Honneur above all; Affaire's a righteous favourite.

Byline: Garry Owen

I DON'T know if trainer Harry Whittington has a cat, but I bet he'd be aiming a kick at it after AFFAIRE D'HONNEUR'S run at Newbury last month.

The French-bred chestnut gelding was fancied for the valuable Betfair Hurdle but got it all wrong from a standing start, losing many lengths in rear. Jockey Gavin Sheehan was motoring on him from three out and the five-year-old son of Shirocco powered home into fourth 13l off Nick Williams-trained Agrapart.

Whittington immediately turned his attention to this prize and with a handicap mark of 133 not quite guaranteeing a run in the County Hurdle at Cheltenham, AFFAIRE D'HONNEUR (3.10) will take his chance at Sandown.

After three promising starts in France, Affaire D'Honneur made his English debut at Kempton where he failed to land a gamble, staying on into second, a length behind Harry Fry's Zulu Oscar. Clearly there's TURN TO PAGE TWO