Haiti Couleurs Delights With Newbury Comeback Win

Haiti Couleurs enjoyed the perfect 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 off at 17-2 in the hands of Sean Bowen for his return over the smaller sized obstacles and his stamina came forward in the closing stages, as the champion jockey outbattled his bro James Bowen aboard runner-up Bill Baxter.


contender for the Cheltenham Gold Cup, Haiti Couleurs holds an entry for the Coral Gold Cup back at Newbury on November 29, however Curtis is lured to divert to Haydock a week previously with her star chaser.


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


"I hoped he would run among those races where you finish in the first 5, however enjoying him go round I understood he was going to win due to the fact that of the way he was travelling and you know he remains.


"He ran off hurdles off 135 last year and was beaten, but he's won off 10lb greater here, so it appears 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 objective was the Coral Gold Cup but it's excellent to company here today on the chase track and looking at the projection they are not due too much rain here next week.


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


"The Betfair Chase is actually tempting, I know it's just two and a half weeks away but he's the kind of horse you can get away with doing that with and he will be fresh on Monday early morning.


"I will chat to the owners and decide what they wish to do, however I would be siding that method now. You would hope he might be a Gold Cup horse, but I'm not going to push him down that road if he's not to that level.


"I like the method he has actually improved and you have actually seen how tough he is and he remains so well. He can go a good gallop and those are all the things you need for a Gold Cup, so we will see, it's amazing."


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


A beneficial bumper performer last term, she was handed a quote of 20-1 by Paddy Power for the Mares' Novices' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, however in the immediate she could contest the Listed Play Coral "Racing-Super-Series" Mares' Novices' Hurdle.


Derham said: "She was good and I believed it was quite a deep race. The thing I was most happy about was how well she leapt and she stays 2 miles well, so Paul (O'Brien) desired to make plenty of usage of her.


"He said she had a genuine good blow from the back of three out, so you wish to think she would improve plenty and she's a very great mare and one to eagerly anticipate.


"Coming back to Newbury is a certain alternative as long as she comes out of this all right and remains in good form - we would absolutely consider it.


"It would be good to wind up in a race like the Jane Seymour at Sandown later on in the year, however it's good to overcome the first obstacle today and it will be great making strategies with her from here."


Anthony Honeyball's Lord Baddesley (6-4) came home in magnificent 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.