BELINDA KEIGHLEY could not contain her excitement as husband Martin landed a 152-1 double on the opening day of Cheltenham’s International meeting.

The most joyous sight at the course was Belinda leaping uncontrollably in the paddock as both Benbane Head and Any Currency came home winners for the Condicote, Gloucestershire stable in front of a relatively small pre-Christmas crowd.

The Keighleys have not been able to get to the bottom of their horses’ dip in form on the track, despite continuing to work well at home.

“The horses have been quiet for a fortnight and (stable star) Champion Court ran horrendously at Aintree last weekend,” said Belinda.

But while their out-of-form Gloucestershire neighbour Jonjo O’Neill chose not to have any runners at the meeting, Martin and Belinda pressed on and were rewarded with a triumphant 152-1 double via Benbane Head and Any Currency.

“The horses have scoped fine and their blood is right but without any coughs and dirty noses you don’t have anything to treat,” said Keighley.

The last horse Keighley will have wanted to see challenging Any Currency at the last fence of a Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase was an Enda Bolger-trained runner in the J P McManus colours. Ireland’s Enda is a specialist and a multi-Festival winner in this sphere.

But no sooner had Quantitativeeasing looked a certain winner when looming up to challenge than he was left for dead by Any Currency (8-1), who stormed up the hill for jockey Aidan Coleman to win by 12 lengths.

“He was beaten a short head at the Festival last year and I won’t run him again until the same cross country race next year,” said Keighley. “He will also be given a Grand National entry.

That grand old campaigner Carruthers, part-owned by a local Cotswold syndicate, was outpaced over the final five fences but battled on for third place.

Keighley admitted he had Richard Johnson to thank for the first leg of his double, Benbane Head, who would not have been running at Cheltenham but for taking the wrong course under the jockey at Exeter seven days ago. Johnson got a 12-day ban for the error.

Benbane Head (16-1) was Keighley’s first ever winner at his local track in 2009 and yesterday proved his 10th in the hands of Conor Shoemark, who is attached to Fergal O’Brien’s yard at Fossebridge.

Johnson could do wrong at the three-day Cheltenham fixture in November with seven winners, but this time he was on the wrong end of two photo-finishes.

It was conditional jockey Nico De Boinville aboard 2010 Champion Hurdle fifth Starluck who had the satisfaction of getting the better of Johnson by a head in a thrilling outcome to the CF Roberts Electrical Handicap Hurdle, while the perennial championship runner-up had to give best to a long-term foe at the end of the Citipost Handicap Hurdle.

Swindon-based Wayne Hutchinson has endured a nightmare 2014. He required a hip operation earlier in the year and a knee problem has kept him out of the saddle for the past 20 days.

However, Hutchinson showed no sign of race-rustiness, when his comeback ride, the Alan King-trained Ulzana’s Raid, rallied in the final strides to beat Johnson and Cesarewitch winner Big Easy by a nose. The latter is owned by Dursley-based Terry Warner.

Slad trainer Tom George looked like winning the closing novices’ hurdle for much of the race as his free-running Some Plan raced lengths clear of the pack.

He was eventually reeled in, however, by the Warren Greatrex-ridden Seedling who, despite a brave rally from the runner-up, went on to win by a length and a half.

Any latecomers would have missed the performance of the day when Kings Palace took the opening Ryman Stationery Novices’ Chase after which he is 6-1 ante-post favourite for the RSA Chase at the Festival.

Trainer David Pipe maintained he had ‘over-trained’ favourite Kings Palace before the six-year-old had made a winning chase debut at Cheltenham last month.

The training regime may have been changed in the interim but the result was just the same as even-money chance Kings Palace and Tom Scudamore raced to a seven-length winning margin over old rival Sausalito Sunrise.

The runner-up had an 8lb turnaround in the weights compared to 27 days ago but the defeat was much more emphatic, perhaps giving credence to Pipe’s admission.

“I might have over-trained him first time out,” said Pipe. “I feel I did too much with him before that race.

“We have gone easier on him this time and it appears to have done no harm!”

A feature of the victory was the inexperienced novice’s bold and nimble jumping and his slightly chequered career still has Pipe scratching his head.

“For such a good jumper it is hard to believe he has fallen twice over hurdles,” he said. “But he is a horse that excites me.”