Sixmilebridge (6/1) made all for an impressive victory in Saturday's £100,000 Grade 1 Virgin Bet Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase.

The seven-year-old’s chances in the two and a half miles contest was made easier when Irish raider and 10/11 favourite Kitzbuhel unseated jockey Paul Townend at the sixth fence. The main danger to Sixmilebridge thereafter was fellow Irish raider Kala Conti (2/1), but she was never really getting there and at the finish was the five-length runner-up to Sixmilebridge.

Successful jockey Kielan Woods said: “That was absolutely massive. There are bigger name jockeys out there and bigger name owners and trainers who haven’t had a Grade 1 winner this year and we’ve now had a Grade 1.

“He done it really well in the end. It took a little while to get him jumping, especially over the first three railway fences, but once they got out in the country he winged away.

“It’s what dreams are made of – a Grade 1 win at Sandown, it’s where you want to be.

“He’s not always very rideable and you just kind of have to take what’s there, but once we got going - he was brilliant.

“I’ve won a Grade 1 before but it’s been a while (it was Millers Bank in the 2022 Manifesto Novices’ Chase at Aintree) and it’s been a bit of a slow season for me, so this makes up for it.”

For winning trainer Fergal O’Brien, it was his first Grade 1 chase success.

He said: “This is absolutely massive and anyone will tell you, days like today are the stuff of dreams.

“We retired Crambo (twice winner of the Grade 1 Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot) who has been such a fantastic horse for us and to have this lad come along so soon is amazing.

“The lovely thing is when this lad was jumping hurdles last year because he won his bumper here, we were always thinking Scilly Isles. For it to be mooted a long time ago, it’s great to be standing here today.

“Sandown is a fantastic track. Obviously, I am a big Cheltenham fan, but Sandown is just one of the most brilliant chase tracks in the country.

“I think we can get him jumping better. That ground was hard to jump out of today. I just left it to Kielan. I was worried that something might take him on but Kielan said I am going to go out over the first two or three and he has given him a fantastic ride.”

With today’s success adding to previous victories at Ayr and Cheltenham, Sixmilebridge is now unbeaten in three starts over fences and has Grade 1 options at the Cheltenham Festival in the Singer Arkle Novices’ Chase and the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase.

On future plans, O’Brien added: “We’ll go to Cheltenham. He’s got Cheltenham form and which race we go for will be the question. It will be the Arkle or the Brown Advisory – I’ll leave it to Kielan and the Megsons and we’ll all have a chat together. My gut feeling is that he’s a three-miler.

“Max Kendrick has done such a fantastic job with this horse – he wouldn’t be the horse he is without Max. He rides him every day and knows him inside out. He is the only person who slept less than I did last night!”

It was a first Grade 1 win of any description for owners Andrew and Jane Megson.

Andrew Megson said: “That was stunning. We love it, but with the nerves you think why are we doing this! It was just unbelievable when he cleared the last.

“Most of the time when you own horses you are disappointed. We have quite a few horses who are injured but days like this and when Global Citizen when the Grand Annual at Cheltenham with Ben (Pauling, trainer) keep you going and you want to stay invested and involved.

“Days like today keep us going. We are both interested (in racing) and Jane used to ride.

“I will remember today for the rest of my life.

“We started retaining Kielan about three years ago. We love what he and Christy (his wife) are doing with their pre-training yard, and our horses go there when they are injured.”