Black Apalachi Brilliant at Aintree Black Apalachi saw a stride at every opportunity over the Grand National fences to claim Aintree's totesport.com Becher Handicap Chase for Irish handler Dessie Hughes. The trainer's countrymen have dominated the National in recent years and Hughes ensured one of its key trials made its way back across the Irish Sea. Denis O'Regan's mount is rising 10 years old but relished the unique opportunity the course presented having got no further than the second fence in the main event last April. The gambled-on 15-2 chance quickly asserted himself at the head of affairs and never eyeballed another rival as he winged every obstacle to cross the line a distance clear in the testing conditions. Last year's winner Mr Pointment closed in during the second half of the race but tired over the final two fences. Having been passed by Black Apalachi's stablemate Oulart on the run-in, he then got going again to take the runner-up prize by half a length. Ladbrokes gave the winner a 33-1 quote for the John Smith's-sponsored National, while William Hill went 25s and Paddy Power and Blue Square just 16s. Hughes was represented by his son Richard, who said: "He cart wheeled at the second fence in the National. They were going flat to the board and he couldn't get the landing gear out in time. "This is a good trial for the National but he would need the ground soft as he is an out-and-out stayer. "The rain today suited him but it would have been against Oulart. That is why we brought both over as the ground would suit one of them." Paul Nicholls added of the runner-up: "He takes a while to warm to it, but if we can ride him like that in the National on better ground, and if the handicapper drops him a few pounds, he would have a realistic chance."
