Oscar Whisky continued his Cheltenham Festival preparations with a routine victory in the Better Prices On Betfair Mobile 'Jumpers Bumper' National Hunt Flat Race at Kempton.
Nicky Henderson's Ladbrokes World Hurdle-bound gelding was rerouted to this fixture after last weekend's Welsh Champion Hurdle at Ffos Las was abandoned due to a frozen track.
Sent off the 1-16 favourite, Oscar Whisky was positioned close to the pace throughout and once asked to go away and win his race by Barry Geraghty, he picked up smartly to come home with three lengths in hand.
Sir Harry Ormesher also travelled strongly and while he had no answer when the winner stepped up a gear, he ran with plenty of credit to fill the runner-up spot.
Henderson said: "Barry said to me he was a bit worried when he was 1-14, as that is the same price that Zaynar got beat at Kelso (in the Morebattle Hurdle of 2010), but he went to 1-16, so it was all right.
"Barry reckoned that was the first time they have gone a proper gallop all day, and he thought it rode like the best race.
"This has been useful because we can back off him a bit now. The only other race for him would have been the National Spirit at Fontwell, but that was close enough to Cheltenham. It's job done today."
