Once again, racegoers at Cheltenham were treated to a feast of top quality racing on New Year’s Day and arguably the most eye-catching performance of the day came when Oscar Whisky obliged at odds of 3-1 to win the Cheltenham & Three Counties Race Club Hurdle.

The six-year-old remained on the bridle throughout the race to suggest that he has every chance of going close in the Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in March and sponsors Stan James have made him a 12/1 chance to land the spoils.

Trainer Nicky Henderson said: “We can bring him back to two miles now and decide after he’s run in the Welsh Champion Hurdle.

“We were going to head for the Christmas Hurdle, but if we’d waited for that (on January 15) it would be getting perilously close the the Ffos Las race.”

“He’s got buckets of toe and has had a good blow.

“It’s only his third hurdling run and he’s still learning, but at least this time we know where we’re going. Ffos Las is in the Champion Hurdle programme and has always been his big target. There’s no way he’ll step up to three.”

Posted: 02/01/11