AR Mest improved his chances of contesting the Betfair Hurdle for race specialist Gary Moore with a win at Newbury last Wednesday.

The success earned him a 5lb penalty for next month’s running of Britain’s richest handicap hurdle, but his second win of the campaign in the EBM Handicap Hurdle lifts him from the bottom of the weights for the £155,000 contest to 9st 13lb, with the penalty applied, which could put him on the fringe of making the cut.

Moore, who trains near Horsham in Sussex, has won the Betfair Hurdle three times (Violet Dancer 2015, Wingman 2008 and Heathcote 2007) and Ar Mest is one of four horses entered in the February 9 race, part of Betfair Super Saturday.

Sussex Ranger, Distingo and Not Never are his other entries.

“Ar Mest gets a 5lb penalty for that and whether that’s good enough to get in I don’t know,” said Moore.

“I would probably give it a shot. He would be a definite one if he gets in and Sussex Ranger would be a definite one too.

"After that I wouldn’t be certain. Not Never is due to go to Ireland. I love winning any race and the Betfair Hurdle is worth £155,000 so I would love to win that. I’ve won it with horses of the same ability.”

On a low-key card, Colin Tizzard took the day’s two feature prizes, The Russian Doyen winning the Freixenet Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase and Mister Malarky the Mionetto Prosecco Handicap Chase, both ridden by Harry Cobden.