The great diversity of the racing game was demonstrated amply at the weekend when a new Derby favourite emerged and a potential champion hurdler confirmed his status.

The great diversity of the racing game was demonstrated amply at the weekend when a new Derby favourite emerged and a potential champion hurdler confirmed his status.

Few sports can claim attractions quite as many poles apart as the mile-and-a-half classic test at Epsom and the two-mile jumping challenge at Cheltenham but headline contenders for both did the trick easily enough on Saturday.

Kite Wood, trained by Michael Jarvis, was catapulted to the top of the Derby market after his victory over two smart colts, Taameer and Four Winds, in the Group 3 Deloitte Autumn Stakes at Ascot.

That scintillating start-to-finish success resulted in one firm, bet365, to cut Kite Wood to 12-1 joint-favourite with Rip Van Winkle for the Epsom Classic and Paddy Power making both 14-1 chances.

Jarvis was pleased with his horse's victory saying: "He looks a really decent horse."

"I think he is more of a middle-distance horse than a Guineas horse for next year." Further evidence of the dual attraction of the sport came in the person of Kite Wood"s Scottish owner, Thomas Barr, who will now have be able to dream of a mind-boggling double next year, as he also owns Osana, a major candidate for the Champion Hurdle.

His hurdler looks sure to have a formidable new rival next March after Crack Away Jack made an impressive seasonal appearance in the Realtime Radio@williamhill.co.uk Handicap Hurdle at Chepstow.

Winner of the Fred Winter Juvenile Novices' Handicap Hurdle at the Festival last season, Emma Lavelle's exciting prospect could hardly have pleased connections more as he carried top weight in another all-the-way winning display.

Hills shortened the Lavelle horse to 8-1 from 12-1 for the big race next March, while VC Bet cut him to 10-1 from 12-1, although Ladbrokes left him unchanged at 12-1 behind 6-1 joint-favourite and Binocular.

Lavelle said: "I'm chuffed to bits with him and I said before the race, if we were going to have any thoughts of going for the Champion Hurdle, he had to win today.

"We will have to see if he is OK tomorrow then I will sit down with his owners, the GDM partnership, and decide where we go - but I would say he will be staying over hurdles now."