Hewick's remarkable journey continued with a gallant fourth place in the French Champion Hurdle at Auteuil on Saturday.
The €850 purchase has been nothing short of a revelation for the Shark Hanlon stable and travelled to France after a Grade 2 victory at Sandown last month.
Rachael Blackmore was in the saddle again and the eight-year-old gelding ran bravely in one of France's most prestigious jump races.
READ MORE: Willie Mullins targets elusive first victory in France's biggest jumps race
Although the ground was softer than ideal for Hewick, he kept galloping all the way to the line and finished in fourth behind French-trained winner Theleme.
The Willie Mullins-trained Klassical Dream came home in third place, while the Emmet Mullins-trained Feronily came in fifth place.
While Hewick couldn't bag the 390,000 first-prize to add to his career earnings of €500,000, he still pocketed a further €35,000 for his lucky connections.
Though a faller when in contention for the Cheltenham Gold Cup in March, a return to Prestbury Park is on the cards in 2024, and Hanlon hinted a trip to Japan for the Nakayama Grand Jump is a possible target next April.
Hanlon said: “Nakayama could be on the agenda for next year. You don’t mind travelling because he is a very good traveller.
“Sometimes you can’t travel with horses because they don’t like it, but he does. You could put him in your pocket and bring him with you!"
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