The rain that continued to pour down on Aintree yesterday resulted in some speculation about the Martell Grand National going ahead, but even more cold water was poured on that by the track authorities.

"This course will take a lot of rain," said the clerk of the course, Ian Renton. "The conditions are testing but there is nothing wrong with racing at the moment and it is holding up well. At the moment we have no problems at all."

The last postponement of a Grand National was in 1997 when the infamous bomb scare forced Lord Gyllene to win the big race on the Monday, but even though the weather forecast is poor, nobody is pressing panic buttons just yet.

Least of all Ruby Walsh, who warmed up for his Grand National ride on Papillon by winning the £120,000 Melling Chase on Fadalko. He declared afterwards: "It's bottomless in your definition in England but it's nowhere near bottomless in Ireland. For us it's just soft ground!"

That was just what the Liverpool authorities wanted to hear and just what Papillon's supporters wanted to see. Fadalko thrived in the mud and went clear of Lady Cricket and Direct Route to leave trainer Paul Nicholls wondering about what might have been.

"I really fancied him to win the Queen Mother Chase. He's such a good horse in the spring and better than ever when he's fresh. Ruby gave him a peach of a ride and jumped so well for him," Nicholls said.

Walsh only got as far as the first in the John Hughes Trophy when taking a fall off Extra Jack, but it was nothing compared to Mick Fitzgerald, who was unseated from the favourite Tuitchev at the first in Fadalko's race and then had a fall from Bacchanal at the first fence of the Heidsieck Novices' Chase.

What's Up Boys proceeded to win the novice contest by a street from the exhausted favourite, Shotgun Willy; and the Philip Hobbs-Richard Johnson team also landed the John Hughes with Gower-Slave, who was too good for the Fitzgerald ridden Goguenard.

It was a chance mount for Johnson, whose original ride was taken out because of the ground, and Hobbs reported: "The horse had to be very brave because one of the horse's that fell at Bechers turned right over and as his legs were waving in the air, he hit Gower-Slave in the face."

Cork-born rider Brian Crowley (20) had a very easy win on Montalcino in the Mersey Hurdle to add to his successful season in Britain, which also saw him win the Welsh National in December.