BOURTON-ON-THE-WATER trainer Ben Pauling described Barters Hill as a 'horse of a lifetime' after he took his career record to seven wins in seven by collecting the Grade Two Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle at Doncaster.

But Pauling's pride and joy had to show tremendous guts before seeing off Ballydine, also based in the Cotswolds, with the winning trainer's brother-in-law Charlie Longsdon.

Barters Hill, rated one of the home side's best chances of keeping a Cheltenham Festival novice hurdle out of Irish hands, was expected to be given his stiffest task to date against the Willie Mullins-trained Up For Review.

And the pair did go head to head for the first two and a half miles of the Doncaster race, before the Irish challenger was broken.

Barters Hill (4-7 favourite) then had to call on his renowned battling qualities as Ballydine, who had slipstreamed the two front runners while they battled it out in a strong headwind, laid down a stiff challenge.

But the favourite picked up again to earn a game three-quarters-of-a-length success for jockey David Bass.

"That just shows how tough he is," said Pauling. "He had every right to get beaten – they'd set it up for something to come from behind but he still found more.

"For the first time he'd been taken on for the lead so that answered another question.

As for Festival targets, Pauling added: "David (Bass) will tell me Albert Bartlett but I'd be scared of nothing in the Neptune. He travelled so much better for the better ground – I haven't ruled the Neptune out.

"We've got six weeks now so even though he had a hard race, it wouldn't bother me if he just walked for two weeks.

"Coming here people said it didn't matter if he got beaten, but it did to me - he's the horse of a lifetime."

Barters Hill provided Pauling, 32, with his 21st winner of the campaign in just his third season with a licence.

The former Nicky Henderson assistant has already passed his previous bests in terms of number of winners and prize money won and has been tipped as the most promising up-and-coming National Hunt trainer by none other than Philip Hobbs.

Pauling has a number of exciting Cheltenham Festival prospects apart from Barters Hill including A Hare Breath and Drumacoo.