BRAVE SLAVE TAKES JOHN HUGHES

The Philip Hobbs-trained Gower-Slave turned in a hugely brave performance under Richard Johnson to claim the John Hughes Trophy Chase at Aintree.

The 14-1 chance was nearly blinded when the hooves of a faller at Becher`s Brook kicked him under the right eye, his rider taking a blow to a foot in the process.

Nevertheless, he overcame the incident, fighting off Goguenard by five lengths.

The horse was bleeding from the wound in the winner`s enclosure where Hobbs said: 'Another inch and it could have been awful, he`s been very brave.

Hobbs does not believe the winner will return to Aintree to run in the National itself.

'I wouldn`t have thought he would,' Hobbs said.

'He has won over three and a quarter miles but he`s probably better being ridden positively over a shorter trip.'

Johnson will miss the lucrative Easter Monday programme after being banned for two days (April 16th and 17th) for using his whip with excessive frequency.

There was a sad postscriptto the race with the news that 1999 Murphy`s Gold Cup winner The Outback Way died as a result of spinal injuries caused by a fall when running lose after unshipping Norman Williamson earlier in the race.

Hobbs and Johnson doubled up when What`s Up Boys swept to an effortless victory in the Mildmay Chase on.

Hobbs confessed that he had spent the whole day trying to convince the owner to pull the horse out because the going was so testing.

But he made a mockery of his starting price of 12-1, thumping the heavily-backed Shotgun Willy by a distance.

Among the casualties was the strongly-fancied Bacchanal who crashed out at the first fence.

Red Striker was a well-backed winner in the opening race.

The 7-2 favourite justified owner/trainer Norman Mason`s faith by ploughing through the mud to lift the Heidsieck Diamant Bleu Novices` Handicap Chase.

Red Striker powered clear from the third-last fence under Richard Guest to score by an easy 11 lengths from Hannigan`s Lodger, with Hunt Hill another 11 lengths back in third.

Montalcino was the easiest winner of the Grand National meeting so far when contemptuously dismissing the opposition in the Martell Mersey Novices` Hurdle.

Brian Crowley was able to things easy as Montalcino cruised home for a 21-length margin over Takeyourtime.

Garruth stayed forever in the heavy conditions to land the Sefton Hurdle in similarly impressive fashion.