Richard Johnson leapt to the defence of Racing Post Chase winner Gloria Victis yesterday. The jockey poured scorn on claims that the gelding will not handle the track or the longer trip in next month's Tote Cheltenham Gold Cup, for which he is 6 to 1 co-second favourite with the sponsors.

And he admitted he would be keen to take the ride again, having deputised for Martin Pipe's suspended first-choice jockey Tony McCoy when Gloria Victis romped to a 10-length victory under top-weight at Kempton last Saturday.

Asked whether the six-year-old will handle the left-handed Cheltenham track, Johnson said: "I can't see why not. He jumped slightly right-handed but on the whole very, very straight."

And he does not believe that lack of stamina will be the gelding's downfall. "I think he'll definitely get the trip," Johnson told the `Pipeline' telephone service.

Gloria Victis still has 11lb to find on See More Business according to the official handicapper.

The six-year-old turned in a career-best performance to take the Racing Post Chase off topweight on Saturday and leapt to prominence in ante-post lists for the Gold Cup.

But British Horseracing Board assessor Phil Smith revealed yesterday that he had raised the handicap mark of Gloria Victis by 15lb to 166 after his success, still short of the 177 on which Gold Cup favourite See More Business stands.

"A wide-margin winner is always difficult to assess," he said. "Some might wonder why Go Ballistic is on 167 but he has done it in good company while Gloria Victis has yet to."

Smith also revealed that The Last Fling, has been raised 12lb to 158 after his success in Haydock's De Vere Gold Cup.

Tony Dobbin was in sparkling form at Catterick yesterday when he landed a 2,969,to 1 four-timer. He took the opening Go Racing 7 Days A Week With The Racing Channel Digital Service Mares' Novices' Handicap Hurdle on Cosmic Case (9 to 1) having given Jim Goldie's five-year-old a very enterprising ride, the combination coming home four lengths clear of Leading Note.

Dobbin and Latalomne (8 to 1) upset the odds-on Turgeonev 30 minutes later in the Racing Channel 0990 215 215 Novices' Hurdle and the Ulsterman took his tally for the afternoon to three when 10 to 1 chance Mulligan's Boy put up a fine display of jumping. His fourth victory came in the Switch To Sky Digital Now Handicap Chase when he kept Minster Glory going to deny top weight Amlwch by three-quarters of a length. The successes put Dobbin on the 54-winner mark.