Stuart Edmunds saw his training career given a significant boost after Wolf Of Windlesham provided him with his biggest winner to date when coming out on top in the JCB Triumph Hurdle Trial at Cheltenham.
Although only rated 60 on the Flat the three-year-old seems to have turned a corner since having his attentions switched to hurdling as he made it two from two in the Grade Two event.
Moving with menace rounding the home turn, the 12-1 winner moved into a clear advantage approaching the last before being driven out to hold the late challenge of Coo Star Sivola by half a length.
Edmunds, who was securing a first Cheltenham winner, said: "He shows plenty at home, which is nice.
"I wanted to go to Ludlow with him on Thursday, but the owner wanted to come here. It was a bold move, but it's paid off.
"He coped with Cheltenham well and that's a bonus, and his jumping will improve when he gets more confident.
"It's amazing to have a winner here, and I'm over the moon. He seems to stay and he came up the hill well, but Joshua (Moore) said that in future he would hang on to him a bit longer."
Targets such as the Hennessy and the Welsh National are now under consideration for Sausalito Sunrise after he got his career back on track in the Murphy Group Handicap Chase.
After pulling up on his seasonal return at Chepstow 35 days ago, the seven-year-old returned to winning ways with a hard-fought 7-1 success in the Grade Three event in the hands of Richard Johnson.
Barry Geraghty looked to have delivered joint-favourite Upswing with a perfectly-timed run, but despite throwing everything he had at the seven-year-old it was not enough to get by the Philip Hobbs-trained runner, with a length and a quarter between the pair at the line.
Hobbs said: "I don't what happened at Chepstow, it looked like he was going OK and then he stopped suddenly and there was no real reason why he did afterwards. He might have knocked a hind leg, as he started hanging left.
"Before Chepstow, we thought he was a Hennessy prospect and it is an option, but we'll see how he comes out of it.
"He's a very tough horse. I don't think he wants very soft ground, but he seemed to cope with it out there today. The Welsh National would be the other race near the top of the agenda."
Copper Kay put her rivals to the sword in convincing fashion when providing Hobbs and Johnson with their second winner of the afternoon in the concluding Jockey Club Venues Mares' Standard Open National Hunt Flat.
Having effortlessly cruised into contention, the well-supported 15-8 favourite drew right away from her rivals when shaken up, crossing the line 15 lengths clear of her nearest pursuer to make it three wins from four starts.
A return to track in March for a tilt at the National Hunt Chase could be the long-term aim for Vicente (16-1) after he claimed a gallant success in the mallardjewellers.com Novices' Chase.
Although several errors cost him any chance of victory at the track last time out when bidding for a hat-trick, the Paul Nicholls-trained six-year-old put things right when upstaging odds-on favourite Un Temps Pour Tout by two and three-quarter lengths in the three-mile prize.
Nicholls said: "Obviously he has improved a lot. It was the best I've seen him today when I saddled him. That was a proper performance giving 8lb to the favourite. He has always threatened to be a nice horse and he has took a long time to come into himself.
"He might be one for the four-miler (at the Festival) as he stays forever and we have Will Biddick in the team. On that run it puts him right among the best of them on weights."
Sean Bowen teamed up with his dad Peter to good effect when galvanising Rons Dream (14-1) to glory in the Listed Regulatory Finance Solutions Handicap Hurdle, while the Charles Byrnes-trained Leave At Dawn (7-2) won the Martin & Co Jewellers Intermediate Handicap Hurdle in the manner of horse with plenty more to come.
