'He jumps like a Champion Hurdle horse' - Cheltenham now the target as Skyjack Hijack completes remarkable six-timer

Skyjack Hijack kept Cheltenham Festival dreams alive by completing a remarkable six-timer in The French Furze Novices' Hurdle.

Trained by Jennie Candlish and owned by Alan Baxter, the six-year-old's winning run started at Cartmel in August and his latest display was impressive, making all to beat Zanndabad by nine and a half lengths. Connections now have ambitions of running in a Grade 1 at the festival in March.

Alan O'Keeffe, Candlish's assistant trainer, said: "He's done great and keeps at a good gallop, but the way he jumps reminds me of a Champion Hurdle horse. He's so quick and accurate.

"How high can we go? He's doing everything right. I suppose Cheltenham comes into the equation and we can see whether we go in handicaps or down the Albert Bartlett route. It takes a fair horse to win six in a row and they were decent horses he beat too."

Skyjack Hijack's bid for a seven-timer will not happen until the new year.

"He's been busy and the ground's going to start to change," O'Keeffe added. "Sean [Quinlan, jockey] said he wasn't fully on song today. That indicates he needs a break now and we won't see him until February time."

Fox fires in another big win

Ned Fox fired in another big-race Saturday winner for Venetia Williams when teaming up with Frero Banbou in the Rehearsal Handicap Chase.

The nine-year-old thrived for stepping up in trip and ended a long losing streak when denying The Changing Man by a length and a quarter, giving Fox his first winner at the track.

It was the second Saturday in a row that Fox and Williams have combined for a notable success, following Martator's victory in the Hurst Park Handicap Chase at Ascot.

"It's brilliant and I'm very fortunate to be in a position to ride nice horses on a Saturday for Venetia," Fox said. "He's got a bit of a scope to him as he ran over the Grand National fences the last day but liked being back over the normal ones. He's a brilliant jumper and pretty versatile as he's run on everything before."

Inappropriate shock

Inappropriate continued Jedd O'Keeffe's red-hot form when beating odds-on favourite Lavender Hill Mob in the opening 2m juvenile hurdle.

Lavender Hill Mob was sent off 2-7 to make a perfect start over hurdles but he was no match for the son of Churchill, who scored by four and three-quarter lengths. He took the trainer's strike-rate in the last fortnight to 50 per cent.

"We decided to have a punt at this race because we won it with a horse we bought off the Flat at the sales before," O'Keeffe said. "His jumping has been exceptional. Jumps trainers generally cannot compete when trying to buy horses off the Flat anymore, but we managed to find him."

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