk.”

Hartley’s contribution must have been particularly satisfying for Stokes, who went out of his way to support the newcomer after a tough start to his Test career.

After seeing the left-arm spinner’s first ball hit for six by Yashasvi Jaiswal at the start of a costly opening spell, Stokes could have tried to shield him from further damage. Instead he gave him a long spell and plenty of support, and went back to him again frequently.

That faith came good when it mattered most, as Hartley ran through India to scupper their chase.

“It’s unbelievable, it’s not going to sink in for a while I think. I’m over the moon to be honest,” the Lancastrian told TNT Sport.

“Testament to Stokesy and Baz (Brendon McCullum), they really got around me and I lost no confidence really. They’re always ultra-positive and it’s a fantastic dressing room, one of the best I’ve been in to be honest. It’s fantastic I was able to come out and do my best today.”

Pope’s ears have been ringing for the past 24 hours with praise, with England’s sub-continental master Joe Root declaring his century an “absolute masterclass” and India coach Rahul Dravid – one of the finest players of his generation – rating it as the best example of sweeping and reverse-sweeping he had ever witnessed.

Improbably, this was his first competitive outing for six months after undergoing surgery for a dislocated shoulder.

“There’s been some long days in the gym, but these moments make everything worth it,” he said.

“I’ve felt really good but it was about getting my head around putting a big innings together. Fortunately for me that happened and with the win it means a hell of a lot more.”

England’s route to victory was all the more difficult given the knee injury which kept first-choice spinner Jack Leach to a reduced role. He was only able to offer 10 overs on the final day, compared to 26.2 from Hartley, but still took one for 33 as he battled soreness, bruising and swelling.

“He’s been an absolute warrior this week,” said Stokes.

“The output we’ve seen and the commitment he’s shown to everyone else this week is honestly inspiring.

“He is an absolute legend who epitomises what I want everyone’s focus to be on, which is the team above individual success.”

Gerri Colombe is set to sidestep next weekend’s Dublin Racing Festival and head straight to the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Gordon Elliott’s charge went down by just a short head in last season’s Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase before impressively securing a Grade One success at Aintree.

He kicked off the current campaign with another victory at elite level by edging out Envoi Allen in the Ladbrokes Champion Chase at Down Royal but was put in his place when a distant runner-up behind Galopin Des Champs in the Savills Chase at Leopardstown over Christmas.

A rematch with Willie Mullins’ star performer looked to be on the cards in the Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup but connections instead appear set to wait for Cheltenham.

“Gerri Colombe probably won’t run next weekend and we’ll go straight to Cheltenham with him,” said Elliott.

“He didn’t run his race at Christmas. He’s grand and can go to all the spring festivals.

“Instead of going back for another slog, we’ll go straight to Cheltenham and we have Aintree and Punchestown afterwards.”

Elliott has been rocked by the news that his horses running under the Caldwell Construction banner of owners Andrew and Gemma Brown are to be sold off next month.

That will affect his chances at the Dublin Racing Festival, as he added: “Farren Glory, Conflated and Found A Fifty will all run but we’ll have less runners than normal, as some are going to the sales.”

Crowd trouble marred Wolves’ FA Cup victory over fierce Black Country rivals West Brom at The Hawthorns on Sunday.

The game was suspended for over half an hour after problems erupted soon after Matheus Cunha had fired the visitors into a 2-0 lead with 12 minutes remaining.

West Brom’s Kyle Bartley went into the crowd to take out his children amid the ugly scenes, which occurred in the corner of the West Stand and Birmingham Road End.

It was part of the ground which theoretically should have been holding solely home supporters but there was a lot of pushing and shoving, with some fans spilling onto the pitch.

Police and security rushed over to the area to quell the problems but it was a long time before order could be restored and both teams were taken back to the dressing rooms.

It was the first meeting between the clubs in front of supporters since 2012 and had been designated high risk, with security increased and the kick-off scheduled for 11.45am.

There had already been pockets of trouble with flares thrown towards the pitch by Wolves fans after Pedro Neto had opened the scoring in the 38th minute.

There were further problems when objects were thrown towards Wolves’ Tommy Doyle as he prepared to take a corner in the second half.

