In the bag - Elliott and Russell clinch their first Cork National with Out Sam

Few valuable handicap chases in Ireland had evaded the clutches of Gordon Elliott and Davy Russell but the Cork Grand National was one of them. Until, that is, Out Sam came up trumps for the pair here, with the stable’s Rogue Angel filling the runner-up spot for good measure.

Well-backed a few times last season without returning to the chief spot in the winner's enclosure, Out Sam reaffirmed the opinion of his connections by tanking through the three-and-a-half-mile contest before picking up in good style to pull almost two lengths clear of his stablemate.

A mud-splattered Russell said: "I couldn't believe how well he travelled. He'd been frustrating last season and is just a different horse – even going to the start he was on the money.