PHILIP Hobbs has his team in excellent fettle as the new National Hunt season clicks into gear and talented 11-year-old Wishfull Thinking ran out a clear-cut winner of the Grade 2 Betfred Monet’s Garden Old Roan Chase at Aintree.

Kie made the early running, with Alan King’s Uxizandre always well there. The latter proved a disappointing 2/1 favourite, however, and was being hard ridden as Richard Johnson brought Wishfull Thinking, 14/1, through to lead between the last two fences.