The incidents completely overshadowed what had been a hard-fought and absorbing fourth-round tie.

West Brom were dangerous on the break in the first half but failed to seriously trouble Jose Sa in the Wolves goal.

Wolves had plenty of possession but failed to create meaningful chances until breaking from a corner to take the lead in the latter stages of the first half.

Matt Doherty found space in the middle and released Neto, who cut inside from the right and fired a shot into the bottom corner after an ineffective challenge from John Swift.

West Brom tried to respond but Max Kilman blocked a Jed Wallace effort and Sa saved from Swift early in the second half.

The Baggies also appealed for a penalty after Brandon Thomas-Asante tangled in the area with Kilman but nothing was given and Thomas-Asante scooped a good chance over.

Tempers threatened to boil over after Bartley crudely blocked Cunha in an attempt to halt a Wolves attack.

Jean-Ricner Bellegarde curled an effort narrowly wide for Wolves and emotions did then spill over after Cunha raced onto a Kilman ball to fire the killer goal through Josh Griffiths’ legs.

It soon became apparent there was a serious problem in the stands as Wolves celebrated.

As the delay grew longer, referee Thomas Bramall took the players off the field and it was half an hour before they returned to warm up and restart the game.

The players went through the motions as they played out the closing stages of the game, Wolves holding on for their first win at the ground since 1996.

Jannik Sinner clinched his first grand slam title in dramatic fashion by coming from two sets to love down to beat Daniil Medvedev.

The 22-year-old Italian followed up his victory over Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals by quelling a fast start by Medvedev to win 3-6 3-6 6-4 6-4 6-3.

He is the youngest Australian Open champion since Djokovic in 2008 and the first Italian man to win a major singles trophy since Adriano Panatta at the French Open in 1976.

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While Sinner and Medvedev battled it out on Rod Laver, Katie Boulter was among those preparing for the WTA tournament in Linz, which starts on Monday.

Roll of honour

Women’s singles: Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus)
Men’s singles: Jannik Sinner (Italy)
Women’s doubles: Hsieh Su-wei (Chinese Taipei) and Elise Mertens (Belgium)
Men’s doubles: Rohan Bopanna (India) and Matt Ebden (Australia)
Mixed doubles: Hsieh Su-wei (Chinese Taipei) and Jan Zielinski (Poland)
Girls’ singles: Renata Jamrichova (Slovakia)
Boys’ singles: Rei Sakamoto (Japan)
Girls’ doubles: Tyra Grant and Iva Jovic (USA)
Boys’ doubles: Maxwell Exsted and Cooper Woestendick (USA)
Men’s wheelchair singles: Tokito Oda (Japan)
Women’s wheelchair singles: Diede De Groot (Netherlands)
Men’s wheelchair doubles: Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid (Great Britain)
Women’s wheelchair doubles: Diede De Groot and Jiske Griffioen (Netherlands)
Quad wheelchair singles: Sam Schroder (Netherlands)
Quad wheelchair doubles: Andy Lapthorne (Great Britain) and David Wagner (USA)

Play was suspended after trouble broke out in the stands during West Brom’s FA Cup derby against Wolves at The Hawthorns.

The stoppage came shortly after Matheus Cunha had struck to give Wolves a 2-0 lead over their Black Country rivals in the 78th minute.

Police and security needed to rush to a corner of the ground supposedly holding home fans as the disturbance developed, while the players were ushered off the pitch.

There appeared to be a lot of pushing and shoving in the stand.

Some West Brom players were concerned for family members seated nearby and went into the stand to remove their children.

Referee Thomas Bramall eventually took the players from both teams back to the dressing rooms.

There had earlier been pockets of trouble in other parts of the ground.

Flares were thrown in the away section after Wolves opened the scoring in the first half and objects were also thrown at Wolves’ Tommy Doyle as he prepared to take a corner.

Tom Hartley became only the sixth Englishman to take seven wickets in an innings on Test debut as Ben Stokes’ side beat India by 28 runs in Hyderabad.

They were the best figures of Hartley’s career in any format and here, the PA news agency takes a look at the statistical significance of his efforts.

