1 Melodic Rendezvous 7/4
2 Ptit Zig EvensF
3 Jumps Road 28/1
6 ran Distances: 4½l, 11l, nse
TIME 3m 56.40s

Melodic Rendezvous got his season back on track with a game success in the stanjames.com Champion Hurdle Trial at Haydock Park.

Melodic Rendezvous
© Racehorse Photos

Jeremy Scott's stable star was found to have torn a muscle after finishing fifth in the Fighting Fifth at Newcastle and returned to his best by capturing the scalp of the smart Ptit Zig.

Act Of Kalanisi took them along until unshipping Tony McCoy at the fourth-last, leaving Ptit Zig in front. Daryl Jacob was never totally happy on the even-money favourite and was collared at the final flight by Melodic Rendezvous (7-4), who pulled four and a half lengths clear on the run-in.

Winning jockey Nick Scholfield said: "He felt a better horse today than he did at Newcastle, so it's happy days. Jeremy was confident today so I'm glad it came off. If it came up soft (in the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham) I'll be a happy man.

Scott added: "We really needed that. We've had a very anxious six weeks and it's lovely he's back to somewhere where we thought we should be. We found after Newcastle he had a torn muscle in his quarters. It took time and patience and physio and he's back to where he should be now.

"We actually thought he wanted quite good ground, but he's proved he loves soft ground and it's an edge he has over a lot of other horses who perhaps don't cope with it quite as well.

"The Champion Hurdle looks very competitive. Whether we are good enough to trouble the leading contenders I don't know, but it's an option. The plan originally was to have another run in the middle of February, but we'll see how he comes out of this and play it day by day."

Stanjames.com Champion Hurdle Trial
£75,000 added, 4yo plus, 2m, Class 1
6 ran
Going: Heavy