Haiti Couleurs Delights With Newbury Comeback Win

Haiti Couleurs delighted in the perfect tune-up for a potential tilt at the Betfair Chase when making a winning reappearance in the Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle at Newbury.


Rebecca Curtis' Cheltenham Festival and Irish Grand National hero was dispatched at 17-2 in the hands of Sean Bowen for his return over the smaller sized obstacles and his stamina came to the fore in the closing stages, as the champion jockey outbattled his sibling James Bowen aboard runner-up Bill Baxter.


Britain's shortest-priced contender for the Cup, Haiti Couleurs holds an entry for the Coral Gold Cup back at Newbury on November 29, but Curtis is lured to divert to Haydock a week earlier with her star chaser.


Curtis told Sky Sports Racing: "I'm not excessively shocked he won as I understood he was truly well and had improved from in 2015.


"I hoped he would run among those races where you complete in the first 5, however viewing him go round I knew he was going to win since of the method he was travelling and you understand he remains.


"He ran off obstacles off 135 in 2015 and was beaten, however he's won off 10lb greater here, so it looks like he has actually enhanced."


Haiti Couleurs made a winning return at Newbury (David Davies/PA)


One what follows, she included: "There's benefits and drawbacks to both races, our primary aim was the Coral Gold Cup however it's great to company here today on the chase track and taking a look at the forecast they are not due excessive rain here next week.


"He'll enter into that off top-weight most likely and Dan's (Skelton, Protektorat and Grey Dawning) rated higher will not run.


"The Betfair Chase is actually tempting, I understand it's only 2 and a half weeks away but he's the type of horse you can get away with doing that with and he will be fresh on Monday early morning.


"I will chat to the owners and decide what they wish to do, however I would be siding that way now. You would hope he may be a Gold Cup horse, but I'm not going to push him down that road if he's not to that level.


"I enjoy the way he has improved and you have seen how hard he is and he stays so well. He can go a great gallop and those are all the important things you need for a Gold Cup, so we will see, it's exciting."


Haiti Couleurs might not be going back to Newbury on 'Hennessy day' but one who might is Harry Derham's Jackie Hobbs after making a winning obstacles launching in the CSP Mares' Novices' Hurdle as the 13-8 favourite.


A useful bumper entertainer last term, she was handed a quote of 20-1 by Paddy Power for the Mares' Novices' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, but in the immediate she might object to the Listed Play Coral "Racing-Super-Series" Mares' Novices' Hurdle.


Derham said: "She was good and I thought it was rather a deep race. The thing I was most pleased about was how well she jumped and she stays two miles well, so Paul (O'Brien) wanted to make plenty of use of her.


"He said she had a genuine good blow from the back of 3 out, so you want to believe she would enhance plenty and she's an extremely great mare and one to look forward to.


"Returning to Newbury is a definite option as long as she comes out of this all right and remains in excellent type - we would absolutely consider it.


"It would be great to end up in a race like the Jane Seymour at Sandown later in the year, but it's good to get over the first obstacle today and it will be great making plans with her from here."


Anthony Honeyball's Lord Baddesley (6-4) came home in superb seclusion to win the Daily Racing Boosts At BetVictor Handicap Chase, while the concluding British Horse Society Open National Hunt Flat Race went the way of Chris Gordon's 13-8 preferred Bass Hunter.