Magnificent seven

Hartley, who saw his first and fifth balls as a Test bowler hit for six by Yashasvi Jaiswal after taking the new ball, battled for eventual first-innings figures of two for 131 but starred in the second as England overturned a 190-run first-innings deficit for a stunning win.

Beginning with the wicket of Jaiswal for a measure of revenge, he went on to take seven for 62.

Dominic Cork was the last England debutant to take seven in an innings – his seven for 43, against the West Indies in 1995, are also the national team’s best debut figures.

John Lever took seven for 46 and Alec Bedser seven for 49, both against India in 1976 and 1946 respectively, while among England spinners only James Langridge ranks ahead of Hartley with seven for 56 against the Windies back in 1933.

The name immediately behind Hartley on the list demonstrates the level of company he is suddenly keeping – in 1948, eight years before famously taking 19 wickets in an Ashes Test, Jim Laker began his Test career with seven for 103 in Barbados.

He, like Lever and Bedser, achieved the feat in their first Test innings while Cork, Langridge and Hartley’s hauls came in the second.

First in a decade

Hartley’s are the best figures by any Test debutant in over a decade, since South Africa’s Kyle Abbott took seven for 29 against Pakistan in February 2013.

Only eight bowlers have taken eight wickets in an innings on debut, most recently Jason Krejza’s extraordinary figures of eight for 215 for Australia against India in 2008 – while Hartley is among a further 16 men to pick up seven. Three women have also achieved that feat, England’s Myrtle Maclagan and Australia duo Anne Palmer and Lesley Johnston.

Australian Albert Trott’s eight for 43 against England has stood as the record since 1895, in the 44th of what is now more than 2,500 Tests played.

As notable as Hartley’s achievement is in an international context, it is striking also in terms of his own career.

Before being handed his debut in Hyderabad, the best figures of his career – and his only five-wicket haul in any professional outing before Sunday – came with five for 52 in Lancashire’s County Championship win over Surrey in 2022.

Fergal O’Brien’s Dysart Enos was hardly pressed when maintaining her flawless record in the Download The At The Races App Novices’ Hurdle at Doncaster.

The mare is considered a real prospect and had done nothing wrong in five starts when heading to Town Moor with three bumper wins and two hurdle victories on her CV.

The Cheltenham Festival is on the horizon for the six-year-old and the Doncaster contest proved to be the perfect preparation as she triumphed at a canter under Paddy Brennan, crossing the line seven lengths ahead as the 1-9 favourite.

“We’re very happy with her, obviously it’s very nerve-wracking when you’re 1-9 on and she had to go and win,” said O’Brien.

“She had to win or it was going to be a disaster, there’d have been a big bubble burst! But she did the job well and we were very happy.

“She did it as well as we hoped she’d do it, she’s in good form with herself and she enjoyed the whole job – that was nice to see.

“I think you’ll see her to better effect in a better race, she was just jumping a little bit up in the air today.

“Her jumping at Cheltenham (in December) was probably better, if you were going to crab her, but in a better race she’ll jump better.”

Paddy Power left the winner unchanged at 7-2 for the Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle in March, and O’Brien added: “She got the job done, Paddy was happy with her, fingers crossed it’s Cheltenham now.”

The Los Angeles Clippers must be able to replicate their regular-season form in the playoffs if they are to prove themselves as the real deal, so says Kawhi Leonard.

Leonard led the Clippers with 26 points in a blowout 115-96 victory over the NBA-leading Boston Celtics on Saturday.

That marked the Clippers' fifth straight win, as they improved to a league-best 22-4 run since the start of December.

Clippers coach Tyronn Lue labelled the road trip to Boston, who dealt his team a 145-108 defeat back in December, as a "measuring stick".

By any measurement, their response was emphatic, but Leonard has urged his teammates to remember that it is the postseason that really matters.

"I'm happy that we were able to come in and give the Celtics a loss," Leonard said.

"But it really doesn't mean nothing until you get to the playoffs and you're doing the things we did tonight – executing, making shots, playing good defense.

"It's good that we had carryover from last night coming from Toronto and winning these back-to-back games. But you got to just keep getting better as the year goes on."

