Heskin wins Sefton on Worlds End

The Worlds End (3-1) had more than enough in reserve to return to winning ways with a hard-fought success in the Doom Bar Sefton Novices' Hurdle at Aintree.

Having taken a crashing fall when still in contention in the Albert Bartlett at the Cheltenham Festival, the six-year-old showed no ill effects from that tumble when setting the record straight with a first Grade One win.

Always travelling smoothly in the hands of Adrian Heskin, he moved to the front of the field over three out, with a host of dangers stacked up in behind him.

Despite flattening the final flight, the Tom George-trained gelding kept on finding for pressure and held on to take the three-mile-one-furlong contest by half a length from Beyond Conceit to give the winning rider his 50th success of the season.

Heskin said: "He's a lovely horse and it's a great training performance to get him back in that sort of form after a bad fall only three weeks ago. Amazing. At the end of Cheltenham I felt this horse was the one that got away.

"I had no doubt he was the best horse in the race at Cheltenham and it's great to get compensation, he's a horse with a big future.

"He's such a natural hurdler I'd say there's no point in changing that now. He's the heart of a lion, he didn't deserve to fall but he got his reward today."

Owner Max McNeil said: "We thought we were unlucky at Cheltenham. We thought let's give it a go. The only worry was his jumping after such a bad fall and approaching the last I had to close my eyes, but he was good."

He added: "We'll go the staying hurdle route, that looks open.

"Tom George has done a fantastic job and Adrian Heskin is brilliant, what an inspired choice (of retained rider) by Tom. I'm so pleased I've provided him with his 50th winner as we were so disappointed leaving Cheltenham on Gold Cup day."

George said: "That's made up for Cheltenham. He was travelling very easily that day. He had a hard fall and we've done a lot of schooling with him. He's put it right today and deserves a good holiday now.

"I'll sit down with the owners and we'll worry about next year in the summer. I might go the route I don't normally take and stick to hurdles, but we'll see how he is."

Nicky Henderson said of Beyond Conceit: "It was a fantastic run. Putting him up in trip and dropping him right out seems to really suit him. Constantine Bay (fourth) if he gets soft ground, probably over fences, would be great."