Warren Greatrex will train Mighty Bandit for the Triumph Hurdle at next month’s Cheltenham Festival after he changed hands for €420,000 at Monday’s high-profile Tattersalls Ireland sale at Fairyhouse.

The four-year-old was one of 29 horses to go through the sales ring as part of a dispersal sale by prominent owners Andy and Gemma Brown following their shock decision to quit the sport late last month.

The top lot was the Grade One-winning Caldwell Potter, who is set to join Paul Nicholls after going under the hammer at €740,000, while the second, third and fourth top lots – Fil Dor (€620,000), Pied Piper (€570,000) and Staffordshire Knot (€510,000) – were all bought to return to Gordon Elliott.

Fifth on the list was Mighty Bandit, with Greatrex delighted to get his hands on him after he was bought by Jim and Claire Bryce, his landlords at the historic Rhonehurst yard in Lambourn.

“Everyone wants to train quality horses and he looks to have a very exciting profile,” he said.

“I’m so grateful to Jim and Claire. It was Jim who was pushing for this and the sale yesterday was unique really – I’ve never seen anything like it.

“Normally dispersal sales take place towards the end of horses’ careers, but the majority if not all of the horses sold yesterday are in their prime.

“It captured everyone’s imagination and we had a list of I think seven horses. We liked Fil Dor, but I think between all of us Mighty Bandit was the one we were very keen on because he’s only a four-year-old and we can make him, as it were, going forwards.”

The son of Order Of St George looked every inch a star juvenile in the making when winning on his hurdling debut for Elliott at Punchestown in November, but subsequently disappointed as a hot favourite for a Grade Two at Leopardstown’s Christmas Festival.

However, Greatrex revealed there was a valid reason for that below-par performance and hopes he can show his true colours in the spring.

He added: “He was mightily impressive on his first run, the way he quickened up for a horse that had never run before, it’s very exciting when you see that.

“He scoped dirty after Leopardstown at Christmas and Gordon had told us that he’d also tinkered with his epiglottis, which is something quite common.

“Their thinking was that they were going to aim for the Triumph Hurdle, so as long as everything is good and we’re happy with him that’s where he’ll go.”

With the Festival only five weeks ago, Greatrex admits he is not going to have time to give Mighty Bandit another run before Cheltenham, meaning his preparation will have to take place in Lambourn.

“You would obviously like to see him on the track first, but if Gordon was aiming him for the Triumph he obviously rated him highly and I’m not going to change anything,” he said.

“I think it would be more beneficial to give him time to settle in and go there – and if Cheltenham does come a bit soon, then we’ve got Aintree to roll on to after if we want to.

“He’s only a four-year-old and he’s going to have a very bright future, hopefully, so I will try to do him justice.”

Mighty Bandit was not the only horse from the dispersal who will make the switch from Elliott to Greatrex, with Tactical Affair snapped up for a slightly less eyewatering sum of €62,000.

The five-year-old has won once and placed twice from five starts so far and he too could have Cheltenham on his radar as Greatrex, who trained Stayers’ Hurdle hero Cole Harden and two other Grade One winners in One Track Mind and La Bague Au Roi, looks to get himself back into the big time.

Greatrex added: “All being well, we’ll aim Tactical Affair at the Martin Pipe (Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle).

“I know it sounds ridiculous, but I think at €62,000 he was probably very well bought as he’s only a five-year-old and hasn’t had many runs and has a good pedigree.

“It’s very exciting. Everyone knows that I’ve had a few quiet years, but they’ve been going well this year and last year and we want to be back at the top table. Hopefully these with one or two others might get us back there.

“It is tough and we’ve seen in the last couple of years that Ireland are dominating. That’s fair enough and it goes in swings and roundabouts, I think.

“I’ve been there and proved that I can do it in England and in Ireland – I think I’m still the only Grade One-winning British trainer at the Dublin Racing Festival.

“We’ve proved if we get the ammunition we can do it and once you’ve tasted it you want to get back there, so we’ll do what we can to do just that.”

Alex King believes Wales need to have a “no fear” approach when they face England at Twickenham on Saturday.

Wales last toppled their fierce rivals in a Six Nations game on English soil 12 years ago.

And they have lost on seven successive occasions at English rugby headquarters since beating England there during the 2015 Rugby World Cup, although five of those losses were by only six points or less.

Wales will head to south west London after coming unstuck in a Cardiff classic against Scotland, although 26 unanswered points from being 27-0 adrift meant they almost completed the biggest comeback the Six Nations has seen.