James Harden, meanwhile, cited Saturday's display as the Clippers' best performance of the season.

"Against a team that was playing really, really well, especially at home, we've still got some ways to go, but this is a good test for us," he said.

Lue added: "The guys were pretty motivated. When they came to L.A., they did us pretty bad. So, the guys were locked in.

"Just a measuring stick against a great team. We just wanted to kind of see where we're at. We had that on our mind."

The Clippers are third in the Western Conference, two wins behind the Minnesota Timberwolves, who suffered a surprise defeat to the San Antonio Spurs.

Victor Wembanyama starred with 23 points and 10 rebounds as the Spurs - rooted to the bottom of the West - clinched a 113-112 victory.

"This is the best win we've had," said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, whose team trailed by 15 points before hitting back.

Wembanyama added: "It is definitely a good one and I think tonight we have to feel proud about what we did and get used to the feeling so we can repeat it."

Devin Vassell, who led the Spurs with 25 points, said: "I think we're just growing and maturing.

"There would be times where teams go on a run and we put our heads down and almost get defeated already. Basketball is a game of runs. So right now, we've just been sticking with it. We've been playing 48 minutes."

Tom Hartley described his match-winning performance as “unbelievable” after one of the greatest overseas wins in England’s history.

The left-arm spinner claimed a magnificent seven to down India in the first Test at Hyderabad and complete a classic comeback.

Earlier in the match Hartley had seen his first ball as a Test cricketer launched for six, but he showed huge reserves of steel to bounce back with stunning figures of seven for 62 in the fourth innings to seal a dramatic 28-run victory.

The unheralded 24-year-old, selected for this trip as a hunch pick, came into the match with a career-best haul of five for 52 for Lancashire and left it a hero after he wrapped up the last wicket in the final over of the fourth day.

Hartley told TNT Sports: “It’s unbelievable, it’s not going to sink in for a while I think. I’m over the moon to be honest.”

Hartley’s second-innings performance was a turnaround from the first innings, where he picked up two wickets for 131 runs, but he praised the England coaches for their support.

He added: “It was really tough out there, it didn’t spin quite as much as we thought (in the first innings) but testament to the coaches, (Ben) Stokesy and Baz (Brendon McCullum), they really got around me and I lost no confidence really.

“I was able to come out and do my best out here. It’s fantastic in that dressing room we can have a great day, have a really bad day and it’s the same vibe in there.

“They’re always ultra-positive and it’s a fantastic dressing room, one of the best I’ve been in to be honest.”

Hartley also contributed with the bat, scoring 34 runs as England set India a 231-run chase.

Speaking about his batting, Hartley said: “Obviously I was really nervous to start, but getting a few runs always helps so I put my nervousness at ease a bit and I found out a few things about the pitch which helped with my bowling as well.”

England looked on course for a thumping defeat after conceding a 190-run first-innings deficit but refused to back down with bat or ball and condemned India to just a fourth home defeat in over a decade.

Ollie Pope provided the platform with a heroic 196, leaving India with a tough chase of 231 on a worn pitch, and with lead spinner Jack Leach restricted by a knee injury Hartley stepped up in unforgettable fashion.

India captain Rohit Sharma praised Pope’s 196, describing it as “a brilliant knock” and believes his side did not bat well enough to reach the target.

Speaking at the post-match presentation, Sharma said: “The cricket has been played over four days, so hard to pinpoint where it all went wrong.

“Obviously having the lead of 190 we thought we were very much in the game, but exceptional batting, probably one of the best I’ve seen in Indian conditions by an overseas batter, Ollie Pope played a brilliant knock.

“I thought 230 was getable. There wasn’t too much in the pitch, but obviously we didn’t bat well enough to get to the score.

“When you finish the day you analyse what went well, what didn’t go well and things like that. You’ve got to take your hat off and say well done to Ollie Pope, that was some serious knock that.”

England recovered from a first-innings deficit of 190 to complete a thrilling 28-run first-Test win over India in Hyderabad.

Here, the PA news agency looks at England’s greatest overseas Test wins.

v Australia, first Test, Sydney, 1894

Australia made 586 despite having been 21 for three, Syd Gregory scoring 201 and George Giffen 161, and they were able to enforce the follow-on after bowling England out for 325.

