Trainer Lucinda Russell sending her rising steeplechase star Ahoy Senor to Wetherby for Towton Novices’ Chase

AHOY SENOR – one of the rising stars of the steeplechasing ranks – remains on track for the William Hill Towton Novices’ Chase at Wetherby this Saturday.

The Grade Two race is a notable trial for next month’s Cheltenham Festival, with Blaklion winning the 2016 renewal prior to triumphing in the RSA Chase for the Nigel Twiston-Davies team.

Trained in Scotland by Lucinda Russell and Peter Scudamore, the former champion jockey, Ahoy Senor heads a 10-strong field for the Grade Two race in West Yorkshire.

Victorious in a Grade One hudle at Aintree’s Randox Grand National meeting last April, Ahoy Senor was making an eyecatching debut over larger obstacles at Carlisle last October before unseating luckless jockey Derek Fox.

But Ahoy Senor and Fox’s wide-margin win in the John Francome Novices’ Chase at Newbury’s prestigious Ladbrokes Trophy meeting was sufficient to earn an entry for the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

And while they were well beaten by the Paul Nicholls-trained Bravesmangame in the Grade One Kauto Star Novices’ Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day, there was no disgrace in being defeated by a horse who jumped imperiously for Harry Cobden.

However, Russell and Scudamore hope Wetherby’s left-handed configuration will play to the strengths of their new stable star – and will be looking for a slicker round of jumping before choosing between the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase, formerly the RSA, and the Boodles Gold Cup at Cheltenham.

Potential rivals at Wetherby include Doyen Breed for Scottish Borders trainer Sandy Thomson and Richard Bandey’s Saint Palais who has already won three times this season, including two victories for Yorkshire-born jockey Harry Bannister.

However, Bannister was out of luck in Doncaster’s Grade Two Lightning Novices’ Chase when his well-regarded mount For Pleasure took a crashing fall at the last when still in contention – both horse and rider appeared to escape unscathed.

It left the Mike Newbould-owned Third Time Lucki clear to record a facile win for trainer Dan Skelton and his brother Harry, the current champion jockey, who was in the saddle.

And while they were relieved to return to winning ways after being soundly defeated by Edwardstone in the Henry VIII Novices Chase at Sandown, a minor overreach leaves the winner’s participation in next month’s Arkle Trophy at Cheltenham hanging in the balance.

“He’s just very talented, but we slipped into a few mistakes last year,” said the winning trainer. “Sandown last time out was always going to be a bit apprehensive for a horse like him that wants decent ground, you are only going to be 50-50 to get it.

“If you turn up at Sandown with all guns blazing and it’s soft, heavy in places you end up thinking ‘why didn’t we go to Cheltenham three weeks ago when the ground was nice’.

“You have to take the opportunities when they are there. It wasn’t an afterthought, but it wasn’t Plan A. We knew going there we were stretching the band a bit.

“We gave him a break, freshened him up and this was the perfect track, perfect trip in a fast-run race and that is what he craves.”

While it did seem the perfect prep at first glance, Skelton went on to reveal the setback. “He just had a little bit of an overreach which I need to keep an eye on. It’s nothing bad, just a little one, but we’ll just see how that is,” he said.

“I don’t know if it will keep him out of Cheltenham, it’s nothing bad. If he goes to Cheltenham, great. If he has to miss Cheltenham because of the overreach and wait for Aintree than that is fine as well. He’s just magic and we’re delighted to have him.”

In other news, Irish-based trainer John McConnell says Mahler Mission will be handed a Cheltenham entry this week after staying on dourly to claim the Albert Bartlett River Don Novices’ Hurdle at Doncaster.

It was a good battle up the straight with Constable Burton trainer Ann Duffield’s The Real Whacker, but experience told close home and Mahler Mission won by two lengths under jockey James Bowen.

“He just gallops and gallops and is improving all the time,” said McConnell, who has become accustomed to sending horses from his County Meath base to Britain.

“He’s not even six until June so he’s still a baby. I bought him because I thought he was eyecatching in a point-to-point and I’ve been proven right.

“He goes on all ground. He looks slow, but I don’t think he’s as slow as people think!

“I put him in the Albert Bartlett this week so I thought I’d better run him to see where he was. He might not be good enough to win it, but he deserves to run in it.”