England, meanwhile, were pushed hard by Italy in Rome before recording a 27-24 verdict after trailing at half-time and being outscored on tries.

“They (England) have got a decent team – finishing third at the World Cup is testament to that,” Wales assistant coach and former Wasps fly-half King said.

“I think we need to show a no-fear game going down there, and put the pressure back on them.

“We’ve just got to take the game to England. We can’t wait for them to see what they do, especially with 70,000 people shouting for them.

“We have got to present ourselves as we want to play, and not wait to see what England can do before we start responding.

“It is important to show the lads that England are a good team, but they are not unbeatable. That is the reality.

“They have obviously got good players and they are well-coached, but Twickenham is just another stadium. I am looking forward to going back there. I’ve got my Welsh hat firmly on there.

“They won some important games at the World Cup, and they pushed South Africa close. They won some close games at the World Cup – they were able to get over the finish line in certain games.

“Like every team, they have got their weaknesses. It is up to us to exploit them on Saturday.”

Wales boss Warren Gatland, meanwhile, will have to make at least one change from the Scotland match as flanker James Botham has been released from the squad due to a knee injury.

Botham, who is the grandson of England cricket great Sir Ian Botham and scored Wales’ opening try against Scotland, will rehabilitate at his club Cardiff.

Botham’s Cardiff colleague Seb Davies has been added to the squad, while experienced Harlequins prop Dillon Lewis also gains a call-up.

Elsewhere, fly-half Sam Costelow went off before half-time in the Scotland encounter, and King added: “He is being assessed for a neuro issue with his neck.

“The positive thing is it wasn’t a concussion. He is up for selection, but it is a question of whether he gets through his medical protocols.”

Ex-Bristol back Ioan Lloyd, who replaced Costelow with impressive effect against Scotland, would be favourite to wear the number 10 shirt if a change is made.

“Twickenham this weekend is a place where we need to start well. We have been very honest in our review, and are moving forward,” King said.

“The pleasing thing is we came out and responded (against Scotland) and were magnificent. It’s a shame we couldn’t nail the victory with the momentum of the last 10 minutes.

“The attitude of the boys was spot-on. Now we have to use that to go to Twickenham.

“The boys showed huge character, and it was frustrating not to win in the end. But if we are honest, we can’t have a half like that at Twickenham.”

All eyes will be on Reach For The Moon, who is jointly-owned by the Queen, when he makes his hurdling debut at Sedgefield on Wednesday.

A Group Three winner and runner-up in the Chesham Stakes at Royal Ascot as a juvenile on the Flat for John and Thady Gosden when owned by Queen Elizabeth II, he was also second in the Hampton Court Stakes at the Royal meeting as a three-year-old, having had to miss the Classics following a setback.

He lost his way somewhat in three runs after that and was sent to Jamie Snowden for a jumping career following his unplaced effort in the Royal Hunt Cup. After taking his time with his new recruit, Snowden feels now is the time to test the water, before a potential Cheltenham Festival outing.

The King and Queen clearly enjoyed their runners last year, winning at Royal Ascot for the first time with Desert Hero and travelling to Doncaster to see the same horse finish third in the St Leger, although Reach For The Moon now runs for the Queen in her colours and is jointly-owned by former Arsenal chairman, Sir Chips Keswick.

“He’s taken well to jumping. He came to us last summer and we did a fair bit with him and then he went back to Sandringham for a holiday. He came back to us November-time and he’s done very well,” said Snowden.

“He enjoys his jumping, he jumps very neatly and accurately and his work has obviously been very good, as you would expect from a talented Flat horse, and we thought it was time to start and tip away gently.

“I don’t see why he wouldn’t stay the trip, there’s stamina in his pedigree, obviously the ground will be a little bit softer than he has been used to in the past and he’s got to get used to jumping eight flights of hurdles. But if he can translate what he has done at home to the track then hopefully he should go well.

“As far as the horse is concerned we’ve got to start somewhere and see where he takes us.”

Ollie Lawrence could reinforce England’s Guinness Six Nations in time for their round-three clash with Scotland as he steps up his recovery from a hip problem.

Lawrence sustained the injury while on European duty for Bath against Toulouse a fortnight before the Championship began and it was initially feared he might miss the entire tournament.

But the powerful centre could return to England’s Surrey base as early as this week, boosting Steve Borthwick’s options in the number 12 jersey he would have worn against Italy last Saturday.

“Ollie is potentially coming in at the end of this week, maybe next week. He’s not available against Wales this weekend,” attack coach Richard Wigglesworth.

