Stage Star puts in flawless performance on fencing debut at Warwick

Grade One-winning novice hurdler has bright future over the bigger obstacles.

Stage Star enjoyed an impressive debut over fences when comfortably winning the Jewson Stratford-Upon-Avon Stan Mellor Memorial Novices’ Chase at Warwick.

The six-year-old, who runs in the colours of the Owners Group and is trained by Paul Nicholls, was a high-class hurdler last season after a promising bumper career.

Winning his first two hurdle starts by large margins, he then went on to take the Grade One Challow Hurdle at Newbury by six and a half lengths.

Subsequent runs in the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham and the Mersey Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree ended in disappointment, however, as the bay was pulled up on both occasions when racing too keenly.

At Warwick he returned from a 206-day break and made his chasing bow under Harry Cobden as the 11-10 favourite under Harry Cobden.

Making all of the running and jumping fluently over the two-and-a-half-mile trip, Stage Star was a runaway 13-length winner from Dan Skelton’s classy former hurdler West Cork.

Coral gave the winner a 16-1 (from 20-1) quote for the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase at the Cheltenham Festival, going 20-1 (from 25-1) for the Turners Novices’ Chase.

Owners Group syndicate manager Dan Downie said: “I’m very happy. Obviously it’s always a bit of a worry when they’re coming back from a few disappointing runs, as he had at Cheltenham and Aintree. It was good to see him nice and relaxed in the paddock, he was relaxed through the race and jumped well.

“Actually, I was happy from an early stage given that he was very keen at both Cheltenham and Aintree.

“It was very smooth – when he’s in form he’s just a very, very good horse. I was very pleased to see him back to his best.”

The Berkshire Novices’ Chase at Newbury’s Coral Gold Cup meeting could be the next port of call, although there are no confirmed plans.

Downie added: “Possibly the Hennessey meeting, the November meeting at Newbury, but there are no firms plans at the minute.”

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