SANMARTINO took his unbeaten record to two over timber at Leicester yesterday - but left a question mark over his Champion Hurdle credentials.
William Hill left his price unchanged at 10 to 1 but Ladbrokes. pushed him out to 16 to 1 (from 8s) and Coral to 12 to 1 (from 8s).
The 1995 Ebor hero, a highly-impressive scorer on his jumping debut at Kempton on St Stephen's Day, was pitted against the 1994 St Leger winner Moonax in the Croxton Park Novices' Hurdle.
The exciting clash in the final event on the seven-race card ensured that virtually no one left for home early. But it did not turn out to be the straight fight anticipated between the two principals.
Sanmartino (8 to 15) swept to the front at the last but had to be kept up to his work by Adrian Maguire to hold High In The Clouds by one and a half lengths. Moonax was a further four lengths away in third.
Winnings' trainer David Nicholson was represented by his assistant Alan King who declared: "I am delighted with that run and he'll certainly have one and possibly two more runs before Cheltenham."
"We came here instead of the Rossington Main Hurdle at Doncaster on Friday and look what we ended up taking on. But the great thing about Sanmartino is that he's really loving this game.
"In fact Adrian told me that if he's wanted he could have won on the `steel' He said he could, have hung onto him even longer."
Maguire said: "He was very good at the last when I was a bit tight on it, Sanmartino pricked his ears and quickened up well. It rode like a very good race."
Tim Forster, who supplied the 20 to 1 runner-up, said: "I think High In The Clouds is a really nice horse, but when I saw what he was taking on here I was horrified. I thought he'd run very well, but this is above my expectations."
High In the Clouds came to Forster from Tommy Stack, where he had some decent Flat form.
Forster said: "I think we'll be looking back at this race later in the season as a very hot contest. You wouldn't get three horses like this in a £25,000 hurdle at Sandown. This is one of the best novice races I have seen for a long long time."
