Every aspiring trainer needs a horse able to catapult them into the public consciousness and Alan Fleming appears to have found just that in his dashing Kempton winner Starluck.
Fleming struggled to establish himself in Ireland and decided this season to take over at Andrew Wates' stables, which once housed Grand National winner Rough Quest.
Starluck (4-5 favourite) was bought from Kevin Prendergast and provided Fleming with a win from his first runner at Huntingdon.
He then followed up at Fakenham before this effort in the stanjamesuk.com Juvenile Novices' Hurdle.
Timmy Murphy was at his subtle best, coaxing him home 11 lengths clear from a wide position.
Starluck is now Ladbrokes' 6-1 joint-favourite with Zaynar for the JCB Triumph Hurdle.
Fleming said: ‘He's still learning and as we get into the spring, hopefully he'll come into his own.
‘He's not overly big, but he's got lots of scope.
‘I'll have to talk to the owner and Timmy, but we might well bring him back to Kempton on February 21 (Adonis Juvenile Novices' Hurdle).’
Starluck would be dwarfed by Original, who at 18 hands and two must be about the biggest horse in training.
Despite his position in the betting as a discounted 66-1 shot for the Stan James Wayward Lad Novices' Chase, the French-trained six-year-old had the pedigree for Kempton as a nephew of King George winner The Fellow.
He was finding it a little tough for the first half of the Grade Two event as 8-11 favourite Oumeyade made the pace.
But James Davies managed to get Original back into proceedings and was well clear by the final fence, which he leaped with aplomb.
He is trained in Coye-la-ForOt, close to Paris, by Marcel Rolland, who said: ‘His dam (Countess Fellow) is a full-sister to The Fellow, so that's why we came to England.
‘He came to stay in Lambourn with (trainer) Jean-Rene Auvray 12 days ago and will return to France now, but he might come back for Cheltenham.
‘We wanted to book a top jockey, but no-one wanted to ride him!
‘He needed time because he was so big, but although he has had problems, he has a lot of ability.’
Davies added: ‘He's a tall lad and he kind of hurdles through (the fences) rather than jumps them.
‘They went a right gallop and I picked them off as I wanted.
‘He should get a stiffer track and three miles in time - he's big enough for that.’
A cosmopolitan afternoon was completed by German raider Fieppes Shuffle winging his way around the Sunbury circuit in the Desert Orchid Chase.
Trainer Christian Von Der Recke reckons he has never seen a quicker two-miler but the 16-1 chance's most famous moment to date was when he fell at the first in the Tingle Creek Chase and caused an anxious moment or two to Master Minded.
Petit Robin was testing his own championship claims but after taking the lead at the last, Jamie Moore and Fieppes Shuffle fought back gallantly.
Twist Magic, the 13-8 favourite, was very disappointing.
Von Der Recke said: ‘He could only do better and this is a track that suits front-runners and, in a way, falling last time made him jump better as he wasn't as mad at his fences.’
Petit Robin's trainer Nicky Henderson still had a decent day with a double, kicked off by Fleet Street (12-1) stringing out his rivals in the stanjamesuk.com Handicap Chase.
The Racing Post Chase could now be on the agenda.
Ingratitude (5-1) later finished strongest in the stanjamesuk.com Handicap Hurdle.
They do not come much tougher than Suzy Smith's Aimigayle (4-1), who returned from a stint over fences to take the stanjamesuk.com Mares' Handicap Hurdle by a neck from Hora under Colin Bolger.
Murphy was signed off for the afternoon following a heavy fall from Magical Legend in the same race.
