Lucky Place announced himself as a Stayers' Hurdle contender with victory over the admirable Gowel Road in the Dornan Engineering Relkeel Hurdle at Cheltenham.
Nicky Henderson's progressive performer made a triumphant return to the Ascot Hurdle and once again took on Jeremy Scott's Cheltenham Festival winner Golden Ace, who was sent off 5/2 favorite for the New Year's work.
Ridden by Nico de Boinville, Lucky Place was one of the runners following the advancing Gowel Road as Sam Twiston-Davies tried to bring out the stamina on his sire Nigel's solid and consistent performer.
Winning jockey Nico de Boinville
Meanwhile, Gary and Josh Moore's Golden Ace and Salver traveled to the rear in style as they crept into the fray and made their last downhill run.
With Salver suffering a heavy fall in last place and Golden Ace's stamina starting to falter, it was left to Lucky Place to hold off the rallying Gowel Road who refused to lay down and made young contender Seven Barrow answer every call.
He returned the winning verdict by three-quarters of a length at odds of 3/1, with Henderson suggesting the Cleeve Hurdle could be next as he looks for further evidence to justify a tilt at the Stayers' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in March, as which Coral went 16/1 from 20/1.
Henderson said: “He's just the nicest young horse you could ever want to have. He should have started in the novice chase and he's jumping really well but I just couldn't find the opportunities to go in the chase and I don't mind saying that because he should have rushes.
“Luckily we've got some very good starters doing that and he's now back in the Ascot Hurdle and in this, and I think he's slotted into the team for the Stayers' Hurdle. He stays.
“You could go to Cleeve but I don't know, a race over three miles is always going to be an uphill battle and does he need it on the way to the Stayers or not? Nico and I had a quick chat afterwards and decided he should move to Stayers, but should we test it before March as we're pretty sure he'll be staying.
“He was ridden to take the sting out of the race today and we had to ride him as a styler today, we had to speed him up and get on with it and take the sting out of the faster horses which he did and then he put his head down and fought well.
“It's an open division and I think he's earned his ticket to the Stayers. We've got nothing else to race for.
“I don't think we have to prove that he remains himself, we know that he remains and that he is on a progressive curve.
“We think he's a three-miler, he's progressive and I'd say he's better off continuing to grow than another race being thrown at him. The only thing about running in the Cleeve is to prove he stays and why wouldn't we ask that in March rather than at the end of January.”