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Oscar Elite's odds for next month's Ultima Handicap Chase have been halved to 8/1 after cruising to a comfortable win in the Bateaux London Reynoldstown Novices’ Chase at Ascot on Saturday.

Having failed to win over fences before Saturday, Oscar Elite brought plenty of experience to the table as a second-season novice but he looked up against it when sent off at 6/1 in a three-runner affair.

However, proving once again that he reserves his best form for the spring, the eight-year-old put in some big leaps on the way round for Harry Cobden, who can do little wrong at present, and he was too strong in the straight for the odds-on favourite Bold Endeavour, winning by seven and a half lengths to give trainer Joe Tizzard his first Graded race winner in his own name.

After being placed in the Albert Bartlett at Cheltenham in his days over hurdles, he also went close at the big meeting last year in the Ultima Handicap Chase as a novice, and now he will be lining up for another tilt on the opening day of the Festival .

"There's no doubt he comes better in the spring. We fancied him going into the Coral Gold Cup but it all happened too quickly for him and they got him at it. On his day he's got an engine," said Tizzard.

"I saw this was going to cut-up and thought it would give him a confidence-booster if nothing else. He was able to get in a lovely rhythm and the further he went, the more he enjoyed it.

"He looked like he was going to win the Ultima jumping the last and then he had a trapped epiglottis at Aintree. You can kind of forgive him getting his confidence back. He'll go back to the Ultima now and then there's the novice options at Aintree.

"He had some stiff tasks last year, we threw him in at the deep end on a number of occasions. In the future he could be a National horse."