The sporting Waley-Cohen family have been an integral part of the jump racing season for many a long year and once again they appear to have a live candidate for major honours, writes Elliot Slater.

Over the last 25 years and more Robert Waley-Cohen has seen his brown and orange colours carried to victory in Britain by high class performers such as Stayers’ Hurdle (now World Hurdle) winner Rustle, and Triumph Hurdle and dual Aintree Foxhunters winner Katarino (ridden by Waley-Cohen’s amateur jockey son, Sam). Most recently, up-and-coming four-year-old French chaser Long Run, winner of a Grade 1 hurdle at Auteuil and the top-class Grade 1 Prix Maurice Gillios Grand Steeple Chase, has been making serious waves. On Boxing Day Long Run made his eagerly anticipated British debut in the Grade 1 Feltham Novices’ Chase at Kempton, over three miles.

Trained in France by the excellent Guillaume Macaire, Long Run recently moved to the care of Nicky Henderson, and the vibes emanating from the Seven Barrows stables suggested that Long Run might make short work of some serious rivals on Saturday.

The son of Cadoudal did have a point or two to prove, having never raced away from Auteuil and never jumped a British steeplechase fence in public. As good as young Waley-Cohen is, he has a Grand National ride under his belt, the gelding would doubtless have been an even shorter price at the start if he had had a professional pilot.

Some might have felt that tackling a right-handed course in a race run at a different tempo to France was sufficient reason to oppose the Henderson-trained British debutant. However, those who did not take the plunge would have been disappointed as the horse scored an impressive victory on its British debut.

With an excellent Boxing Day result behind them, it looks fairly certain that the Waley-Cohen’s have another potential star to go with for a number of seasons to come. However, it remains to be seen whether Long Run can cut in when it comes to big races at meetings like the Cheltenham Festival.