DOOM BAR ANNIVERSARY

4-Y-O JUVENILE HURDLE

(GRADE 1) 2M 1F

PENTLAND Hills, a modest performer on the flat, showed again that hurdling is his game by making it three out of three in the Doom Bar Anniversary Juvenile Hurdle.

He was following up his victory in the Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham but had to work hard to repel long-time leader Fakir D’Oudairies, who fought back well on the run-in and was beaten only a neck with Christopher Wood six lengths away in third.

The disappointment of the race was Joseph O’Brien’s Band Of Outlaws, winner of the Boodles Juvenile Hurdle (Fred Winter) at the festival but uneasy in the market here and never in a challenging position.

It was only in late February that Nicky Henderson introduced Pentland Hills at Plumpton and he must have been some bet at 5/2.

Running for the Owners Group 031 – a single share cost £57 – he was cheered to the echo and was following up Henderson’s success with We Have A Dream 12 months ago. Sadly the latter was fatally injured on the gallops this week.

“It got a bit messy in the ground and you had to be tough to see it out,” winning jockey Nico de Boinville said of the 11/4 winner.

“That’s three wins in about six weeks and he has so much scope for improvement.”