Jet Powered too strong for Newbury rivals

Henderson runner a 6-1 shot for Supreme glory.

Jet Powered followed in the hoofprints of some illustrious stablemates by making a sparkling debut under Rules in the Coral Bet Bundles ‘National Hunt’ Maiden Hurdle at Newbury.

A 350,000 guineas purchase after winning an Irish point-to-point, the Jet Away gelding was the 8-13 favourite provide Nicky Henderson with a sixth victory in the last nine runnings of this race, with dual Champion Hurdle hero Buveur D’Air (2015) and Jonbon (2021) among his previous victors.

The five-year-old travelled strongly and jumped accurately throughout in the hands of Nico de Boinville and passed the post with 11 lengths in hand over Dan Skelton’s Ittack Blue, another an expensive recruit at 310,000 guineas after also winning in the point-to-point sphere.

Paddy Power cut Jet Powered to 6-1 from 12-1 for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham, while Coral offer slightly more generous odds of 8-1 – but Henderson is not getting carried away just yet.

“He’s not a horse you’d do an awful lot with at home because he’s quite an active sort of person and a bit on it at times,” the Seven Barrows handler told Racing TV.

“He’s done everything we’ve asked him to do and jumps well and you’d have to be very pleased.

“This is a nice race to start in and there’s a lot to look forward to. He’s a chaser in the making and will get a bit further, so the future is in front of him.

“I think we’ll stay at two miles and tinker along quietly – there’s no rush. There’s a long way to go before he’s the finished article.”

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