Brian no snail as he sees off southern rivals in fine style

Brian Boranha struck a blow for the north by winning the 3m novice limited handicap chase, as he was the only one of the five runners to be trained north of Oxfordshire.

The race featured runners from the stables of Fergal O’Brien, Tim Vaughan, Michael Scudamore and Lawney Hill, but the Yorkshire runner, owned by Kate Young, put them all in their place, jumping well for Brian Hughes and coming home 13-lengths clear to get off the mark over fences.

Surprisingly, it was only his second win in 18 attempts, although he lost a race over hurdles at Catterick in December last year after his weight cloth came off and his rider weighed in light.