HEREFORDSHIRE'S Richard Johnson finished as top jockey at the Cheltenham Open at the weekend following success in the Racing Post Arkle Trial Novices' Chase aboard Grande La Victoire.

The Philip-Hobbs-trained six-year-old, who won the Greatwood Hurdle last year, clinched a two-and-a-half length victory over Fox Norton.

"I am pleased with him, especially as he was a bit awkward to the second last but when I asked him," said Johnson, who is odds-on to win the Stobart Jump Jockeys Championship 2015/16 for the number of National hunt wins.

"He was great and he kept going right up the top of the hill.

"He's still got to learn his job, he finds it quite easy because he has loads of natural scope.

"He just travels so well, in a novice chase you are never going to go a hard gallop, and I think with him the harder they go the better."

Johnson added that Grand La Victoire will probably be entered into the JLT Novices's Chase and the Racing Post Arkle at the Cheltenham Festival in March.

"It's nice to have the option, especially on good, fast ground, but you would have to make the decision at the time," said Johnson.

"He's the nicest two-mile chaser I've got to ride."

Meanwhile, Next Sensation, trained by Michael Scudamore, finished 10th in the Paddy Power Gold Cup, just ahead of Tom Scudamore-ridden Kings Palace.

The horse, owned by county entrepreneur Mark Blandford, won the A.P. McCoy Grand Annual Chase.