Hook Norton permit trainer Andy Martin is eyeing a trip to the Cheltenham Festival with Towcester winner Sunny Ledgend.

The seven-year-old duelled for the lead with Dj Milan in the second division of Sunday’s two-mile novices’ hurdle, before being left well clear when that rival crashed out at the third last.

Amateur jockey Sam Drinkwater then kept the well-backed 5-4 favourite up to his work to slam Clarion Call by 11 lengths, before returning to the biggest cheer of the day.

Now Martin is planning to run the gelding – who is home-bred out of his mare Swordella – in the Neptune Investment Management Novices’ Hurdle at the Festival on Wednesday, March 14.

He said: “It’s wonderful to have a winner at a track like this being a small permit trainer.

“It’s one of the happiest days of my life apart from when my sons were born.

“I always thought he was useful. He has a very high cruising speed.

“Today was a telling day for us. If we hadn’t won we wouldn’t even have thought about Cheltenham.”