HENRY DALY didn't rule out a crack at the Cheltenham Gold Cup next March with classy Behrajan following his runaway success in the valuable Rowland Meyrick Chase at Wetherby yesterday.

Despite conceding over a stone in weight to the entire field, Behrajan was simply awesome as he powered clear in the home straight.

And it was all the more astonishing because jockey Mark Bradburne had the giant six-year-old on a tight rein throughout the £30,000 contest.

"We'll have to see what the handicapper does now, I thought he'd win, but not as easily as that," said Daly.

Tim Easterby has wasted no time in getting to work with his latest recruit, Turgeonev, the gutsy winner of the Grade 2 Castleford Chase.

Formerly in the hands of the now retired Micky Hammond, Turgeonev made it two out of three for Easterby, grinding down the front running Minster Glory inside the final 100 yards of the two mile contest.

"We've got the Victor Chandler Chase at Ascot in mind for Turgeonev, it's a big step up but he's a very decent horse," commented Easterby following Turgeonev's last gasp half-length victory.

Barton had earlier initiated a double for Tim's stable when he cruised to a facile win in the George Gregory Novices' Chase.

Jockey Tony Dobbin tried to restrain Barton, however, the strapping chestnut was having none of it and jumped his way to the front at the fourth fence.

From there on it was just a case of putting in a clear round, which Barton did with ruthless efficiency. Long distance Somerset raider Paul Nicholls was out of luck with the well-fancied Murt's Man in the Rowland Meyrick, although his debutant Rigmarole went some way to repairing the damage by blitzing his opponents in the Rocom Juvenile Novices' Hurdle.