Ferdy Murphy's Paris Pike jumped his way into a crack at either the Irish or Scottish Nationals with a fine staying performance in the Kings Arms Handicap Chase at Kelso today.
And his stable companion Addington Boy, who finished third, also has a big race date, at Aintree where he will meet today's runner up Sparky Gayle in the Martell Grand National.
The first fence in the straight, which would also have been the last was omitted because of the low lying sun and as a result the run in was about three and a half furlongs.
Paris Pike went on at what was the last fence as The Grey Monk took a crashing fall and the former kept up the gallop relentlessly to beat Sparky Gayle by eight lengths with Addington Boy a further 16 lengths adrift.
Murphy said: "This (Paris Pike) is the real article and there is a big race in him this or next year and we will look at the Irish and Scottish Nationals now."
He is the most balanced horse I have ever schooled and has got gears - he will be an Aintree horse in a couple of years."
And of Addington Boy he added: "There is no need for him to go to Cheltenham now and he will head straight for the National. He wants better ground than this and if he had had it today he might have beaten the other horse (Paris Pike) because he has a bit more class at this stage."
Sparky Gale's owner Ray Anderson Green said: "I am absolutely delighted with him on ground which was not ideal. The wind operation he had in the winter has obviously worked and he goes straight for the National if the ground is good."
The Grey Monk seemed sound after his mishap but this was not a good National preparation.
Jockey Tony Dobbin explained: "It was just one of those things, the horse did not seem right and he never went a yard - I am very, very disappointed.
"It was some fall. He hit the ground really hard but fortunately he looks okay. I love that horse and it is a bad way to go off to a National."
The race proved a disappointing swansong for Davy Blake who was having his last run but was pulled up seemingly lame on the second circuit.
This grand campaigner won nine of his 31 races under Rules, all but one at Kelso.
Norman Dalgetty who owned him and trained him under permit and who celebrated his 77th birthday yesterday said: "He is obviously the best horse I have ever had. We had a few setbacks with him, and it is a pity he did not end on a high note, but he has done us proud."
Dobbin's disappointment over The Grey Monk's form was however tempered by a near 114-1 treble on Mirjan, Master Tern and Jansue Charlie to take his score in the past four days to eight.
Mirjan made it third time lucky over jumps in the Rickert Betting At York Juvenile Novices' Hurdle and trainer Lenny Lungo is keeping his fingers crossed that he gets a run in the Elite Racing Club Triumph Hurdle.
He said of the 82,000 guineas buy out of the Luca Cumani stable: "I hope for the North's sake that this form will be good enough to get him in the race - after all the runner-up was third in a good Group Two race in France last year. "
Master Tern followed up his 20-1 success at Cheltenham a with another good effort in the Bank of Scotland Premier Hurdle, and he could be Festival-bound too, a 7lb penalty taking his weight to 10st 1lb in the Vincent O'Brien County Hurdle.
The chestnut gelding, who carries the colours of JP McManus, was the medium of a wager of £10,500-3,000 but trainer Jonjo O'Neill, admitted: "It was a surprise to me when he won at Cheltenham and this was a surprise again. I have not had a lot of faith in him and he does not give any confidence at all."
Dobbin kept Jansue Charlie going well to win the Ship Hotel Eyemouth Handicap Hurdle after which permit-holder Rayson Nixon said: "The jockey and the blinkers for the first-time seemed to help, Tony is in great form."
Mary Reveley took her prize money earnings for the season over the £500,000-mark and left herself four short of a century when Buddy Marvel won the Cyril Alexander Memorial Novices' Chase under a fine ride from conditional Tony Ross.
