American dream beckons for Hammersly after classy weight carrying performance

Hammersly Lake defied top weight to scoop the biggest prize of the day and set himself up for a tilt at even richer pickings across the Atlantic.

The ten-year-old put up the best performance of his career under Brian Hughes to defy top weight in the £25,000 feature as the race lived up to its billing as the best chase of the season so far.

It was the perfect preparation for Hammersly Lake in advance of his trip to New Jersey next month to tackle the Grand National Hurdle at Far Hills.