Red definitely in National mix after powerful victory

The Northumberland Plate may be the race that Brian Ellison covets the most, but the Randox Health Grand National would be welcomed on the trainer's roll of honour and he has a live contender after Definitly Red laid down a big marker for Aintree next month.

Generally a 33-1 chance for the National before the Grimthorpe, the eight-year-old was cut to as low as 12-1 second favourite for Aintree by William Hill – he is a best-priced 20-1.

Last season it looked like proud Geordie Ellison was going to remove the gorilla off his back in Newcastle's Flat feature when Seamour went clear, only to be agonisingly run down by Antiquarium.

There was never any danger of Definitly Red being caught at Town Moor after Danny Cook went clear with four to jump, and the pair came home 14 lengths in front of last year's winner The Last Samuri.

Cook was delighted with the winner, and said: "He felt great. I knew he was well handicapped all season and it's nice to get aboard him and win a nice pot.

"Hopefully now all roads lead to the National. If he jumps round there he's potentially very good."

Cook picked up a four-day ban as the stewards determined he had used his whip when clearly winning and in the incorrect place.

It was a second ban of the afternoon for Cook, who was given two days for using his whip above the permitted level on Point The Way.

The Last Samuri was eased to a best-priced 20-1, though he remained more generally 16-1 after a race that could have a major bearing on the £1 million contest at Aintree.

Definitly Red lacks experience of Aintree and the National fences, having never run there, but that is likely to change to a degree, as Ellison said: "They'll build a couple of Aintree-type fences at Malton and if he schools well over them he'll go for the National. I don't see why he shouldn't go well over them as he's a good jumper."

A fist pump to the ITV cameras demonstrated what victory meant to Ellison, and he added: "He's class. He travelled and jumped well and as usual Danny hit the front too soon, but he's a jockey who likes to get on with things.

"Things didn't go to plan last time at Haydock [unseated in the Peter Marsh], he got a bit too far back and then he landed on a fence, but he stayed on well. He wouldn't have beaten the winner [Bristol De Mai] but he would have finished second."

The race had been billed as more of a trial for The Last Samuri, and he was by no means disgraced.

Having been outpaced, with jockey David Bass at work a long way out, the Kim Bailey-trained nine-year-old kept finding up the straight and finished off the race well.

Winning groom: David Cottle

Result and analysis