CHELTENHAM’S April fixture is always a most agreeable meeting and it featured the Grade 2 Teenage Cancer Trust Silver Trophy Chase on Wednesday, victory going to Harry Fry’s 9/2 chance Voix D’Eau in the hands of talented amateur Mr Mikey Legg.

Still only six, Voix D’Eau was fresher than some and very fit, he led three out and ran on willingly to hold Paul Nicholls’ Art Mauresque by a length and a half with Jonjo O’Neill’s hardy campaigner Johns Spirit back in third.

“We deliberately put him away with the spring in mind,” Fry said. “The ground makes all the difference to him. I put him in the novices’ handicap chase at the Punchestown Festival this morning and if conditions are fine he will probably run.”

Trainer Martin Keighley has done extremely well with the durable Any Currency, who is better known as a cross country horse these days but returned to regulation fences and ran on with typical gameness to land the Racing UK Now In HD Handicap Chase over three and a half miles in the hands of regular partner Aidan Coleman.

FAVOURITE

Now 13 years old, Any Currency, 6/1, won the cross country at the festival last month. Coleman sent him clear between the third and second-last fences and this remarkable old character responded in style, passing the post nearly three lengths in front of the favourite Conas Taoi. It was a heart-warming display. “He’ll be put away now and return for the cross country at the Paddy Power meeting,” Keighley said.

In cracking form, the trainer completed a double with Altesse De Guye. Whether the six-year-old would have prevailed over this three miles without Dickie Johnson’s help is debatable but the champion jockey elect held her together after going badly left at the last.

Coleman completed his double on O’Neill’s 20/1 chance Matorico in the handicap hurdle over two and a half miles.

He led soon after the last and ran on strongly to hold Dan Skelton’s Zarib by a neck. The stewards were bound to ask about this vastly improved performance after unplaced efforts in the Betfair and the Martin Pipe, O’Neill pointing out that Matorico had been equipped with a tongue-tie and found a clearer passage on this occasion.

The Skeltons won the opening novices’ hurdle with 13/8 favourite Mister Miyagi, while Neil Mulholland’s Fox Norton (8/11 favourite), none the worse for his third behind Douvan at Liverpool, took the Weatherite Novices’ Chase in the hands of the irrepressible Johnson. Trainer Neil Mulholland made it two wins in two days at Cheltenham as 8/1 chance Indian Stream took Thursday’s feature, the EBF/TBA Mares’ Novices’ Chase Finale.

The seven-year-old, a model of consistency, strode out well for Noel Fehily, and put eight lengths between herself and Kilronan High with Ebony Empress, also trained by Mulholland, securing the minor berth.

Indian Stream had been waiting for better ground. Mulholland has demonstrated often enough that he can bring horses back fit and fresh.

Henry Daly has been relatively quiet of late but patience has always been his strong suit. He enjoyed a late fillip as Briery Belle, runner-up to The Organist on her previous outing, landed the spoils in the Listed Arkells Brewery Mares’ Handicap Hurdle over the extended two and a half miles.

A tough individual, Briery Belle (8/1) has improved steadily through a light campaign. She moved through to lead two out and found plenty for Tom O’Brien to beat 11/2 joint-favourite Debdebdeb by three lengths with Flementime well held in third.

“We don’t have as many good horses these days and there have been some niggling problems,” Daly said. “We were going to Ayr with this mare but the going is likely to be soft whereas it’s dried out here.”

Sadly, the other joint-favourite, Nicky Henderson’s top-weight Robins Reef had to be put down.

On a mares’ day, Alan King’s Katie Too regained winning form in the opening listed novices’ hurdle for her sex.

She looked rather fortunate because Oliver Sherwood’s The Organist came down at the final flight. Even then she had to be driven right out by Wayne Hutchinson to hold Actinpieces by a neck.

Oliver Sherwood was able to report later that The Organist had recovered from a fall that looked very serious at the time.

TITLE ON THE LINE

It will take something very special indeed for Paul Nicholls to retain his trainers’ title now that Willie Mullins has gone more than £150,000 ahead. The Ditcheat man closed the gap slightly when The Eaglehaslanded won the Barbury International Supporting the IJF Handicap Hurdle over three miles. Stable-companion Southfield Vic finished fourth in a multi-runner contest.

The Eaglehaslanded, 8/1, regained the form which saw him finish second over this week’s course and distance earlier on. Cobden is a very promising youngster and was seen to good advantage on Anthony Honeyball’s Solstice Son, winner of the novices’ limited handicap chase at 5/1.

Fergal O’Brien’s Perfect Candidate is very tough and consistent and found the Llewellyn Humphreys Handicap Chase a less demanding task than the Kim Muir. He saw it out well for Conor Shoemark and was always holding Forgotten Gold and Warden Hill.