England are optimistic that Ellis Genge will overcome his foot damage in time for the visit of Warren Gatland’s men to Twickenham on Saturday.

Genge withdrew from the bench on the morning of the 27-24 win in Rome with Beno Obano taking his place among the replacements.

“Ellis took some part in training today (Tuesday) and we are hopeful that he is available for the weekend, but we’ve obviously got to get through the rest of the week,” Wigglesworth said.

Second-row George Martin is receiving treatment for his knee injury and could also be back for the trip to Murrayfield, but there is still no date set for Marcus Smith’s return from a calf problem.

Smith sustained the damage during training at England’s camp in Girona and could miss the whole Six Nations.

“It looks like it will be further back in the tournament – if we get him back. It won’t be in the next couple of weeks,” Wigglesworth said.

“Marcus has an incredible attitude. He was gutted but we were gutted as well. We know he’s an international quality player.

“We are blessed in that position because we’ve got George Ford and Fin Smith, but that doesn’t distract from what a top player he is and the impact he potentially would have had.

“His attitude was ‘I’ll just come back better’. I’ve no doubt that if we see him later in the tournament or if it’s after that then he’ll come back in and put his hand up like he did.”

Mauricio Pochettino has rejected suggestions he said Chelsea’s players are not good enough, claiming his words following Sunday’s defeat by Wolves were taken out of context.

Immediately after the 4-2 loss at Stamford Bridge that left his team in the bottom half of the Premier League table, the Argentinian appeared to say he did not have the squad to significantly remedy the club’s plight.

Chelsea were booed off at half-time and again at the final whistle, with audible anger directed against both the players and Pochettino personally, while the name of former owner Roman Abramovich could also be heard being sung.

A visibly emotional Pochettino said at the time he understood supporters’ fury in the aftermath of a 10th league defeat in the 23 games of his tenure, and intimated neither he nor the team have been good enough this season.

He has now, before Wednesday’s FA Cup replay at Aston Villa, moved to clarify his position, criticising reports which he felt deliberately took his words not in the spirit in which they were meant.

“Now (when) I’m watching TV and media, some guys take advantage of some situations to take my words out of context,” he said. “That question came from my post-match press conference – are the players good enough to be in the top four or top six? I said, ‘today, we were not good enough, and me the first’.

“Then they said, ‘Pochettino said the players aren’t good enough’. What? It’s taking it out of context, my words. In that game, we were not good enough. I don’t want to hide the reality.

“Be careful. Some people take advantage, when we lose a game, to say things that never appeared in my mouth. That upset me a little bit.

“The most difficult thing is to explain to my wife. ‘Why did you say the players are not good enough?’ I never said that. You know what I had to do last time? To show her the press conference. That is not a joke. It is the reality we live in.”

Pochettino also defended Ben Chilwell, who captained the side in Sunday’s defeat, after he appeared to suggest in a post-match interview that Wolves had shown more desire for the victory than Chelsea.

The defender told Sky Sports: “I think they probably showed that they wanted it more than us.”

However, Pochettino contested that Chilwell intended to question his team-mates’ will to win.

“He said, ‘we didn’t win the 50-50 duels’. That was my interpretation. The result we suffered against Wolves, we are Chelsea and everything is bigger than normal. I was talking with him and it was never his intention to say we didn’t show desire.”

Pochettino added that Thiago Silva had met with him privately to discuss a post sent by the defender’s wife on social media on Sunday that appeared to call for the manager to be sacked.

“He came today to talk with me. I’m not going to talk about (what we said). He came and wanted to talk with me.

“That was private. That’s it.”

Harry Cobden paid an emotional tribute to his late colleague Keagan Kirkby after steering Fire Flyer to a second victory in the space of a week at Taunton on Tuesday.

Kirkby, 25, a point-to-point rider and highly-valued member of the Paul Nicholls team at Ditcheat, died following a fall at Charing point-to-point in Kent on Sunday.

Title-chasing Cobden rode a four-timer for Nicholls at Musselburgh on the same afternoon and was back in action for the first time since aboard Fire Flyer in division two of the Racing TV Club Day Novices’ Hurdle, with jockeys at the Somerset track observing a minute’s silence and sporting black armbands.

Having finished second to Brechin Castle in a Listed bumper at Cheltenham before chasing home the exciting Gidleigh Park on his hurdling debut at Newbury, the six-year-old landed cramped odds of 2-13 when going one better at Wincanton last week and was sent back into action just five days later.

