Racing: Cloudy Lane could be another Grand National horse for the McCain family after a cheeky win in the Sodexho Prestige Tommy Whittle Handicap Chase at Haydock.
Already a winner at the Cheltenham Festival in last season's Kim Muir Chase, the Donald McCain-trained seven-year-old will be entered for the John Smith's-sponsored Aintree marathon.
He could firstly turn up in the Sky Bet Chase, formerly known as the Great Yorkshire Chase, at Doncaster next month.
Comply Or Die made a gallant attempt to give David Pipe another big winner but Jason Maguire was very patient on Cloudy Lane, owned by Trevor Hemmings, in the testing ground.
Creeping into the race, the 100-30 favourite led at the last and beat Comply Or Die by two and a half lengths, with High Chimes another half a length away.
"We talked originally about the Great Yorkshire. We don't want to overdo him this year and hopefully he's going to make into an Aintree horse long-term," said McCain jnr, whose father Ginger won the National four times with three-time hero Red Rum and Amberleigh House.
"He's a grand little pro, but he wasn't enjoying the ground. You'd struggle to see a better ride than he got off Jason.
"He told me not to panic if he was further back then I wanted down the back — and I was panicking.
"We've had to ride him to get home on this ground, which isn't his cup of tea, and Jason did it to perfection.
"He's got away with it because he's a pro and he does everything you ask him to do."