The Galloping Bear (9-2 favourite) ground down veteran and top weight Bristol De Mai to land a fine victory in the William Hill Grand National Trial Handicap Chase at Haydock Park.
It has been a memorable week for trainer Ben Clarke and jockey Ben Jones and was capped by a gruelling seven-length victory in testing conditions in the Grade Three feature on Merseyside.
Somerset-based Clarke, in his first season with a full licence, and Jones landed a double at Sandown on Thursday with Dr Kananga and Lettie Lutz.
And it got even better as a month on from his win in the Surrey National at Lingfield, The Galloping Bear landed an even bigger success.
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Nigel Twison-Davies' Bristol De Mai loves it at Haydock having won five times in seven trips including three wins in the Grade One Betfair Chase.
And under Sam Twiston-Davies - who had earlier partnered Wholestone, also trained by his father and owned by Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, to victory in the Grade Two Rendlesham Hurdle - Bristol De Mai tried to land the National Trial from the front.
And they had many of their rivals in trouble three out as the gallant grey jumped superbly. He led over the third-last fence but carrying top weight and giving 19lb to The Galloping Bear, he began to feel the effects of his efforts.
Jones and The Galloping Bear reeled him in and went on to score in good style
Bristol De Mai was a gallant second 26 lengths ahead of the Jonjo O'Neill-trained Time To Get Up in third.
Trainer Clarke said: "I'm shell shocked. I thought we had a good chance coming here, but when it actually happens - and to beat Bristol De Mai, he's a Haydock legend.
"That's our third winner of the week, we've only had a licence since September, but I thought we'd used up all our good luck at Sandown the other day. I can't believe how well it's gone.
"I'm based half a mile from Anthony Honeyball and used to be his assistant. I'd previously been training hunters and pointers but like Dr Kananga at Sandown and this lad, I thought they should be winning some proper money. For it to happen so soon, I'm stunned.
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"We've got 15 in total. I wouldn't want 50 horses but 25 would be nice, we're full at the minute, I like to keep it personable with the owners.
"This lad was supposed to win the Welsh National, that was the plan, but scoped dirty a few days before. When he won the Surrey National, which was worth £30,000, I was a bit annoyed as I felt we'd blown his mark for a smaller pot than we should.
"I was then a bit surprised we only went up 5lb so we straight away thought of this, as I thought he was quite a cosy winner.
"I was never very comfortable through the race looking at Ben's body language, he wants soft but whether it was even too soft for him, I don't know. And then when you see Bristol De Mai going great guns in front of you but you're bearing down on him - it's hard to believe.
"I felt a bit sorry for Bristol, like everyone I've loved watching him win races here but he was giving us loads of weight and that's been the difference.
"Massive thanks to my fiance, Sally, who does all the work with this horse but she's not here today. She deserves the credit."
The Galloping Bear is not entered in this year's Grand National but Clarke is eyeing a crack at next season's Becher Chase over the big fences before a possible crack at the big one.
He added: "The Midlands National will come too soon, so I want to go over the water for the Irish National if the ground is right, that's if he runs again. Next season the Becher and maybe the big one."
Naunton trainer Twiston-Davies was still proud of Bristol De Mai and said: "He's run brilliant, he just had too much weight and as they say, weight stops trains.
"For a long time he had them all at it and I thought he had it won.
"We've no plans, we'll just wait and see what happens."
Despite the race being a Trial for the Randox Grand National, the four horses entered at Aintree Racecourse – Lord Du Mesnil, Sam Brown, Kalooki and Blaklion – were all pulled up.
Wholestone (16-1) made light of almost a year and a half off the track with victory in the William Hill Rendlesham Hurdle.
The Twiston-Davies-trained veteran was having his first competitive appearance in 455 days. But at the age on 11 he scored by 13 lengths, from Grand National hope Top Ville Ben.
The latter appeared to have the race at his mercy at one point, but Wholestone dug deep to score.
Wholestone is not entered in the Stayers' Hurdle at next month's Cheltenham Festival, so he could now step back up to Grade One company with a trip to Aintree for the Grand National Festival in April.
Nigel Twiston-Davies said: "He's a very popular winner, he's a very special horse and he's done an awful lot in his time - but he's not in the Stayers' Hurdle!