Albert Ward’s century anchored a second effort of 437 and Bobby Peel then took six for 67 to dismiss Australia 11 short of their 177 target. There would not be another Test won after following on for another 87 years, until Ian Botham’s Headingley heroics in the 1981 Ashes, and there have still been only four in history.

v West Indies, first Test, Kingston, 1990

England had not won a Test against the all-conquering Windies since 1974 and had several players absent on a just-concluded rebel tour of South Africa, but bowled their hosts out for 164 in Jamaica as Angus Fraser took five for 28.

Allan Lamb then made 132, Gladstone Small and Devon Malcolm took four second-innings wickets apiece and England knocked off the 41 runs required for a famous nine-wicket win.

v Australia, second Test, Adelaide, 2010

Off the back of scoring 517 for one in their second innings of the drawn opener in Brisbane’s fearsome ‘Gabbatoir’, England had Australia nought for two and two for three on the first morning in Adelaide.

They recovered somewhat to 245 but Sir Alastair Cook made 148 and Kevin Pietersen 227 in England’s 620 for five before they declared and completed an innings win with Graeme Swann’s five-wicket haul. England’s 3-1 series win remains the last by the away team in the Ashes.

v India, second Test, Mumbai, 2012

Cook (122) and Pietersen (186) powered England to an 86-run first-innings lead and India collapsed for 142 second time around – Gautam Gambhir made 65 with the next best score being Ravichandran Ashwin’s 11 – as spinners Swann and Monty Panesar combined for all 10 wickets and 19 in the match. Cook and Nick Compton ticked off a 10-wicket win.

v Pakistan, first Test, Karachi, 2022

With ‘Bazball’ firmly established in Brendon McCullum’s first six months as coach, England produced a notable first ever series whitewash in Pakistan – kicked off by a memorable climax in Rawalpindi. On a batting-friendly pitch, England racked up 657 with four centuries – Harry Brook smashing 153 from 116 balls – but the hosts responded with 579.

Ben Stokes’ bold tea-time declaration at 264 for seven, Brook clubbing another 87, set a target of 343 in four sessions and in near darkness on the final evening, Ollie Robinson and James Anderson reduced Pakistan from 259 for five to 264 for nine before Jack Leach took the final wicket.

v India, first Test, Hyderabad, 2024

India, who had lost only three of their last 46 home Tests and no series since 2012, were 356 for five in response to England’s 246 but lost their last five wickets for 80 – three to Joe Root’s part-time off-spin.

Ollie Pope took it upon himself to wipe out the first-innings deficit with an innings of 196 as England posted 420 to set the hosts 231 to win. Debutant Tom Hartley’s figures of seven for 62 and Stokes’ diving backhand run-out stood out as they succumbed for 202 – the first time they had ever lost a home Test with a three-figure first-innings lead.

Il Est Francais is unlikely to attempt repeating his ultra-impressive Kempton heroics at the Cheltenham Festival, with the cold weather in France leading connections to firmly lean towards Plan A with their star chaser and target the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris.

Noel George and Amanda Zetterholm’s six-year-old lit up Kempton on Boxing Day with a dazzling display in the Kauto Star Novices’ Chase and the appetite to see him take on the undulations of Prestbury Park was wetted when he was handed an entry for the Turners Novices’ Chase.

However, the French Gold Cup at an Auteuil track he has mastered many times has always been at the forefront of George and Zetterholm’s minds for this spring.

And a recent cold spell that has hit their Chantilly base has reaffirmed plans to remain on home soil this season before dreaming of further raiding missions next term.

“He’s absolutely great and after Kempton has had a couple of weeks just on the walker and in the paddock. He’s put on 20kg and is looking great,” said George.

“We had a big frost the last week, so he missed another week and I don’t think we will be coming to Cheltenham, but he’s in great form.

“It was an entry in case the Turners cut up and the timing looked right, but he missed a week with the snow and he will go for the French Gold Cup now.

“He will run in a prep race on April 6, a Grade Two – and then in May, the main Grade One.”