Super sub Sir Gino breezed to an eight-length supremacy in Newcastle’s £115,000 BetMGM Fighting Fifth Hurdle.
The Grade One on northeastern territory had been the long-term starting point for Britain’s best horse Constitution Hill.
But a last-minute issue forced trainer Nicky Henderson back to the drawing board with his 2023 champion hurdler.
The problem surfaced after Sir Gino finished in front of his stablemate in a highly-anticipated Newbury workout.
And the unbeaten top flight-winning juvenile was the obvious candidate to make a 550-mile round trip from Lambourn count.
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Given the green light by Henderson, Sir Gino set out as the 6-5 joint favourite with Willie Mullins ‘ raider Mystical Power.
However his main market rival was toiling when he skipped over the third last obstacle with Nico de Boinville looking confident.
The pair powered past Lump Sum and Kihavah with ease to earn a 5-1 Champion Hurdle quote from William Hill.
“The first reaction is relief,” said Henderson, who completed a 131-1 across-the-card treble with Impose Toi and Wiseguy.
“We seriously think Sir Gino is special. The idea was to have gone chasing and if you see him jump a fence he is absolutely breathtaking.
“It throws the conundrum at us about what to do next. It is a nice position to be in and a good headache to have.”
At Newbury, Kandoo Kid quashed pre-race Coral Gold Cup stamina doubts for Denman’s trainer Paul Nicholls.
Fifteen years on from the chasing legend’s heroic 2009 weight-carrying performance, the 8-1 chance delivered for Ditcheat.
Harry Cobden’s mount fended off rallying 4-1 favourite Broadway Boy and Victtorino, who came from way off the pace to snatch third.
French-trained chaser General En Chef had emerged as a danger, but his challenge quickly petered out as Kandoo Kid found more.
“This horse has improved tremendously and the boss has trained him beautifully,” Cobden said.
“I was always happy. He has really relished the longer distance.”
