Siberian Highness scored by 11 lengths from Dark Parade, prompting trainer Alan King to outline his Cheltenham Festival hopes.

He said: “Before she won first time at Warwick her work was unbelievable but then she was beaten at Folkestone when some of my horses were not quite right.

“Just recently she hasn’t sparkled quite as much as she did before.

“I hope she’s good enough to run in the Supreme and I will certainly enter her – the main thing is that we are back on track for the Festival.”

Princelet looked a horse to follow when initiating a double for Nicky Henderson in the first division of the race.

Owned by JP McManus, the 13-8 favourite earned a 33-1 quote from William Hill for the JCB Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham as he smoothly landed the spoils under Tony McCoy with a length and a half to spare from Traprain.

“Mick Fitzgerald has done all the work on Princelet at home but AP (McCoy) came over to school him on Tuesday,” explained Henderson’s assistant Charlie Longsdon.

“Tony was very pleased with his jumping and said he never lost any ground in the air.

“He is still unfurnished and is a horse for the future.”

Henderson, who is on holiday, struck again when Au Courant (11-2) took the EBF National Hunt Novices’ Hurdle in the hands of Fitzgerald.

With warm favourite Hot ‘N’ Holy unable to handle the track, Au Courant and Fitzgerald overpowered Barton Legend at the final flight before going on to score by a length and a quarter.

Longsdon added: “This fellow is a big baby and the course today was as sharp as he would want it.

“Jumping would be the name of his game. It was only the second race of his life and he was very green.”

Nippy Des Mottes gained a second success at Taunton in as many meetings when landing the Carlsberg UK Challenge Trophy Handicap Hurdle for Paul Nicholls.

Liam Heard played a waiting game on the 6-4 favourite before quickly asserting his authority to score by five lengths from Goldbrook.

Nicholls praised Heard’s riding and said: “When he hits the front he does tend to idle and I told Liam to hang onto him a bit longer than he did last time.”

The Henderson stable also had high hopes of taking the EBF/Doncaster Blood Stock Sales Mares’ Only Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race with Karello Bay.

The five-year-old looked to be going easily turning for home but Philip Hide was oozing confidence on Rhacophorus (8-1), who showed a nice turn of foot to quickly settle the issue.

Sonevafushi put in a polished display of jumping in the Get The Price At gg-odds.com Handicap Chase while Wizard of Edge took advantage of the final-fence departure of Priscilla to land the Taunton Racecourse Seminar Centre Novices’ Handicap Chase.