Silver Streak heads to Fighting Fifth

Williams keen to consolidate top-level credentials.

Silver Streak will have his sights raised once more for the Betfair Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle.

The Evan Williams-trained grey ran some tremendous races in defeat last season – filling the runner-up spot in both the Greatwood Hurdle and the International Hurdle at Cheltenham, before returning to Prestbury Park to finish a distant third in the Champion Hurdle in March.

He made an impressive start to the new campaign when claiming a sixth career success in a Listed event at Kempton last month – and Williams is keen to give his charge the opportunity to prove himself at the highest level at Gosforth Park on November 30.

“We’re going to aim at the Fighting Fifth – that’s the plan at the moment,” said the Llancarfan-based trainer.

“We were chuffed with him at Kempton. We have questioned the form and we’re not getting to carried away, because at the end of the day he was beaten in a good few races last season.

“Having said that, I do think we have improved, so we’re going to treat him as a top-drawer two-mile hurdler until he tells us otherwise.”

Silver Streak’s potential rivals at Newcastle include Nicky Henderson’s dual Champion Hurdle and Fighting Fifth hero Buveur D’Air, but Williams will not be scared off.

He added: “We know by going down this route what we’re going to up against, so there is no point moaning about what else tips up at Newcastle – we’ve got to take our chance and see what happens.

“If he proves he’s not up to it, we can always go backwards.”

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