Yorkshire stars focus on Festival

One of the most competitive National Hunt fixtures staged locally, it was fitting that these two local favourites, with large followings, should steal the jumping honours at Doncaster's prestigious Blue Square meeting.

Both are Cheltenham-bound. Kalahari King, last year's Arkle runner-up, is second favourite for the Queen Mother Champion Chase after a doughty weight-carrying performance, while the Keith Reveley-trained Tazbar is now a live contender for the RSA Chase.

Yet, if both these equine athletes are to shine on racing's biggest stage, they will need good going – and not the rain-softened ground they bravely overcame on Town Moor with great durability.

Ferdy Murphy, Kalahari King's trainer, would have been content to finish sixth in this high-quality field. His stable star had been off the course for 287 days, had top weight of 11st 10lb and unfavourable soft going.

However, the relentless training gallops on Redcar beach paid off. The 10-1 chance was itching to get out of his racecourse stable and then put in a foot-perfect performance in the Blue Square Handicap Chase.

Ridden with typical patience by Graham Lee, who had accurately assessed the early pace as being too frenetic, the pair threaded their way through the field, avoiding the fallers, and took the lead with a bold jump at the second-last after a clear run up the inner – an advantage that they were denied at Cheltenham last year.

Victory resulted in Kalahari King's owners Neil and Julie Morgan, and an eclectic group of supporters from Murphy's West Witton stable, to jump for joy in the paddock as their nine-year-old pride and joy galloped past them in triumph.

That he was the class horse in the race was highlighted by the emphatic manner of the victory.

Not only was Kalahari Kingconceding 22lb to the runner-up, Oiseau De Nuit, who was three lengths in arrears, but he was also beating eventual third Free World, whose owner Clive Smith is responsible for

the Queen Mother favourite and dual champion Master Minded.

"The winner is good, isn't he? He could give us a race with Master Minded!" said a gracious Smith.

Retired jockey Mick Fitzgerald, in the winner's enclosure, was equally impressed. "A machine," he said knowingly. And then he gave Murphy the thumbs up: "Awesome."

Kalahari King, who has his own Facebook page, was cut to 5-1 from 10-1 for the Champion Chase with Victor Chandler and 6-1 from 8s with SkyBet and Paddy Power.

"He's a little bit stiff – you can tell he's had a run," said an ecstatic Murphy yesterday.

"Five weeks to Cheltenham is ideal. He will have some physio, some more trips to the beach and we'll bring him on again.

"The first time we did a bit of fast work with him after the snow he wouldn't have won a donkey derby, but he's continued to improve and he schooled brilliantly earlier in the week.

"This wouldn't be his ground and, hopefully, that race will be enough to leave him right for Cheltenham."

The victory offered Murphy some consolation after I'm Delilah lost the Blue Square Lightning Novices' Chase on the line to a Ruby Walsh-inspired Woolcombe Folly. Even the photo-finish print was not conclusive.

However, the aforementioned Tazbar was another horse who did not require the photographer's assistance.

This new convert to larger obstacles – he was a huge disappointment in last year's Ladbrokes World Hurdle – jumped for fun for his young jockey James Reveley.

He put in long strides at some fences, and short strides at others, but it made no difference – he quickened away from Murphy's highly-rated Bedlam Boy to win the Bet With Blue Square Mobile Novices' Chase by 14 lengths.

It was another victory for the Reveley racing family from Saltburn.

He was discovered by retired trainer Mary, the family matriarch, for 7,000 euros. He is trained by her son Keith, who said: "He's the best we've had."

His jumping has been transformed by the extensive schooling work undertaken by the trainer's son, James, who rides Tazbar.

"The RSA Chase is the plan but the ground is the key to this horse as he really wants genuine good ground," said Reveley senior after his horse's Cheltenham odds were cut to 16-1.

"He's got away with good to soft here but Doncaster good to soft is different to anywhere else as it's a track that drains well.

"This horse is a little star and I was over the moon with how he jumped."

champion jockey Tony McCoy will ride Denman in the Cheltenham Gold Cup. He will also partner Paul Nicholls' former winner in Saturday's Aon Chase at Newbury after Ruby Walsh confirmed he will stay loyal to Kauto Star.

JOHN Quinn's Grand National hope Character Building will revert to fences, and possibly Haydock's Blue Square Gold Cup, on February 20 after finishing 13th in Doncaster's handicap hurdle on Saturday, his first outing since winning at the Cheltenham Festival in March.

YORKSHIRE businessman Martin St Quinton's 13-year-old Monkerhostin rolled back the years to score on his first start for 371 days as he edged out Exmoor Ranger in the totesport Masters Handicap Chase at Sandown.