Arcalis took his first classy step towards championship honours with a highly-impressive victory in the Pertemps 'Fighting Fifth' Hurdle at Newcastle.

Heavy rain during the day turned the ground to soft, conditions which were generally regarded as unsuitable for Howard Johnson's grey, and connections left it until the 11th hour before letting the five-year-old take his chance in the Grade One feature.

But it all worked out well in the end as apart from a slight mistake three out, Tony Dobbin's mount jumped fluently and after hitting the front on the run to the penultimate flight, the 9-4 favourite quickened clear to score by five lengths from Royal Shakespeare (8-1).

The French Furze (33-1), running in the race for a sixth time, once again emerged with great credit to finish a further short head back in third.

Totesport and bet365 were clearly impressed and reacted by cutting the Graham Wylie-owned Arcalis' odds for the Smurfit Champion Hurdle to 7-1 and 9-1 respectively.

''Howard said 'I need to ask him a question' and he's answered the question,'' the trainer's wife Sue Johnson said.

''It was only an hour and a half before the race that we made the decision to run him but to be fair we worked him with some horses the other day and he did work well enough in the ground.

''It was a big task today for him but this is a race Howard has always wanted to win and this will be very close to his heart.''

Speaking from his County Durham base, the handler added: ''I've planned his campaign very carefully.

''He will only have one or two races before the Champion Hurdle - you've got to go for the Champion Hurdle now. Perhaps the Christmas Hurdle and perhaps another one but no more than two races.

''I was worried about the ground but he's coped with it well like a good horse should.''

Dobbin, who took the ride with stable jockey Graham Lee on duty at Newbury, said he was ''really impressed'' with Arcalis.

He went on: ''We were worried about the ground for this fellow, but he's shown - like at Cheltenham last season - he's got a very quick turn of speed.

''He's a very high-class horse and travelled really well, quickened up and pricked his ears over the last. He's very good.

''The ground was a concern but the trainer felt that if he is going to win a Champion Hurdle he's going to have to win a race like this on heavy ground, but he is a better horse on good ground.

''He really impressed me. I like him.''

Asked about his Champion Hurdle claims, the rider added: ''Hardy Eustace is there to be beaten. He's a very good champion but this fellow will be snapping at his heels.''

Royal Shakespeare's run was enough to take him to the top of the British Horseracing Board's Order of Merit table on 41 points, six clear of Monkerhostin.

His trainer Steve Gollings said: ''We agonised over whether to run him or not after they had 14 millimetres of rain.

''That's why we went wide to get the better ground and if we hadn't have done that I think he would have been third. He is a different horse on good ground.

''We will be looking at races like the Bula and the Christmas Hurdle for him.''

Nicky Richards was thrilled with The French Furze's effort in the prestigious contest.

He said: ''He's been second three times, won it once and now he's been third. There aren't many horses with a better record than that in the race.

''He's the gamest old horse and you couldn't say enough about him and now he's mixed it with three or four generations of Champion Hurdle horses.''

Intersky Falcon, who won the race in 2002, was pulled up by Noel Fehily, who reported the gelding's breathing problem had resurfaced.

Last Saturday's Haydock winner Admiral finished tailed off last of the eight finishers and afterwards his jockey, Paul O'Neill, said he felt the race came too soon for the four-year-old.

end DIRECT BOUNCES BACK IN REHEARSAL

By Robert Pratt, PA Sport

Direct Access gained handsome compensation for a first-fence fall at Aintree with a convincing victory in the Pagebet Rehearsal Chase at Newcastle.

Trainer Nicky Richards had been targeting last weekend's totesport Becher Chase for some time with the 10-year-old in the hope the horse would get valuable practice over the Grand National fences.

But clearly none the worse for the mishap, the 8-1 shot put in a foot-perfect round of jumping in the hands of Brian Harding to beat Risk Accessor by six lengths.

Afterwards bet365 gave Direct Access a quote of 25-1 for the John Smith's Grand National next April and his campaign will now be geared towards the Aintree showpiece.

Richards said: ''We thought he would nearly win the Becher last week - I really fancied him - and he tipped up at the first. So we didn't get any idea if he enjoyed it there or not.

''We schooled him earlier in the week and the experience hadn't frightened the life out of him and he's come here and jumped from fence to fence.

''I always thought he could be a National horse I just hope Mr Smith (handicapper) puts him up enough to get in.

''He'd probably appreciate a bit better ground, especially over four and a half miles.

''He'll have a light campaign because he doesn't take a lot of racing but we might come back here for the Eider.''

David O'Meara is riding better than ever this season and to prove the point he booted home a 91/2-1 double on King Killone (5-2) and Oso Magic (2-1 favourite).

He had to be at his strongest to get King Killone home in a nail-biting finish to the Miller Homes Novices' Chase.

Harry Hogarth's charge would have finished a good second to the useful Julius Caesar at Market Rasen last time but for falling at the final fence.

There were no such errors this time, which is more than can be said for his main rival Wild Cane Ridge.

The latter was sent off the 8-13 favourite and he looked to have blundered his chance away at the eighth fence from home.

O'Meara took advantage of the situation by kicking King Killone into a clear lead but the race was far from over as Wild Cane Ridge rallied in the straight and Tony Dobbin conjured a late surge from the market leader.

However, in the end it was to no avail as the grey went down fighting by a short head.

''The other horse was staying on again and it was close,'' said a relieved Hogarth.

''He just slipped on landing at Market Rasen and he came out of that race well so we came here.

''He's a big, ungainly lad and he'll come on again for that. When he fills his frame he'll be a proper horse. We'll just take it steady away with him.''

O'Meara's victory on Oso Magic in the Intersky Handicap Chase was gained in contrasting fashion as he steered Sue Smith's progressive gelding to a 25-length verdict over Posh Stick.

Mrs Smith, who was also on the mark with Town Crier at Newbury, said: ''I didn't quite know how he'd handle this ground because it has gone a bit softer than I thought.

''He's a huge horse and it's taken quite a time to get him here but he's definitely improving and I'd hope he'd get three miles eventually.''

Brian Hughes is another jockey who could soon be making a name for himself after he gave Renada (4-1) a very polished ride to take the Freeclaim IDC Juvenile Novices' Hurdle.

It was the conditional's first winner over jumps.

He joined Howard Johnson's powerful yard in October and fittingly it was his boss who gave him the ride on the Graham Wylie-owned filly.

''That's my first over hurdles and it was great,'' said Hughes, 20.

''I had 19 winners on the Flat in Ireland when I was with Kevin Prendergast and this was my ninth ride for Mr Johnson.''

It was the start of a highly-successful day for Johnson and Wylie who also took the feature Pertemps 'Fighting Fifth' Hurdle with Arcalis and Newbury's Ballymore Properties Long Distance Hurdle with Inglis Drever.

Almire Du Lia bounced back to form to come out on top in a good finish to the Gosforth Decorating And Building Services Handicap Chase.

Sue Bradburne's 25-1 chance looked to have it all to do when Moscow Leader went on leaving the back straight and soon established a clear advantage in the three-mile test.

But the leader jumped the last two fences slowly to hand the initiative to Almire Du Lia who despite hanging right on the run-in, held on by a head under Wilson Renwick.

Another odds-on chance got turned over in a tight finish when 8-15 chance Ungaro was beaten a short head by the Noel Fehily-ridden Youlbesolucky in the EBF Pagebet ''National Hunt'' Novices' Hurdle.

end