Haiti Couleurs Delights With Newbury Comeback Win

Haiti Couleurs took pleasure 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 sent at 17-2 in the hands of Sean Bowen for his return over the smaller sized obstacles and his stamina came to the fore in the closing phases, as the champ jockey outbattled his bro James Bowen 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 lured to divert to Haydock a week earlier with her star chaser.


Curtis informed Sky Sports Racing: "I'm not excessively shocked he won as I understood he was really well and had improved from in 2015.


"I hoped he would run one of those races where you finish in the first 5, however watching him go round I understood he was going to win because of the way he was taking a trip and you understand he remains.


"He ran hurdles off 135 in 2015 and was beaten, but he's won off 10lb greater here, so it looks like he has improved."


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


One what comes next, she included: "There's advantages and disadvantages to both races, our main aim was the Coral Gold Cup but it's great to company here today on the chase track and taking a look at the projection they are not due too much rain here next week.


"He'll go into that off top-weight most likely and Dan's (Skelton, Protektorat and Grey Dawning) rated higher will not run.


"The Betfair Chase is really appealing, I know it's only two and a half weeks away but he's the type 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 decide what they wish 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 enjoy the way he has actually improved and you have seen how difficult he is and he stays so well. He can go an excellent gallop and those are all the important things you need for a Gold Cup, so we will see, it's amazing."


Haiti Couleurs might not be returning to Newbury on 'Hennessy day' but one who could is Harry Derham's Jackie Hobbs after making a winning obstacles launching in the CSP Mares' Novices' Hurdle as the 13-8 favourite.


A useful 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 could object to the Listed Play Coral "Racing-Super-Series" Mares' Novices' Hurdle.


Derham said: "She was good and I thought it was quite a deep race. The thing I was most delighted about was how well she jumped and she remains two miles well, so Paul (O'Brien) desired to make a lot of use of her.


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


"Coming back to Newbury is a certain choice as long as she comes out of this all right and is in excellent kind - we would certainly consider it.


"It would be great to end up in a race like the Jane Seymour at Sandown later on in the year, but it's good to get over the very first difficulty today and it will be good making strategies with her from here."


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