Giles Smyly is dreaming of having a runner at the Cheltenham Festival after Hit The Highway put up a game performance to win for the second time at Leicester.
Successful at the Midlands venue four weeks earlier, the seven-year-old followed up in gutsy fashion as he took the Croxton Park Novices' Hurdle.
Hit The Highway (5-4 favourite) kept pulling out more for Tom Cannon as he shrugged off Knockgraffon by three lengths.
"I've put a speculative entry in the Albert Bartlett at Cheltenham," said the Broadway trainer.
"It's not a silly idea, but he has got a bit more to prove first.
"We'll try to step him up in grade for one more run and then see where we are.
"He's very laid-back and as lazy as hell at home. He only does what he absolutely has to, but he does come alive at the races.
"I was a bit worried as he had to do his own donkey work as there wasn't any obvious pace, but he is quite willing to do that."
The David Pipe-trained Doctor Harper (8-11 favourite) registered his first success over fences at the third attempt when seeing off two rivals in the Dick Christian Novices' Chase.
Doctor Harper, who had finished second to two classy types in L'Ami Serge and Garde La Victoire on his two previous starts, made no mistake as he won tidily under Tom Scudamore by four and a half lengths from Deep Trouble.
Scudamore said: "For a horse that wasn't the most natural over hurdles he's learning quickly over fences. He jumped those really well.
"It's great to have him back. He had the best part of two years off the track and yet is still showing the same zest.
"I was just conscious of the two in front getting away and him being tapped for toe, but once he's got to the fences again he's attacked them."
Tara Flow (5-4) outpointed market rival The Organist to take the honours in the British Stallion Studs EBF Mares' 'National Hunt' Novices' Hurdle.
The pair outclassed the other two runners, as had been expected, but it was the Venetia Williams-trained Tara Flow who got the measure of 4-6 shot The Organist by six lengths in the hands of Aidan Coleman.
"She's very straightforward and she loves that ground, which is a big help," said Coleman.
Ballyrath (5-2 joint-favourite) bounced back from a poor run at Warwick where he did not take to the visor with a convincing win in the SIS Handicap Chase.
Leading before the fourth-last, the Nigel Twiston-Davies-trained six-year-old bounded away to score by nine lengths from Buckhorn Tom under Sam Twiston-Davies.
"He jumped really well and he likes a test of stamina," said the winning trainer.
"The handicapper might be a bit rude to him, so I think we'll have a look at running him again quite soon."
Black Narcissus (9-4 favourite) just held Loves Destination by a neck under 5lb claimer Mikey Hamill to supplement two wins over fences in the Brook Conditional Jockeys' Mares' Handicap Hurdle.
"She was going to run over fences at Fontwell on Sunday but it was called off. She's done us proud," said trainer Alex Dunn.
Irish-born rider Gareth Malone enjoyed his first success in Britain when steering home Norse Light (4-1 co-favourite) in the Humberstone Handicap Hurdle.
The 7lb claiming conditional jockey gained a neck verdict over Akula on the David Dennis-trained gelding.