A new name has emerged among the main contenders for the Champion Hurdle after Teahupooeasy victory in the Red Mills Trial Hurdle at Gowran. Gordon Elliott’s five-year-old is now 8/1 third favorite in most lists for Cheltenham behind long-absent Honeysuckle and Appreciate It. Ejected favorite, Teahupoo achieved an above-average Timeform rating judged by the usual standards of the 3rd year contest, progressing to contest the top three, then accelerating between the bottom two despite the very trying conditions. He was 11 lengths ahead of Darasso, a former race winner, with the same distance behind a rather disappointing Quilixios, winner of the Triumph Hurdle last season, in third.

It was Teahupoo’s sixth win in seven starts and his first outing outside of his own age group; he had gotten the better of Quilixios in his two wins before the start of the year, with just half a length between them in the Grade 2 Limerick Hurdle in late December when Teahupoo rallied after appearing held up between the last two flights. Teahupoo’s only loss so far came in less grueling conditions, which might be something to keep in mind at Cheltenham, but little honeysuckle will go to the Champion Hurdle with a better heart.

There is always the danger of overdoing performance in extreme conditions – the majority of the peloton was relieved in Ascot’s Dingley’s Promise Handicap Hurdle – but it was hard not to be impressed by Good risk at all who was well suited by the two-mile run over about three more furlongs and will be a strong contender in the best novice hurdles in the spring on this projection. He crossed the race, led at bridle two and cleared on the run-in of Christopher Wood who was the only other still in contention at this stage. Good Risk At All’s margin was nine lengths, although he has plenty in hand and retains the ‘capital P’ next to his rating, indicating he remains open to many more improvements.

It was Good Risk At All’s first victory over hurdles, but he was not winning out of turn. His bumper shape reads great, including a defeat of last week’s Betfair Hurdle runner-up I Like To Move It in a listed contest at Newbury when he only found one too good in each of his three previous starts over hurdles, one of those being Jonbon. Good Risk At All is listed in the Ballymore at Cheltenham and would not be moved there, but the Mersey at Aintree might be an even better option.

former hunter galloping bear is getting better and better and followed up his Surrey National victory last month at Lingfield’s new Winter Millions match with victory in the Grand National Trial at Haydock. It was an extreme ordeal that few were able to face, with all but three of the eleven riders stopping at various stages of the final circuit, but The Galloping Bear really relished it, staying between the final two fences and chasing to beat topweight Bristol de Mai, who is in his element in the Haydock mud, by seven lengths.

The race was also a career highlight for young The Galloping Bear trainer Ben Clarke, and provided him with his fourth winner of his last six runners. Still inexperienced by the rules (he once ran into a bumper and fell in his only start over hurdles in addition to winning his four races over fences), The Galloping Bear is not entered for the Grand National and his coach feels next month Midlands National will come too soon after such a demanding race here, but the Irish National could be a possibility later in the spring. Despite being nine years old, he’s still not on display and looks sure to be a fixture in the main remaining handicaps for some time to come.

Kim Bailey’s Two For Gold beat their 25/1 odds to finish second with a career-best effort in the Ascot Chase and earlier on the card the stable hit with Does he know in pursuit of Reynoldstown Novices. It may not have been a vintage renewal, but, conceding 3 pounds to each of their five rivals, Does He Know missed out on a decisive winner, which halved their chances for the National Hunt Novices’ Chase. He is not entered in the Brown Advisory at Cheltenham, and in any case the grueling conditions at Ascot made him much more of a trial run for the longer contest in which he is well worth his place.

After leading at the start of a well-run race, Does He Know regained the lead in fifteenth and stayed home 14 lengths ahead of Doyen Breed. Does he know has now won three of his four starts on fences and was returning after a three-month hiatus since the fall when his two wins came on much firmer ground. One of those wins came at Cheltenham where he has plenty of experience on the courses, also winning twice there last season over hurdles and finishing fifth behind Bob Olinger on a 50/1 shot for the Ballymore.

A double at Newbury on Sunday made seven winners in ten days for Colin Tizzard’s team. Six years Amarillo Sky is progressing well and he got back to winning ways emphatically in a useful two-mile novice handicap pursuit. Jumping solidly, he took over at the fifth fence and forged from two outs to beat Shakem Up’arry by ten lengths. The pace was good despite the heavy ground and the race time compared favorably to another handicap on the same course later on the map.

Amarillo Sky had won a similar event on good ground at Wincanton in November and looked set for another victory at Newbury last month by going down in the lead with two outs. Clearly no worse for that, Amarillo Sky is facing another rise in weight but should continue to give a good count. Joe Tizzard has named the Grand Annual as his likely target at Cheltenham next month.