BRIAN ELLISON learned a tough Cheltenham Festival lesson after Definitly Red disappointed in the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle.

The Norton trainer got his required soft ground for the five-year-old but, despite being backed in from 25-1 to 12s, his gelding was never travelling at any point of the three mile contest.

Eased up by jockey Richard Johnson before the business end of a race won by Martello Tower (14-1) with a gutsy display, Definitly Red had won a Grade 2 race at Haydock a month ago and the Spring Cottage Stables handler feels those exertions may have left their mark.

“Haydock probably took more out of him than we thought,” he explained. “He just ran flat and he will go and have a good holiday now.

“What we have learned is ‘don’t have a hard race before you come to Cheltenham’. It was a hell of a battle at Haydock.

“Dickie said he was never happy. He said the horse just didn’t want to be there. He’s all right, though, and that’s the main thing. He will go novice chasing next year.”

Conquisto, Ellison’s other runner, was the oldest horse in the field for the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle, and the ten-year-old was outpaced as Killultagh Vic (7-1) beat Noble Endeavor in a photo-finish.

There was little to shout about for North Yorkshire as the four-day Festival came to a close.

None of the seven runners across the seven-race card were able to trouble the judge as the county suffered a rare blank across the meeting.

Great Habton trainer Tim Easterby had warned that heavy downpours would not favour Hawk High in the Vincent O’Brien County Hurdle.

So it was no surprise that following the rain that changed going conditions to soft before the start of racing, last year’s Fred Winter Juvenile Hurdle winner finished well down the field in 20th.

The five-year-old, who had to carry top weight of 11 stones 12lbs over the two mile and one furlong contest, tracked the leaders early on but rapidly dropped down the field as the testing ground took its toll.

There was also disappointment for the county’s other two runners in the Grade 3 race, which was won by 25-1 shot Wicklow Brave.

Forced Family Fun, representing Norton trainer John Quinn, hit the fourth flight and was soon going backwards before rallying past some tired horses to finish 15th.

Lightening Road, saddled by Sheriff Hutton’s Mick Easterby, was always at the rear throughout and was pulled up by conditional Harry Bannister early in the home straight.

Junior, trained by Nigel Tinkler in Malton, was never a factor in a St James’s Place Foxhunter Chase Challenge Cup that saw On The Fringe (6-1), and Nina Carberry, utterly dominate.

And while New Sensation brought the Festival to a close when winning the AP McCoy Grand Annual Chase, Norton trainer Malcolm Jefferson’s Firth Of The Clyde finished back in 12th.