No Drama This End cruised to victory in the Grade 2 Betfair Winter Novices' Hurdle at Sandown to confirm the big impression he had created on his hurdling debut at Cheltenham last month.
No Drama This End, sent off the 4/9 favourite after winning the Grade 2 Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham, crossed the line five lengths clear of The Blue Room who ran on into a never-threatening second.
It briefly looked as if No Drama This End would have to work to land the odds as he was coaxed along by Harry Cobden on the turn for home, but that little encouragement was as much as he required and he readily asserted his superiority after jumping to the front at the second last.
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No Drama This End was trimmed to a top price of 7/1 (from 12/1) for the Turners Novices' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival and now heads that market.
Trainer Paul Nicholls said to Racing TV: "We're obviously very excited about him. We were at Cheltenham and were before then. There was a bit of pressure on me this week making the decision to go [for this race] having decided we might go straight for the Challow. But this is a good race we have won with some good horses and it was worth running in. He sauntered around and did that very nicely."
On future plans, he added: "The Challow has been on the agenda, but it's not the be all and end all. If he's right and we're happy we could run, but if we don't go to the Challow it's not all the world. Cheltenham would be a nice aim if the ground was right and we could always slot in somewhere in between. But if he ran in the Challow he'd go straight to Cheltenham. We'll just see how he is for the next three weeks."
Nicholls has won the Challow on six occasions, including with the mighty Denman, who won the rescheduled 2005/06 edition by 21 lengths at Cheltenham.
Nicholls had drawn some comparisons between No Drama This End and Denman after the five-year-old's impressive performance at Cheltenham. He said: "If I have another Denman, perhaps it's him. He's very similar - he stays, he'll jump and make a great staying chaser."
Exciting times for connections
Denman won the 2008 Cheltenham Gold Cup carrying the silks of Nicholls' landlord and long-time supporter Paul Barber, who died in 2023. Barber's son Giles is part-owner of No Drama This End and said: "The association with Paul [Nicholls] needs no talking about. It's been an amazing experience to have Paul in our village, living and training with us for that length of time.
"My father would have just loved this horse, and that's what I get most pleasure from. I would love for him to be here to see this. He really is the sort of horse my father would have loved. I'm enjoying it and loving the ride. I probably know least about horses in the Barber family but I'm enjoying it the most!"
Barber also spoke of how much he's enjoying owning the horse in partnership with Max McNeill, who has had notable success in the past with the likes of Walkon and Grumeti, both Grade 1-winning hurdlers. McNeill said: "I don't think I've been as nervous as that on a racecourse for a very long time.
"It's great to have one with the Barbers and every other year he'll run in their colours and, to be honest, I'm as happy to be running in those famous colours as our own. It's great to be involved in a horse like this and it's exciting. I've had some good horses but, really, I don't think I've had one as exciting as this.
"Someone said to me you've got to let these horses do the talking on the track, but it's difficult when you get asked about it all the time. Anyway, today he did the talking on the track."
Timeform reaction - David Cleary
No Drama This End followed up his victory in the Grade 2 Hyde Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham with an equally impressive success in the Betfair Winter Novices' Hurdle at Sandown. He was the first runner to complete that double since On The Blind Side in 2017.
The field of five was well grouped early in the straight, but No Drama This End was eased to the front soon after the second-last, quickly establishing his authority. In command at the last, he eased five lengths clear without his rider doing much at all. No Drama This End's performance under a penalty rates as one of the best in the race in the last decade, though such was his ease of victory that there must surely be a lot more to come – he retains a large 'P' attached to his improved rating with Timeform.
No Drama This End hadn't been expected to take in this race, with the Challow cited as the target after his win last time – the Challow is very much his trainer's race, often the target for Nicholls' best novice hurdler. Whether he still goes to Newbury reportedly depends on how he comes out of this, with Cheltenham in March the ultimate goal.
No Drama This End has done well physically since last season and was the pick of a good five-runner field on looks. Both his wins have come on testing ground, so it remains to be seen how he will cope away from the mud.
Salver saunters clear
Salver was introduced to the betting for the Brown Advisory Novices' Chase at a top price of 33/1 with Sky Bet and Paddy Power after winning the Grade 2 Betfair Esher Novices' Chase by 12 lengths.
Salver had been no match for last season's Triumph Hurdle runner-up Lulamba when third on his chasing debut over a trip shy of two and a quarter miles at Exeter last month. However, upped markedly in trip and tackling three miles for the first time in his career, Salver ran out an emphatic winner at Sandown, justifying the support that saw him sent off the 6/4 favourite.
His victory provided doubles on the card for rider Caoilin Quinn and trainers Gary and Josh Moore following Macktoad's success in the opening juvenile hurdle.
Salver was followed home by the front-running Doyen Quest, the 4/1 outsider of the four-runner field.
Gary Moore said: "I didn't think he'd stay. Fair play to Keith the owner, he wanted to try it, and I thought if he stays around here he'd stay around anywhere.
"That's why we rode him like we did and dropped him out the back and took our time. The horse in front was getting an easy lead and jumping better than we were on the first circuit, but he surprised me with how he jumped on the second circuit.
"Caoilin has got off and said he stays all day."
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