IT wasn't to be for Wye Valley Grand National-winning trainer Venetia Williams 16 years on from Mon Mome's famous 100/1 victory at Aintree.
Two-time Betfair Chase winner Royalle Pagaille, who revels in the winter mud, found the National’s hard ground hard going and was pulled up by jockey Charlie Deutsch after 16 fences.
But there was joy for neighbouring Woolhope trainer Tom Lacey and local farmer owners Frank Green and John Chinn, as Cruz Control under 2021 Welsh National-winning Herefordshire jockey Stan Sheppard stormed to Saturday's £100,000 William Hill Handicap Chase for the second year running, the 10/1 shot breaking clear of 11/4 favourite Imperial Saint to win by 5L in the last 100 yards.
The horse suffered with ulcers earlier in the season, and Lacey said: “I’m delighted to be able to get him back on track – he’d completely lost his way.
"He ran OK in Punchestown, and Stan just said to me afterwards, ‘He’s proper tired’, and it’s taken until now to get him really back on song.
"We mixed it up at home – took him to the beach, jumped the Aintree fences at Lambourn with him, and I’m so delighted for the owners, who are great supporters of mine.
“We’ve sweetened him up – did more slow work, gave him some away days, and the sun on his back.
“It’s just my name on the licence – there’s a team of lads at home doing all the work, and it’s great.
"This turns the whole season around and reinforces the fact that we can do it.”
Sheppard added: "He hasn’t been in the same form he was in last year, not even close to it, but he obviously likes a bit of sun on his back.
"Tom has done a great job with him; he hasn’t rushed him when he knew he wasn’t right, he didn’t run him. It’s a great team effort to get him back here...
“On Boxing Day at Wetherby he jumped like a bag of spanners, which is so unlike him, and it was after that we found the ulcers, and everyone’s worked really hard to get him into such good form again.
"It kills me to say it, but that was a great training performance from Tom! We said last year we just need to get a big one; last year we got two, and this is our big one today.”
Meanwhile, Venetia got to see the 25-year-old Mon Mome in the National's Parade of Champions before the big one on Saturday, alongside Neptune Collonges, Pineau De Re, Tiger Roll, Corach Rambler, Blaklion, Vieux Lion Rouge and Walk In The Mill.
But there wasn't too much to celebrate on the Aintree track for the King's Caple yard, Djelo taking sixth in the £250,000 Brooklands Golden Miller Bowl Chase for a £3,583 pay day, Frero Banbou pulled up in the WH Handicap Chase, and Gemirande finishing to the back of the pack in the £150,000 Topham Handicap Chase, where Sellack trainer Ryan Potter's Jetoile finished sixth to claim a £1,980 payout.
Elsewhere, Hentland trainer Tom Symonds had success with 9/2 shot Kalista Love at Ffos Las on Sunday however, taking the £7,500 Mares' Handicap Hurdle under jockey Ben Poste by 1 1/4L from Jasmie d'Airy.