Lucky Place is Relkeel hero for Henderson and De Boinville

Lucky Place announced himself as a Stayers’ Hurdle contender with a battling victory over the admirable Gowel Road in the Dornan Engineering Relkeel Hurdle at Cheltenham.

Nicky Henderson’s progressive performer had made a winning return in the Ascot Hurdle and was again taking on Jeremy Scott’s Cheltenham Festival winner Golden Ace, who was sent off the 5-2 favourite for this New Year’s Day feature.

Ridden by Nico de Boinville, Lucky Place was one of the runners to keep tabs on the forward-going Gowel Road as Sam Twiston-Davies attempted to bring stamina to the fore aboard his father Nigel’s strong-staying and consistent performer.

Meanwhile, Golden Ace and Gary and Josh Moore’ Salver travelled stylishly in behind as they stealthily moved into contention heading down hill for the final time.

With Salver taking a crashing fall at the last and Golden Ace’s stamina beginning to waver, it was left to Lucky Place to hold off the rallying Gowel Road who refused to lie down and made the young Seven Barrows pretender answer every call.

He returned a winning verdict of three-quarters of a length at odds of 3-1, with Henderson suggesting the Cleeve Hurdle could be next as he seeks further evidence to warrant a tilt at the Stayers’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in March, for which Coral went 16-1 from 20-1.