Royal Rosa, the most expensive potential jumper ever bought at public auction, lived up to every expectation as he outclassed his 14 rivals in the Ribchesters Chartered Accountants Novices' Hurdle at Hexham yesterday.

Formerly with Nicky Henderson, for whom he won three of his four bumper races, Royal Rosa switched to Crook-based Howard Johnson after being bought for 340,000gns by computer tycoon Graham Wylie.

He was sent off at 4-11 and was given a lovely introduction to the hurdling game by Graham Lee.

The jockey had him handily placed and jumping well throughout, and taking up the running after the second-last, he gradually drew away to pass the post with 12 lengths to spare over Case Of Poteen.

Johnson could not have been more pleased, and he said: ''Two years down the line. He could be a Gold Cup horse one day if we keep him sound.

''The softer the ground the better and when he goes down south for a better race you will see a real horse.

''But he is still growing and he will not have a hard season, and though he will be entered for the Royal & SunAlliance Hurdle, he might go for a good race at Sandown rather than to Cheltenham. It is around the same time as the Festival.''

Lee said: ''It was testing ground, but he goes through it. He has a super action and will be a better horse in a better race. I was very happy with the way he jumped and he just cruised away.''

Johnson had initiated a double when King Of Arms (7-1), well ridden by Pauline Robson, who recently saddled her first winner as a trainer, came out best in a good finish to the Punch Pub Company Acquisition Amateur Riders' Handicap Hurdle.

''He is a quirky little horse but he jumps and stays well and is just the type for three miles three furlongs around Sedgefield,'' said Johnson.

Richard Guest pulled of a fine training feat when he produced Scarborough Fair, his first runner for leading owner Sir Robert Ogden, fit and ready to win the Kit Patterson Novices' Handicap Chase in good style under conditional Larry McGrath.

Scarborough Fair (16-1) has not had much racing and was pulled up on his last outing last season and his first this term.

Guest said: ''I had been badgering Sir Robert to send me a horse for some time and I said I would not mind if it was his worst one!

''I don't know whether Scarborough Fair was his worst, but he had lost his way and all credit to my staff. We left no stone unturned to find out why, and we have turned him round in a couple of months.''

The Brancepeth trainer went on: ''We were quietly confident, but it is hard to believe you have found the key if a horse has been running as badly as it was. It has given me great satisfaction to see him win, and he ought to win again. He still looked green.''

Guest and McGrath completed a 577-1 double when Just The Jobe, having his first run since October last year, popped up at 33-1 in the second division of the Edmundbyers Mafia Novices' Hurdle.

''It wasn't a total surprise,'' said the trainer. ''He had been doing an awful lot of work, but you could not be confident taking on a horse rated 118 (Archie Babe). There must have been something amiss with him.''

Lenny Lungo and Tony Dobbin have a fine record at the course and they teamed up with Full Irish (13-8), who made a successful debut over fences in convincing fashion in the Christopher John Thompson Armstrong Beginners' Chase.

The Carrutherstown trainer said: ''Racing is certainly a game of extreme highs and lows.

"Full Irish's owner, Dave Stronach, a Geordie who is working in Spain, was devastated when Kymani Prince dropped dead from a heart attack at Kelso.''

John Wade ended a quiet spell for his stable when King Of The Arctic, backed from 14-1 to 11-1, won the first division of the Edmundbyers Mafia Novices' Hurdle under Brian Harding.

Wade, who is based a couple of miles from Sedgefield racecourse, also owns the gelding and said: ''We went over to Ireland and bought him out of the Dermot Weld stable.

''He had won a point-to-point and is a lovely horse. He had been working well at home, but Brian said he had gurgled a little bit today, though winning was the main thing.''

Dancing Bay (7-4), a rare runner at the course for Nicky Henderson, who had not sent one up for at least five years, gave good conditional Andrew Tinkler his 21st success of the season in the Tote Bookmakers Handicap Hurdle.