It was not entirely plain sailing for the 5-6 favourite, whom Cobden said Kirkby rode in his work at home, with Secret Squirrel giving him a real run for his money, but Fire Flyer got on top late on to score by a neck.

“Paul had his mind made up that he wanted to get him out quickly because he wanted to give him the four weeks to the EBF Final from today,” Cobden told Racing TV.

“I’d just like to say a special word for Keagan Kirkby because he rode that horse every day, so that was for him. He deserved that.”

The British Horseracing Authority and Point-to-Point Authority have pledged to carry out a full review into the tragic death of Kirkby to gauge whether any lessons can be learned.

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers believes Daizen Maeda has come back from the Asian Cup in better shape than he left.

The forward has declared himself ready to start in Wednesday’s cinch Premiership contest against Hibernian at Easter Road.

Maeda made two substitute appearances for Japan before starting in Saturday’s quarter-final defeat by Iran, playing the first 67 minutes.

The 26-year-old had played the last five games before the Premiership winter break after recovering from a knee injury, and Rodgers feels the attacker is up to speed after his international duties.

“Daizen Maeda is back, which is great news, and fit and healthy,” Rodgers said.

“He is actually in a better place now than he was when he left because he was still trying to get up to speed.

“He has gone away, trained, played some games. I spoke to him when he did come back and he feels ready to start if we need him.”

Celtic will otherwise have an unchanged squad for the trip to Edinburgh following Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Aberdeen, with Greg Taylor still working his way back from a calf problem.

However, the left-back might return against St Mirren in the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup on Sunday.

“We will see how he is for the weekend but he is out on the pitch,” Rodgers said.

“He is moving really well, it will just be getting the sign-off from the medical team. If it’s not the weekend, he will be ready for the next game.”

Irish trainers are responsible for a record 61 entries of the total 94 received for this year’s Randox Grand National – with the Aintree spectacular also having a new start time of 4pm this year.

The race has been brought forward by 75 minutes, having previously got under orders at 5.15pm, while a reduced field of 34 will also be introduced as officials continue to look at making the race as safe as possible.

Last year’s hero Corach Rambler heads the ante-post betting for Scottish trainer Lucinda Russell, with another previous winner, the Emmet Mullins-trained Noble Yeats, likely to be popular, too.

Those with previous good form over the fences booked in for a return to Merseyside include the likes of Vanillier, who was second last year, and Becher Chase runner-up Coko Beach.

He is one of a 26-strong entry for Gordon Elliott that also includes Conflated and Samcro, while Willie Mullins is responsible for 13, with Cotswold Chase winner Capodanno and Irish National hero I Am Maximus part of his team, although Gaillard Du Mesnil is not.

Others prominent in the ante-post lists include John McConnell’s Mahler Mission, the Martin Brassil-trained Panda Boy and King George winner Hewick, from the yard of Shark Hanlon.

Monbeg Genius, Nassalam, Kitty’s Light and Galia Des Liteaux are among the leading prospects entered from English-based yards. The weights will be revealed in a fortnight’s time in Liverpool.

Last year’s race was delayed due to Grand National protesters making their way onto the track, with the contest eventually going off nearly 15 minutes later than scheduled.

Following the annual review of the race, a number of changes were announced last October, including a reduction in field size, the introduction of a standing start and moving the first fence closer to the race.

It had been agreed an earlier start could help to ensure the safest ground conditions, but subsequent discussions were required before a new time was agreed.

Sulekha Varma, the Jockey Club’s north west head of racing and clerk of the course at Aintree, said: “We leave no stone unturned in providing world-class standards of welfare for our participants and undertake a review after every Grand National.

“These reviews look at a wide range of factors and the learnings from the process drives a number of changes, large and small, annually. In October we announced that one of the changes being made from 2024 would involve bringing forward the start time of the race, which has been 5.15pm since 2016.

“This was a decision we took after a number of participants and other racing stakeholders raised concerns about the long build-up to the race throughout the day and heightened tension as a result. These were not issues which had been identified as a problem when the race was previously staged at 3.45pm and 4.15pm.

“Bringing forward the start time of the Grand National by 75 minutes to 4pm will also help us to maintain optimal jumping ground, as warm or breezy conditions can dry out the racing surface.”

Christian Horner faces a hearing on Friday following an accusation of “inappropriate behaviour” at Red Bull’s Formula One team.

Red Bull – the Austrian energy drinks company which owns the team – confirmed on Monday an independent investigation had been launched after it was made aware of the allegations.

