Hot Shots hit the target at Ascot on Saturday to give Mark Pitman his most valuable training success in more than two years.

Pitman had endured a miserable time last winter when his team mustered just nine successes but he equalled that tally when Hot Shots' win in the £35,000 United House Handicap Chase was supplemented by the victory of Genuine Article.

Hot Shots was always travelling comfortably under Timmy Murphy and glided into the lead between the final two fences as the Martin Pipe-trained top weight Golden Alpha, odds-on to give Tony McCoy his fourth straight winner of the afternoon, faded.

A mistake at the last made no difference and Hot Shots scored by six lengths from Upgrade, with the rank outsider Castle Prince rewarding trainer Ron Hodges' enterprise in running from 10lb out of the handicap by collecting £3,850 for finishing third, one length and three-quarters away.

Pitman was celebrating his biggest success since Browjoshy landed the Warwickshire Gold Cup in January 2001.

He said: ''We've found the key to him in that he has got to go right-handed. Every time we ran him left-handed he disappointed us, and was running no sort of race.

''His first run back this year was his second over hurdles at Huntingdon and we thought we'd have a crack at this prize.

"He's probably best in small fields and he wants lively ground.''

Genuine Article provided Pitman with a 10-1 plus double when taking the United House PFI Beginners' Chase.

The 5-4 joint-favourite made all the running under Seamus Durack and despite jumping left, drew away from Motcomb Jam, his market rival, to win by 19 lengths.

''I'm over the moon. Two winners at Ascot. There's no downside to that,'' said Pitman.

''The horses are in great shape, and I just hope we can keep it rolling.

''I'm delighted for this horse as he's been off for a couple of years with leg trouble, but he doesn't go on soft ground.''

Genuine Article is owned by Malcolm Denmark, whose best horse, Monsignor, is slowly recovering from the injuries that have prevented him from running since winning the Royal & SunAlliance Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham in 2000.