Another Newbury meeting provided easy pickings for Nicky Henderson with the exciting Josses Hill featuring among a 10/1 treble for the champion trainer and Barry Geraghty yesterday.

Quality does not come cheap in National Hunt racing, and Alan Spence’s £100,000 bought him a classic-looking chasing type who was beaten 22 lengths into second by Faugheen on his debut in a bumper at the Punchestown Festival.

Faugheen is presently tearing his way through the Irish novice scene for Willie Mullins and Josses Hill did exactly the same at Ascot last month before being sent jumping in the Tony Jones 60th Birthday Bash Maiden Hurdle.

Plenty of air
The even-money favourite gave his hurdles plenty of air but Geraghty did not need to work too hard to win readily by three lengths. Sky Bet introduced him at 33/1 for the Supreme Novices' Hurdle as well as the Neptune.

Hadrian's Approach (9/4) was in need of a small-field confidence-booster after losing his rider early in the Hennessy Gold Cup on the same course 18 days earlier, which Geraghty won on stablemate Triolo D'Alene. Although always dogged by jumping issues, he was foot-perfect in the Coolmation Graduation Chase to beat another Hennessy non-completer, Super Duty, by a length and a quarter.

'More a Fred Winter horse'
Triumph Hurdle quotes quickly arrived after Dawalan (4/6 favourite) built on his debut fourth in a hot event at the Hennessy meeting by coming eight lengths clear in the Blackmore Building Juvenile Hurdle. Impressively, Dawalan is a half-brother to the brilliant pair Daylami and Dalakhani, but Henderson said: "I think he's more of a Fred Winter horse." The pair were denied a four-timer when Hughie Morrison's Brother Brian (7/1) came late to foil Tistory in the EBF Stallions "National Hunt" Novices' Hurdle.