The PA news agency understands the allegation has been made by another member of staff for the British-based team which last year carried Max Verstappen to his third consecutive world championship.

Horner, 50, who has been Red Bull team principal since 2005, strongly denies the accusation.

He said: “I completely deny these claims.”

PA understands the hearing is likely to take place at Red Bull’s headquarters in Milton Keynes.

Horner has been team principal at Red Bull since their entry into F1 19 years ago, overseeing seven drivers’ world championships and six constructors’ titles.

Red Bull won 21 of the 22 rounds staged last year, with Verstappen setting a record of 10 consecutive victories as he cruised to his third title in as many years.

Horner, who is married to former Spice Girls singer Geri Halliwell, was awarded a CBE for his services to motorsport in the New Year Honours List.

Red Bull are due to launch their latest car on February 15 ahead of the new season which starts in Bahrain on March 2.

A spokesperson for Red Bull said on Monday: “After being made aware of certain recent allegations, the company launched an independent investigation.

“This process, which is already under way, is being carried out by an external specialist barrister.

“The company takes these matters extremely seriously and the investigation will be completed as soon as practically possible. It would not be appropriate to comment further at this time.”

Paris St Germain boss Luis Enrique has no doubts his players can cover enough hard yards as they prepare to face Brest for a place in the quarter-finals of the Coupe de France.

After Brest fought back from 2-0 down at half-time to draw their recent Ligue 1 match at Parc des Princes, Enrique faced questions over the squad’s fitness levels.

In the Champions League group stages, PSG were one of the lowest ranked teams for distance covered per match on average, at 113.84 kilometres.

Many of the PSG players are reported to have hired personal trainers to add extra fitness work on top of their sessions at club training.

Enrique, though, rejected suggestions his players needed to build up some additional stamina.

“My teams play with possession to make the opponent run, so we do it less – not a single of my teams in my career has not run enough miles to win games,” the PSG coach said.

“In the Champions League, behind Manchester City, we are the team with the most ball possession – and we are much stronger when we have the ball.

“That doesn’t mean an opponent can’t have the ball more than us, the team which creates the most chances and takes the fewest is us.”

Enrique told a press conference: “For several years now, players have been calling on physical trainers, physiotherapists, osteopaths and nutritionists.

“If there is co-ordination and there are good balances (of training), that seems good to me.

“The players are becoming more and more professional and the club has a clear line on what it means to live the life of a professional and to have the best professionals to help the players.

“The vast majority have a chef at home, they have all the advantages – I would have liked to have a chef and a physiotherapist just for me (as a player), but it was a different time.”

Enrique hopes PSG can learn from their last meeting with Brest to secure a place in the quarter-finals of the French Cup.

“The advantage of playing two matches against Brest in a row is that we know our difficulties,” said Enrique, who will be without forward Randal Kolo Muani because of a viral infection.

“It is hard to press them, so we have to be better with and without the ball.

“We expect a difficult match, but it will also be a different match, since it is the Coupe de France.”

Enrique added: “In the championship, it is a lot of consistency. In the cup, it is knockout – if we have a bad match, we can be eliminated.

“It is a different approach and you have to be very strong mentally.”

Impaire Et Passe looks set to head straight to the Aintree Hurdle in April after being scratched from both the Champion Hurdle and the Stayers’ Hurdle at next month’s Cheltenham Festival.

The Willie Mullins-trained six-year-old was considered one of the most exciting horses in training following an unbeaten novice campaign that saw him land the Ballymore at Cheltenham and a Grade One at Punchestown, but he has suffered defeat in each of his three outings so far this term.

He was touched off by leading Stayers’ Hurdle contender Teahupoo on his reappearance in the two-and-a-half-mile Hatton’s Grace and has since proved no match for his Champion Hurdle-bound stablemate State Man in either the Matheson Hurdle or the Irish Champion Hurdle over two miles at Leopardstown.

With connections of the opinion he requires a step back up in distance but that a first foray over three miles in the Stayers’ Hurdle would be a step too far, Impaire Et Passe will not be in action at the showpiece meeting in the Cotswolds in five weeks’ time.

Anthony Bromley, racing manager for owners Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, said: “The feeling after Daryl (Jacob) rode him the other day was that we need to keep him to two and a half miles and there isn’t a two-and-a-half-mile race at Cheltenham. We’ll wait for Aintree and see if we can get him sparkling again.

“We don’t feel he’s reached the form that he was showing last year, so the idea is to wait for Aintree and if he’s not sparkling going into Aintree we’ll just wait for novice chasing next season.

