Marie's Rock won the Relkeel Hurdle at Cheltenham for Henderson and de Boinville

Sent off at 11/2 on her first run for eight months, she picked up strongly after jumping the last to win a well-contested renewal of the Grade Two despite being burdened with a 6lb penalty.

Successful in Grade Ones at the spring festivals at Cheltenham and Punchestown, Marie's Rock is hitting the heights that connections dreamed of before injury curtailed her novice season and they will now have more big targets in their sights.

Always a strong traveller, she was hard on the bit for most of the two and a half miles whereas, one by one, push came to shove for her rivals as the front-running Dashel Drasher kept pouring it on.

A slight miss-step at the last was a sign that Dashel Drasher's petrol gauge was beginning to empty and Marie's Rock swept past under Nico de Boinville, quickening stylishly to win by six lengths.

Dashel Drasher denied Nicky Henderson a one-two, holding onto the runner-up's berth by a head from First Street.

Sky Bet and Betfair cut Marie's Rock to 4/1 for the Mares' Hurdle back at Cheltenham in March while the latter firm left her unchanged at 16/1 for the Stayers' Hurdle.

"I was a bit worried about the ground," de Boinville told Racing TV.

"But there's no one better than the boss. That was an absolutely cracking performance to get her ready first time up.

"I thought it was an open race on paper but she's seen it out and loves this hill. I was just amazed at how she went through that horrible stuff down the inside but she's a proper Grade One mare."

Henderson was enjoying a record-equalling fourth Relkeel Hurdle success following Zaynar (2009) and Oscar Whisky (2011, 2012); he said: “It was remarkable to be honest with you.

"I was trying to train her earlier on in the year and I couldn’t see anywhere to go. She wants two and a half as that is the perfect trip for her but there wasn’t a race anywhere.

“Tom Palin (National Hunt Manager at Middleham Park Racing) said I can’t find a race until the Relkeel. I was trying to train her early on in the year and she was not showing me anything which is what she did two seasons ago when she took a season out. I said Tom that suits me I will stop and start again then all of a sudden her work was completely different again.

“She will go for the Mares. I suppose our original idea might have been to try her over three miles earlier on. There was a Listed race but I wasn’t happy with her. I wasn’t going to try as we would have failed and got the wrong reading. She tanked up there and I thought she would have taken a blow at the top of Cleeve Hill. It is great getting your ducks in order but you have got to them in the right order and they have to be swimming downstream at the same time.

“To be very fair to do that was pretty impressive. Nico sat there having a lovely time. She gets through this ground but it is not nice ground and that is nobody's fault. She scampers along she is not one of those great big long striding chasers that can’t get through it. She gets through it better than most. I can’t see any point in going anywhere before Cheltenham now.

“First Street has run a great race and probably didn’t get two and a half miles on that ground as he was going plenty well enough from the last but he probably couldn’t just quicken and he flattened out a bit. He wants to come back to two miles on better ground.”

Tom Palin (National Hunt Manager at Middleham Park Racing) said: “It is nice to get one on the board after last year when we had 125 winners.

“We were a bit worried coming into here with fitness as she had been off a while, not through any injury, as this is where we wanted to start her. With the way it was riding out there we thought she might find it hard work late on but shows what we know.

“To be fair to Nicky he has been saying she has been working as well as ever if not better. I think we have just shown what she has been working like at home. She is probably at her very best at the moment.

“We know she likes it around Cheltenham and that is where we will see her next. The Mares’ Hurdle has always been the plan.

"There was a little bit mentioned by her trainer about going up to three miles and I’m not going to rule that out as she hit the line hard there on soft ground and she is bred to get three miles but there has only been in one dual winner of the Mares’ Hurdle in Quevega and I’m not saying we are anywhere near her but it would be nice to be the only other dual winner.

"She has a crown so let’s try and defend it.”

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