Bula next target for Action

Large Action, looking almost grateful to be back over hurdles after an unpleasant attempt at fencing, skipped back on to the Champion Hurdle trail with an all-the-way win in the Ascot Hurdle yesterday.

After the seven-year-old had beaten Atours by one and a half lengths, with Morley Street 12 lengths back in third, his trainer, Oliver Sherwood, confirmed that Large Action's next target would be the Bula Hurdle at Cheltenham on 9 December.

"If any horse deserves to win the Champion, he does," Sherwood said. "Remember, he was third in it before being runner-up this year. He is a credit to himself.

"We had to do the donkey work today and it was all against him, but he came through with colours flying. Unless something new that we know nothing about comes out of the woodwork before the Champion, he must have a great chance of it being third time lucky."

Coral make Large Action 5-1 for the Champion, with the sidelined Alderbrook the 9-2 favourite.

David Elsworth, who was pleased with Atours, said: "Wherever Large Action goes, we go, so it is the Bula for us too." The veteran Morley Street ran well to be third after Oh So Risky had fallen at the second last, and his trainer, Toby Balding, said: "The old boy is as keen as ever and will go for the Sandeman Hurdle at Aintree, which he has won four times."

n Yesterday's card at Sedgefield was snowed off.