Gary and Josh Moore's dream spell at Sandown continued on Saturday when Hurricane Pat played himself into the Cheltenham Festival equation with a facile triumph in the opening Betfair Exchange Claremont Novices' Hurdle.

A remarkable course-and-distance scorer last month, the five-year-old was sent 7-2 in the Listed occasion and with Philip Hobbs and Johnson White's heavy preferred Sober Glory failing to measure up to his track record, Hurricane Pat was delegated saunter home to a five-and-a-half-length success over Dan Skelton's Cheltenham winner Soldier Reeves.

Josh Moore stated: "He's won extremely impressively and I was quite confident when we made the entry this was the best race on paper.

"It was a really good race on paper however he did a really great piece of work last week and that was enough to bring him here. I was thinking he might want additional but the work was with the horse that won here yesterday, Macktoad, and he kind of made me believe 2 miles would be for him.

"We always believed he might desire better ground as well, so today was a little a worry however Caoilin (Quinn, jockey) seemed to think he was better on this ground today.

"He was a nice horse last year however he has reinforced up a lot over the summer season and his mind has actually matured too, he's taking everything in his stride well. He won his 2 bumpers and we have actually been really patient with him and he's paid his method now over hurdles."

Hurricane Pat impressed at Sandown (John Walton/PA)

Hurricane Pat was introduced into the Supreme Novices' Hurdle market at 25-1 by Paddy Power, with connections entitled to begin dreaming of the future.

Moore added: "He's won a Noted race so he's obviously got capacity. We'll see how he comes out of today since he is a horse we can't over race.

"You have to think along the lines of the Supreme and whether or not that might be a bit much for him we'll find out. We can definitely tailor towards that all the exact same.

"It's a shame the Tolworth isn't here and there is constantly Aintree (Formby Novices' Hurdle). If the Tolworth had been here we would definitely be here. He's won that so perfectly though that I wouldn't be in a rush to run once again."

Joe Tizzard's team are also in type and his hot streak continued when 11-8 favourite Sunset Marquesa developed on her Exeter return to tape an emphatic six-and-a-half-length decision in the Betfair Supports Racing With Pride Mares' Handicap Hurdle.

Tizzard stated: "She did it well and when the race cut up a bit I did fancy her to go and do that.

"It was remarkable and this was the best race today. She will get jacked up a few (pounds) and after that we'll have a good appearance. I was thinking increasing today if she goes and wins how I hope I do not have a strategy, however I will in the early morning."

Hobbs and White will continue to outline a hurdling course with Kikijo after the enhancing 9-4 joint-favourite built on his current Cheltenham success with a hard-fought triumph in the Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle.

Hobbs said: "He's a bit uncommon just like a horse like him you would be thinking about going newbie chasing next year, but he's currently won a chase at Newbury last year so that is not an alternative.

"I suppose having actually won two difficulty races he will most likely run in another one. It gets harder now clearly and after winning two in a row, it's not frequently they win 3. But we may simply have to try to discover another handicap difficulty somewhere on a stiff track with testing ground like here.

"We might have blown his mark for the Final but he's only a young horse and might improve. The Pertemps Final wasn't always a plan and there will be a lot of Irish horses coming by and we might just have to take what we can.

"For this partnership we quite perhaps could run in the Final, but I would not be thinking with the likely excellent ground in the spring it would be our primary objective - he might run it though, why not."