Buveur D'Air

Buveur D'Air ran a cracker to finish third in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham on Tuesday.

He was a little keen before the race, but he settled nicely in rear during it. He travelled really well through his race in rear, and his jumping was really good.

Still well back in the field as they started down the hill, Noel Fehily was still motionless on him over the third last flight as he moved a little closer to the leaders. He made a slight mistake at the second last, however, just about his only mistake of the race, which was really the wrong time at which to be making a mistake. It was just at a point in the race at which he needed to continue his progress towards the leaders as the pace was increasing, and it meant that he had to go around Supasundae around the home turn instead of being able to nip up his inside.

He picked up well from there around the outside, jumped the final flight well and closed on Min for the runner-up spot all the way to the line. He would not have beaten his stable companion Altior on the day however the race had panned out, but he might have caught Min for second had he enjoyed a better run from the second last flight.

Nicky Henderson's horse is a top class novice hurdler. He had only won his maiden at Newbury's Hennessy meeting in November and a Class 4 novices' contest at Huntingdon over hurdles before this, but he was a top class bumper horse last season, and he proved here that he was able to mix it in top company too over hurdles. He remains an exciting prospect, he will surely make a fine chaser in time, and it may be that a step up to two and a half miles now at Aintree will be the thing for him.

15^th March 2016

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