Leading way to line at Doncaster

The seven-year-old had not previously won over three miles but he had to get every yard of the trip to see off the top-weight by a neck.

The two principals had the race to themselves after jumping the fourth-last and gradually pulled away from The Hollinwell, who plugged on for third.

Lavelle said: “As he’s getting older and stronger he’s handling more dig in the ground and there’ll be lots of opportunities for him.”

Royal Bonsai (16-1) took his winning run over jumps to three with a game success in the VictorChandler.com Summit Hurdle.

Dougie Costello’s hard drive on the dash to the line paid dividends as Malton-based John Quinn’s three-year-old defied Eagle Rock by half-a-length.

“He improving with each run and he’s got loads of scope,” said Costello.

Meanwhile, Harry The Viking (9-4) made a successful debut over fences when getting the better of the more experienced Saint Are in the Pland Stainless Novices’ Chase.

The Paul Nicholls-trained gelding, part-owned by Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, battled hard under Daryl Jacob to win by three-quarters of a length.

“All he does is grind it out. He’s a big galloper, who jumps well and stays well and the track today really suited him,” said Jacob.