Sarando, from Paul Webber’s Mollington yard, near Banbury, gave a new syndicate their first winner at Lingfield on Monday – and sparked Cheltenham Festival dreams.

The five-year-old romped home by 13 lengths from Riff in a novices’ hurdle over an extended two miles and three furlongs under Liam Treadwell to the delight of West Sussex-based partnership Eight Men & A Hoss.

The victory came on the back of a narrow defeat to Alan King’s well-regarded Salden Licht at Plumpton last month.

And Nicholas Sercombe, who put the syndicate together, said: “The run at Plumpton was a great surprise and he has made a lot of improvement.

“Liam Treadwell felt he would get a bit further. He may well end up somewhere in March, probably the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys race.

“It's our first ever horse, so not a bad start.”