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Marie’s Rock will head to Cheltenham for the Grade 1 Mares’ Hurdle following her success in the SBK Warfield Mares’ Hurdle at Doncaster on Sunday.
Trained by Nicky Henderson, the mare took a keen hold in the early stages under Sean Bowen but settled to her task once hitting the front at the last flight, scoring a one-and-a-half length success over You Wear It Well.
"We were delighted she was able to get her head back in front there, we don't necessarily see her as an out-and-out three-miler and that's probably not her championship distance," said Tom Palin, racing manager for Middleham Park Racing.
"We will keep her to the mares' races, but she's not ineffective at these sorts of distances and against the opposition today she was able to take advantage of that in what looked a good opportunity to get her head back in front.
"She has been running some very creditable races in defeat, she's a tough, game mare. She carries her head a bit awkwardly, a bit in the 'Marie's Rock style' but James said when You Wear It Well came to her she wasn't going to lay down and she toughed it out.
"It takes a very good one to go past her, I thought the writing was on the wall with that performance behind Bob Olinger – he looked resurgent, the Bob Olinger of old, and I felt we lost nothing in defeat to him.
"I was delighted that she was able to confirm her place at the Cheltenham Festival, obviously life has got a little bit harder in the last 24 hours with Lossiemouth looking like the proverbial second coming!
"We've booked our ticket for the mares' race anyway and we'll head down that route."
Paddy Power shortened Marie's Rock from 9/1 to 8/1 for the Mares' Hurdle in March.