"He might be supplemented, you never know, but I wouldn't have thought so. I'd say the Aintree race (Liverpool Hurdle) is the one for him.
"He's always had a lot of class and you have to remember he's very good over fences, so the world is his oyster now.
"That was some performance. He's a class horse, so why shouldn't he run well? But he was written off in the press. I wasn't really expecting it, though.
"He'd been off for so long because he hurt his foot badly when he fell here (November 2020), but it's all right now, he even lost a shoe today."
Top Ville Ben's trainer Phil Kirby was pleased with runner-up and is looking forward to the Grand National now.
He said: "He's run a blinder and done nothing wrong, he's just been beaten by a better horse on the day.
"I know he looked very tired at the end, but there's not a bother on him and he wasn't distressed or anything.
"The National is the plan now as long as there is cut in the ground - I just hope it's not as deep as today!
"He took to the fences really well in the Becher Chase. I know he fell but he'd jumped them grand before that."
Henry Daly’s Hillcrest was an impressive winner of the Grade Two Albert Bartlett Prestige Novices’ Hurdle.
Running in the colours of the late Trevor Hemmings, the seven-year-old has looked good in landing a hat-trick over successes over hurdles this season – the first at in the autumn – before unluckily being hampered and unseating jockey Richard Patrick at Cheltenham last time.
Sent off the evens favourite, Hillcrest made all pulling 10 lengths clear at one stage. He powered away from Nicky Richards' Crystal Glory after the last to win by eight lengths.
Daly said: "Having watched that, if he goes to Cheltenham it will be the Albert Bartlett. That's if he goes, we could wait for Aintree, he won't do both.
"I don't actually think he's had a particularly hard slog today, he's the only one all day who has pulled away and run through the line.
"They went a really good gallop, I was watching the times on the screen and wincing. He didn't jump great but Richard said he was more interested in watching the other horse.
"There's no getting away from it, he's a proper horse. I've said all along at this stage of his career he's the best I've had.
"He doesn't show it at home, he just gallops, like he does on the racecourse, but he can clearly gallop quite fast!"
Porticello easily won the William Hill Super Odds Victor Ludorum Juvenile Hurdle at Haydock.
The Gary Moore-trained four-year-old could was cut to 11-1 from 16-1 by Coral for the Triumph Hurdle at next month's Cheltenham Festival after this 17-length win.
Jockey Josh Moore said: "I just thought I'd keep it simple and use his jumping and he's done that well.
"He handles that ground as well as any horse can, down the back it's a bit better but up the straight it's very holding and not the nicest.
"The Triumph will depend how he comes out of this and what the ground is like, if he's to run there he'd want plenty of ease, I would say."
The jockey has been out injured for much of this season and was only riding Porticello with his brother Jamie at Wincanton, winning the Grade Two Wincanton Matchbook Betting Exchange Kingwell Hurdle on Goshe.
Josh Moore added: "He's actually Jamie's ride but I enjoyed riding him today, he's a pleasure.
"The rides usually sort themselves out without much fuss but I've missed most of this season and it just happened to be my dad's best ever, so Jamie has reaped the benefit"
Tom Lacey's Adrimel also carried top weight to victory in the William Hill Cheltenham Non-Runner Money Back Novices' Limited Handicap Chase.
Just seven days on after winning the Betfair Hurdle with Glory And Fortune, 4-6 favourite Adrimel, under jockey Stan Sheppard, had to work hard to score by a neck.
Lacey said: "On this ground he could probably drop back in trip because he handles it so well. Stan (Sheppard) said he just got lonely out in front and it is very hard work today, so any horse was entitled to get tired.
"I think he's better than a handicapper but he's a horse you've got to catch right. We've not had any setbacks but the races just haven't been there to suit him and we've had to wait for some softer ground. He's not been an easy horse to place in a dry winter."
Dr Richard Newland's Foillan (10-1) landed a third victory of the season in the Pertemps Qualifier.
Grand National-winning trainer Newland said: "It's funny, we thought we had a chance in the National Trial with Enqarde but he was never going, yet I wasn't expecting this lad to win. He's won three now this year, having missed the whole of last season, but he's had a hard race there and it could be enough for him. He's one to look forward to chasing next year."
