Haiti Couleurs Delights With Newbury Comeback Win

Haiti Couleurs delighted in the best tune-up for a possible tilt at the Betfair Chase when making a winning reappearance in the Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle at Newbury.


Rebecca Curtis' Cheltenham Festival and Irish Grand National hero was at 17-2 in the hands of Sean Bowen for his return over the smaller challenges and his stamina came to the fore in the closing phases, as the champion jockey outbattled his brother James Bowen aboard runner-up Bill Baxter.


Britain's shortest-priced competitor for the Cheltenham Gold Cup, Haiti Couleurs holds an entry for the Coral Gold Cup back at Newbury on November 29, but Curtis is tempted to divert to Haydock a week earlier with her star chaser.


Curtis informed Sky Sports Racing: "I'm not excessively stunned he won as I understood he was really well and had actually improved from last year.


"I hoped he would run one of those races where you finish in the very first 5, but seeing him go round I understood he was going to win due to the fact that of the method he was travelling and you know he remains.


"He ran off obstacles off 135 last year and was beaten, but he's won off 10lb greater here, so it appears like he has improved."


Haiti Couleurs made a winning return at Newbury (David Davies/PA)


One what comes next, she added: "There's advantages and disadvantages to both races, our primary aim was the Coral Gold Cup but it's great to company here today on the chase track and looking at the projection they are not due excessive rain here next week.


"He'll go into that off top-weight probably and Dan's (Skelton, Protektorat and Grey Dawning) ranked greater won't run.


"The Betfair Chase is really tempting, I know it's only 2 and a half weeks away but he's the kind of horse you can get away with doing that with and he will be fresh on Monday early morning.


"I will talk to the owners and choose what they want to do, but I would be siding that way now. You would hope he may be a Gold Cup horse, but I'm not going to press him down that roadway if he's not to that level.


"I love the way he has actually enhanced and you have seen how tough he is and he stays so well. He can go a great gallop and those are all the things you need for a Gold Cup, so we will see, it's exciting."


Haiti Couleurs might not be going back to Newbury on 'Hennessy day' however one who might is Harry Derham's Jackie Hobbs after making a winning difficulties debut in the CSP Mares' Novices' Hurdle as the 13-8 favourite.


A beneficial bumper entertainer last term, she was handed a quote of 20-1 by Paddy Power for the Mares' Novices' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, but in the instant she might object to the Listed Play Coral "Racing-Super-Series" Mares' Novices' Hurdle.


Derham said: "She was great and I thought it was rather a deep race. The important things I was most happy about was how well she leapt and she stays 2 miles well, so Paul (O'Brien) wanted to make plenty of use of her.


"He stated she had a real excellent blow from the back of three out, so you wish to believe she would enhance plenty and she's an extremely good mare and one to anticipate.


"Coming back to Newbury is a guaranteed choice as long as she comes out of this all best and remains in good type - we would definitely consider it.


"It would be good to wind up in a race like the Jane Seymour at Sandown later on in the year, however it's excellent to overcome the very first obstacle today and it will be nice making strategies with her from here."


Anthony Honeyball's Lord Baddesley (6-4) got back in magnificent seclusion to win the Daily Racing Boosts At BetVictor Handicap Chase, while the concluding British Horse Society Open National Hunt Flat Race went the method of Chris Gordon's 13-8 favourite Bass Hunter.