Koktail Divin likely to head straight to Cheltenham

Koktail Divin is likely to take a direct route to the Cheltenham Festival following his maiden chase victory at Leopardstown on Sunday.

The six-year-old finished second to subsequent dual Grade One winner Romeo Coolio on debut before chasing home Oscars Brother in a Punchestown Grade Two on his second start, before dropping back to a beginners’ chase and running out a 21-length winner.

Koktail Divin was one of a handful of festive winners for trainer Henry de Bromhead, with The Big Westerner notably winning a Limerick Grade Two chase while reigning Stayers’ Hurdle hero Bob Olinger found only Teahupoo too good on his return in the Christmas Hurdle.

De Bromhead said: “We had a good Christmas overall. New Year’s Eve was extremely frustrating, but apart from that it was the normal ups and downs when you have that number of runners. We were happy though.

“Bob ran a blinder in defeat, obviously The Big Westerner was very impressive and Koktail Divin was good. All in all, they ran well.

“There were obviously a few disappointments but you just get that with the number of runners I suppose. It’s like a month in four days.

“We’ll see where we go with The Big Westerner, but I’d imagine we will head straight to Cheltenham with Koktail Divin.”