Kalif Du Berlais maintained his unbeaten record but he was made to pull out all the stops by Givemefive in the Coral Adonis Juvenile Hurdle at Kempton.

Trained by Paul Nicholls and part-owned by Sir Alex Ferguson, Kalif Du Berlais created a huge impression on his UK debut over the same course and distance and he was sent off the 10-11 favourite to follow up.

The Harry Derham-trained Givemefive had won each of his two starts though, and with Irish Derby fourth Peking Opera and the well-backed Captain Marvellous also running, it looked a deep race.

The two who fought it out pulled a long way clear, however, and it was the superior stamina of Kalif Du Berlais which saw him prevail by three-quarters of a length under Harry Cobden and meant the major golf champion, Graeme McDowell, had to settle for second with his horse.

“He took a bit of time to get going. We went an even gallop, I didn’t feel like we were going mad but I didn’t feel like he was going that easy jumping the last down the back and took a little bit of cajoling,” Cobden told ITV Racing.

“He jumped the second last well and winged the last. He’s still a big baby and was hanging up the run in, so there’s lots of improvement to come.

“He’s massive – he’s a big chasing type. I’d probably favour Aintree if it was left up to me but Paul knows what he’s doing.”

Nicholls said: “He’s shown he can tough it out, he’s given them all weight but whether we rode him right, I don’t know – I’ll see what Harry says.

“He’s very much a horse for the future and we’ll look after him at the minute, I’m thrilled with that.

“He’s had a hard race today, so I’d say he won’t run in the Triumph. Aintree is a possibility I suppose, if we’re happy, but if he didn’t run again (this season) it wouldn’t matter.

“As a chaser he’d be one of the most exciting prospects I’ve had for a long time, he’s got size and scope. To win three as a juvenile at his size is impressive.

“Harry is riding at the top of his game and let’s hope he can keep going until the end of the season like that.”

Derham may also look away from Cheltenham with Givemefive, who McDowell owns in partnership with multiple major winner Brooks Koepka.

“He’s run a brilliant race,” said Derham.

“Paul (O’Brien, jockey) and I spoke about it last night and the plan went perfectly and we just said if Cobden gets by us after the last, then so be it.

“I’m extremely proud of my horse’s run and he did everything right but just came second.

“Maybe (we’ll go to Cheltenham) but there’s a Grade Two at Fairyhouse two weeks later that makes appeal to me. There’s loads of options for him.

“I know that horse and he’s very genuine. I imagine he’ll be very tired and the lads can’t go to Cheltenham. There will be loads of very fresh and well-handicapped horses in the Fred Winter and he won’t be fresh and he won’t be well handicapped, so we might swerve that and go elsewhere.

“He’s a horse with a bright future and we’re looking forward to what’s to come.”

Paul Nicholls introduced an exciting prospect at Kempton in Kalif Du Berlais, who galloped on strongly from the front to win the Play Coral ‘Racing-Super-Series’ For Free Juvenile Hurdle by seven and a half lengths at 4-5.

Nicholls was quick to play down his chances of heading to the Cheltenham Festival, with a future chasing career his long-term target, but that didn’t stop punters from backing the French import into 12-1 with Betfair for the Triumph Hurdle.

Kalif Du Berlais had previously scored impressively on his racecourse bow at Compiegne and Nicholls told Racing TV: “We thought he was a smart horse.

“My only reservation was that he hasn’t been in this country all that long and normally they need a bit of a break to acclimatise, but because I knew we were going to have to give him a run, I just kept going straight on with him and he’s just thrived on everything.

“He’s never looked back from the minute he came in the yard and he’s a gorgeous horse – he’s a chaser, that’s what he was bought for, so we need to mind him. He won’t have too many races this year; we need to look after him and we will.

“His jumping is brilliant but he’s not a Triumph horse is he! All those types like him in the past – Clan Des Obeaux, Frodon – they always finish in the middle and end up superstar chasers, so I don’t see a point in running them in the Triumph Hurdle.

“He could come back here for the Adonis, although we’ve got a few runners for that, so it might be one more run and possibly look at Aintree. All options are open, but I don’t see him as a Triumph horse because he’s the wrong type.”

Nicholls feels Kalif Du Berlais has leapt to the top of the pecking order among his juvenile hurdlers but added: “He’s all about the future and I don’t see any point staying around over hurdles with him for too long, he might have to go chasing in the autumn as a four-year-old.”

Flegmatik secured a third course victory in the New Bet-In-Race With Coral Handicap Chase over three miles, scoring by two lengths at 7-2.

Tristan Durrell gave Dan Skelton’s charge a positive ride and his 3lb allowance came in handy as they saw off the late challenge from top-weight Chianti Classico.

Assistant trainer Bridget Andrews said: “He’s been a great horse for the owners and obviously has a love for Kempton.

“He definitely bounces off the bit better ground, although it looks a bit tacky today, but I don’t know what it is about Kempton.

“He’s a strong traveller and we’d normally hold on to him a little bit more than we did today, but it was always happening a bit slowly for him lately and he was taking a bit to get going, so we said if he does get to the front today, just press on – and Tristan gave him a great ride.

“I was pleased to see him push on when he did, the horse has sometimes pulled up a bit when in front but he never gave me that impression today and stayed on really well.”

Nicky Henderson’s Gentle Slopes survived a stewards’ inquiry to claim the Coral Get Closer To The Action Novices’ Hurdle at 4-5, having edged right on the run-in before shading Junkanoo by a nose.