THE new National Hunt season at Cheltenham started on Friday, and heavy showers on the morning of racing took the last of the good-to-firm patches out of the ground.

Irish trainers were out of luck despite supplying two early favourites until the Abu Dhabi Exchange Handicap Hurdle saw Martin Keighley fancied to complete a double with the unexposed Spanish Present.

That inexperienced gelding tended to race in snatches, and weakened tamely up the hill behind 10/1 winner Seddon who was maintaining trainer John McConnell’s fine record with his runners in Britain.

Ben Harvey stuck to the inner as a few others sought better ground on the outside, and the fact that he came clear to win by five and a half lengths from Fontana Ellissi suggests that his rider made the right choice by saving yards.

Seddon had spells here with Tom George and Harry Whittington, joining O’Connell in the summer. He was back to his best, and while a rather frustrating sort for previous connections, he gives the impression he could pay his way over hurdles or fences for his new stable.

Dramatic double

McConnell completed a double in a dramatic final maiden hurdle with the 4/1 shot Fennor Cross who came home six and a half lengths clear under Simon Torrens. There was drama on the run to the last where the Gordon Elliott-trained An Mhi may have clipped the heels of the horse in front and fell with Evenwood Sonofagun then falling over him. Jockey Davy Russell was unhurt. Milton Harris’ Twinjets was a disappointing short-priced favourite here.

The opening contest was a conditional jockeys’ handicap hurdle in which Soul Icon (Kieran Burke/Harry Kimber) extended his winning sequence by landing his fifth race of the season, and a remarkable seventh win in eight handicap starts, the first of which came off a mark of 73.

Burke is no stranger to running up a sequence with progressive handicappers. Having trained Hunt Ball to a similar sequence, ending with victory at the Cheltenham Festival a decade or so ago.

The trainer later tweeted: “Soul Icon has been absolutely wonderful for my own profile - no one seems to call me Karl at the races any more!”

Aucunrisque was a notable absentee from the Square In The Air Novices’ Chase, but the race still produced a memorable finish with just over a length separating the first three at the line.

The winner was Sheila Lewis’s Straw Fan Jack (Sean Houlihan), who proved just too strong for the Irish pair Ash Tree Meadow (Gordon Elliott) and Sole Pretender (Norman Lee).

The grey was a likeable handicap hurdler for Lewis, who mixes training racehorses with running her hair and beauty business, and has taken well to the new discipline, with this win following another sound-jumping display at Ffos Las on debut.

The son of Geordieland was very game in running down Ash Tree Meadow after the last, and while he’s not got the greatest physical scope for jumping fences, he lacks nothing in courage for his new job and never put in a short one or backed off when asked to come up by his rider.

The Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle went the way of Michael Scudamore’s Mofasa under Luca Morgan, but plenty of the credit goes to Gavin Sheehan, who gave runner-up The Wounded Knee a fine ride despite Ann Duffield’s gelding jumping moderately at times.

Sheehan managed to conjure up a flying leap from his mount at the last, and the couple of lengths he stole looked like they might be crucial. The hill takes its own prisoners, though, and The Wounded Knee could find no more as Mofasa ground down the deficit, hitting the line with three-parts of a length to spare.

Mofasa, carrying the black and orange colours of Lynne Maclennan, made his debut exactly a year earlier, and was having just the third start of his career. He is related to a couple of useful chasers at up to three and a quarter miles, and his future lies over the bigger obstacles in time, shaping as if he will stay well on this evidence.

Jumping lesson

Found On (Martin Keighley/Sean Bowen) gave her rivals a jumping lesson in the 888Sport Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase, winging her fences in great style to set up a six-length victory over Champagne Gold (Henry de Bromhead/Darragh O’Keeffe).

The daughter of Mahler set off last of the quintet but jumped herself to the front at the second fence, and made the rest, with some of her spring-heeled leaps taking lengths out of her rivals.

There were three queuing up to take her on after the final turn, but she jumped the last two fences as cleanly as she had any in her round, and never looked like relinquishing her advantage. This was her fifth win on the bounce over fences, and while she enjoyed an experience edge, it was still a really taking effort to win as she did.

The amateur riders’ handicap chase proved a fine advert for British point-to-point riding, and particularly the depth of female talent in that pool, with the first three all ridden by women who ply their trade between the flags in the UK.

Alice Stephens gave winner Jimmy The Digger – owned by Frankie Clarke, who is Henry Daly’s mother-in-law and trained by Henry Daly – a fine ride, making relentless headway from before the turn for home to collar a tiring A Night In Lambourn (Gina Andrews) halfway up the run-in, scoring by half a length after the runner-up appeared to have the race at her mercy. Izzy Marshall completed that tricast aboard Cardboard Gangster.

The winner could make his mark in good-class staying chases this season having shown that stamina is very much his long suit here and having jumped out to his left when beaten at Kempton on his previous start, he was straight and accurate as a rule here.