Ollie Magern - won at Wetherby. (Getty Images)

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Ollie Magern got back on track for the Cheltenham Festival with a workmanlike rather than spectacular victory in the Totty Construction Towton Novices' Chase at Wetherby on Saturday.

The Nigel Twiston-Davies-trained gelding had blundered and unseated Carl Lewellyn at the fourth fence in the Pillar Property Chase at the Prestbury Park circuit last Saturday, but made amends here.

He beat King Harald by four lengths in this Grade Two contest after making most of the running.

Ollie Magern (8-15) is entered in both the totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Royal & SunAlliance Chase at the Festival, but his owner Roger Nicholls confirmed he would take up the novice option.

He said: "If he'd beaten Grey Abbey and company we might have thought about the Gold Cup, but it was not to be. His next race will be the SunAlliance."

Llewellyn added: "It was OK, satisfactory and workmanlike. I tried to settle him in front but he kept getting taken on.

"I think they went too fast on the first circuit, and that's why they were knackered up the straight.

"His jumping was OK, a little bit hesitant, but I think last Saturday frightened him a little bit - he knew he'd made a mistake. As the race went on he got better and down the back he jumped well when I asked him.

"There will be plenty of pace in the SunAlliance and I'll be able to drop him in. He doesn't want to be in front too soon."

Ollie Magern, who remains the 5-1 favourite with Victor Chandler for the SunAlliance, was the middle leg of a near 22-1 three-timer for Llewellyn, who was also successful on Red Georgie for Twiston-Davies and the Paul Nicholls-trained Mouseski.