Two sports came together on Monday at Warwick, as Givemefive, part-owned by US Open winners Brooks Koepka and Graeme McDowell, added to his unbeaten record in the Hazelton Mountford Insurance Brokers Juvenile Hurdle.
Golf legends Koepka, successful in the 2017 and 2018 US Open, and McDowell, victorious in the 2010 renewal, own the four-year-old gelding alongside Daniel Gambill, and could now have a Cheltenham Festival runner.
Formerly trained by Johnny Murtagh on the track, Givemefive moved to the Harry Derham yard in late November and caught the eye with a comfortable victory on hurdling debut at Market Rasen.
He appeared to have improved from the experience and made all under Paul O'Brien at Warwick, drawing clear for an eighteen-length winning margin and earning quotes for the Triumph Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.
"I thought he had improved, but I was not expecting that. Paul (O'Brien) said not much will make the running and I said you ride a lot of winners from the front so go do that," said Derham.
"At four out he was more confident than I was as he was carrying a penalty against smart horses, but he is obviously a smart horse.
"He got a fright at the first at Market Rasen, but his schooling all the way along has been great. It just took him four hurdles to get going last time.
"He has schooled once between runs, but you can see he has got the hang of it.
"He is a real professional little horse. Well done has to go to my cousin Megan (Nicholls) who found him.
"Graeme (McDowell), Brooks (Koepka) and Daniel Gambill (other part owner) are great guys, and they were all watching the race in Florida. My WhatsApp has been going mad with messages after that."
Although Derham was initially planning to send Givemefive to the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle at the Festival, he was keen post-race to keep options open with an entry in the Triumph Hurdle.
"We were hoping he might go and run in the Fred Winter, and you could go for the Adonis (Juvenile Hurdle at Kempton Park) before that," he added.
"Entries close for the Triumph Hurdle tomorrow and I'm going to enter him after winning like that carrying a penalty.
"I need to think about. To run in the Fred Winter, he needs to have another run. If he didn't need to have another run then I would almost certainly run him in the Fred Winter.
"He took two weeks to get over the last run, and I can't imagine he has had an easy race there, even though he has won.
"I'm not going to commit to anything now, but it is a nice problem to have."
Paddy Power have given Givemefive a quote of 25/1 for the Triumph Hurdle.
