A big strong gelding sporting the colours of the late Trevor Hemmings, Hillcrest looks to tackle 3 miles for the first time having been successful three times over 2.5 miles.
A winner in a bumper, Hillcrest was then moved up in trip for his debut over hurdles and got off the mark at the first time of asking at Aintree back in November.
The form wasn’t particularly strong but he showed some strong stamina and a good attitude to be headed and come back to beat Our Jet.
He backed that up with a lethal performance at Wetherby which saw him stroll to a 20 length victory despite his penalty. He took yet another step forward after that to make all in a decent listed event over 2.5 miles at Cheltenham on New Year’s Day.
Last seen going off favourite for a Ballymore trail at Cheltenham, he was badly hampered by a faller and unshipped Richard Patrick at the 3rd flight.
His form sets a strong standard and he was well backed to take Grade 2 honours last time out before unseating his jockey. He looks to have plenty of stamina and might just make waves in the Albert Bartlett ante post market with a good performance here.