Rubaud seals another big day out for Nicholls at Wincanton

RUBAUD was made to fight hard for a BetMGM Elite Hurdle hat-trick, as Paul Nicholls enjoyed a treble at Wincanton on Saturday.

- PRESS ASSOCIATION

> Harry Cobden riding Rubaud (purple) on their way to winning The BetMGM Elite Hurdle at Wincanton on Saturday

(Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images)

The Ditcheat handler, right, has won the Grade Two contest a record 11 times and although the likes of Azertyuiop (2011), Celestial Halo (2009 and 2011) and Zarkandar (2012) have all claimed this prize, dual-purpose star Rubaud has made it his own in recent years.

Although not at his very best, his class came to the fore as the 1-8 favourite answered every call from Harry Cobden to register a length success over James Owen's likeable Hamlet's Night.

Nicholls said: “He had a very hard race the other day at Kempton, and he knew he had a race, it took a while for him to get over it.

“T could tell in the paddock that he didn’t look great in his coat, and he has been a bit flat this week. We have had to do the best we could to get him right.