“We can’t see either race at Cheltenham being what needs at this moment. Two miles looks too short and we don’t want to go three miles at this stage.

“Daryl was adamant to go two and a half at Aintree and freshen him up for that.”

Impaire Et Passe is one of four horses scratched from the Champion Hurdle along with his stable companion Vauban, James Owen’s high-class juvenile Burdett Road and the Henry de Bromhead-trained Bob Olinger, who also appears bound for Aintree after splitting State Man and Impaire Et Passe when second in the Irish Champion Hurdle on Sunday.

Seven have been taken out of the Stayers’ Hurdle, with Ahoy Senor and Ashdale Bob among those joining Impaire Et Passe as absentees.

Dual winner Allaho tops six horses scratched from the Ryanair Chase along with Dysart Dynamo, Idas Boy, Jonbon, Sir Gerhard and Greaneteen.

Dysart Dynamo and Greaneteen are also out of the Queen Mother Champion Chase, as are Dinoblue, Fil Dor and Nube Negra, while the Cheltenham Gold Cup field has also reduced by four, with Envoi Allen, Royale Pagaille, Stay Away Fay and the fatally injured Datsalrightgino all withdrawn.

Sixmilebridge could be added to trainer Ben Pauling’s small but select team for next month’s Cheltenham Festival following an impressive debut at Sandown last weekend.

The Naunton Downs handler is fast approaching the 50-winner mark for the current campaign and has unearthed several exciting prospects who are under consideration for the showpiece meeting in the Cotswolds in five weeks’ time.

Pauling is particularly strong in the novice hurdle division, with Fiercely Proud and The Jukebox Man both placed in graded company and the unbeaten Handstands and dual winner Tellherthename both facing crucial tests this week in the Sidney Banks at Huntingdon and Betfair Hurdle at Newbury respectively.

Point-to-point recruit Sixmilebridge was unraced under rules prior to running in Sandown’s bumper finale on Saturday, but was backed as if plenty was expected and duly justified favouritism with an impressive victory, teeing himself up for a potential tilt at the Champion Bumper.

“In everything he’s done at home he’s been impressive,” said Pauling.

“He’s not a keen horse, he’s just a good work horse, and we’ve struggled with him throughout the whole season in getting his lung health spot-on.

“He still wasn’t spot-on on Saturday, but it had got to the point in the season where we either rolled the dice to see how we got on or we shut up shop for the season. We decided to roll the dice and we were delighted to see what we got because there’s probably a fair bit of improvement to come when he’s 100 per cent healthy.

“If I can get his trach wash clean, he would be the sort that I would roll at the Cheltenham bumper because he seems to have that mental attitude you need and travels well without being too keen – he looks like he knows his job.

“We might let him roll in the Cheltenham bumper, which would be unusual for me, but I do think he’s potentially a bit special.”

Sixmilebridge’s victory was the second leg of a Sandown double for Pauling and his owners the Megson family, with the tricky but talented Harper’s Brook striking gold in a valuable handicap chase.

The eight-year-old had thrown away victory on his previous outing at Ascot when pulling himself up on the run-in, but having got the job done on Saturday, he too is Festival-bound.

Pauling added: “He is a horse with enormous ability, an unbelievable stride and the scope he has is just mad, but he is a bit of a character to say the least, so any day you get his head in front is a good day.

“I was thrilled with the way he travelled through the race off a strong pace. He was nearly taken out at the third-last by the loose horse and it was unfortunate at the last for the other horse to fall, but we can now look forward to going to Cheltenham with an exciting horse for the Grand Annual.

“He’s been given a mark of 140 which is spot-on as it’ll get you in, but you’ll be near the bottom of the weights. I couldn’t be happier with him.”

Harry Redknapp-owned The Jukebox Man has not been seen in competitive action since finishing third in the Grade One Challow Hurdle at Newbury in late December, but he is also on Pauling’s Prestbury Park teamsheet.

“Jukebox will go straight to Cheltenham and I’d say he’s more of an Albert Bartlett horse than a Baring Bingham horse,” the trainer said.

“If the Baring Bingham came up on proper heavy ground then I’d probably stick at two-and-a-half, but I think he’s probably more of a three-miler.

“He ran a blinder in the Challow. It was pretty tough going that day and they went a proper, honest gallop considering the conditions.

“I just thought that even though that he seems great at home, he could do with a proper opportunity to freshen up. He’s in really good form and I think he’s only going to improve.”