Next Destination and Adrimel enter Cheltenham Festival calculations at Warwick as Notachance battles to Classic Chase

ADRIMEL sailed into Cheltenham Festival contention with a hardy Leamington Novices’ Hurdle win at Warwick.

Under a typically competitive Richard Johnson, the neck win provided trainer Tom Lacey with one of his biggest days in the sun.

Adrimel made pretty much all the running under Johnson

And it was good news for plenty of punters with the six-year-old backed late into the 7-2 favourite from 6-1.

Upped in trip for the first time, Lacey’s horse made most of the running with first-time cheekpieces working wonders.

Johnson was in control entering the straight but had to see off David Pipe’s Make Me A Believer with two to jump.

Pipe’s horse cracked, but it was the late run of Mint Condition that nearly spoilt the party.

Lacey smiled: “I rang Richard on Thursday and he said stick them [the cheekpieces] on.

“And you just can’t beat advice from him!”

The winner was cut into 20-1 for the Ballymore Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival and has now only been beaten once in seven outings.

The trainer added: “We’ll leave it to the owners where we go next.

“We’d like to have one more run this year, but it’s all about chasing with him. Lady and Alice Bamford have had plenty of nice horses and they will do what’s right for him.”

Earlier on the card Paul Nicholls’ continued his red-hot form with Next Destination a solid winner of the Grade 2 Hampton Novices’ Chase.

He saw off the late attention of Fiddlerontheroof despite a 5lbs penalty and has the option of the National Hunt Chase and the three-mile Novice Chase at Cheltenham.

Winning jockey Harry Cobden said: “He is a little bit more relaxed now and when he has been asked he has jumped pretty well. He has jumped well on the whole.

“He is a bit older and is getting slightly lazier. I don’t mind pushing them for a bit if they keep finding and to be honest he plugged on really well. He swung into the straight and was the one to be shot at. He was long over two out and winged the last and stayed galloping.”

Next Destination (right) out-classed Fiddlerontheroof

The well-fancied Notachance came out on top in the prestigious Classic Chase.

Alan King’s improving chaser out-gunned Achille as the pair slogged it out a long way from home.

It was a third Classic Chase for King and his winner looks a Grand National horse in the making.

FREE BETS GET OVER £2,000 IN SIGN UP OFFERS HERE

Commercial content notice: Taking one of the bookmaker offers featured in this article may result in a payment to SE. 18+. T&Cs apply. Begambleaware.org

---

Remember to gamble responsibly

A responsible gambler is someone who:

• Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
• Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
• Never chase their losses
• Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry or depressed
• Gamcare – www.gamcare.org.uk
• Gamble Aware – www.begambleaware.org