LAMBOURN trainer Nicky Henderson’s My Tent Or Yours collared The New One on the run-in to claim a thrilling renewal of the williamill.com Christmas Hurdle at Kempton.

The New One, who had taken it up a fair way from home, just had the upper hand coming to the final flight but made a bad mistake, with Sam Twiston-Davies briefly losing an iron.

That allowed Tony McCoy on the Henderson-trained six-year-old (11-8) to get the better of the 5-6 favourite on the dash to the line and take the Champion Hurdle rehearsal by half a length.

Henderson said: “I was pleased with his performance and most of all because AP (McCoy) was pleased with him and he said he’d come on a lot from Newcastle.

“They weren’t going much of a gallop and he couldn’t let him jump. He didn’t do the slick Tent today because he daren’t fire him at a hurdle as he was just getting keen.

“You can’t go a good pace in this ground or else you won't get home, but I was impressed with the way the first two came away like they did.

“One would be inclined to run him again before Cheltenham. I think he’d go there horribly fresh if he didn’t. When he is fresh, he is keen.

“I think those were the best two in England, but I think the dangers lie in Ireland. There's Hurricane Fly and Our Conor, who I'm very afraid of. He (McCoy) was a bit sceptical after Newcastle, but said he was impressed today.”

In the feature race of the day, Paul Nicholls’ Silvaniaco Conti won the William Hill King George VI Chase.

Jumping bravely and moving swiftly with his head held characteristically high, Cue Card appeared to have the Grade One in hand across nearly every blade of grass until just before the last fence, where he was overcome by his exertions on what was very testing ground and quickly passed and beaten three and a half lengths by Noel Fehily and Silviniaco Conti.

Meanwhile, Henderson’s Long Run and Riverside Theatre both disappointed as they both unseated their riders.