Grade 1 Howden Long Walk Hurdle report & free video replay

It was a second Grade 1 win for trainer Fergal O'Brien who threw the six-year-old into top-level company after he was an unlucky loser in a Haydock handicap hurdle last time out.

Jonathan Burke timed his challenge to perfection to edge out Paisley Park, who looked the winner after flying over the last under Tom Bellamy.

Crambo just managed to get his head in front approaching the winning line, however, scoring by a short head.

Paddy Power cut the winner to 8/1 from 20s for the Stayers' Hurdle that they sponsor at the Cheltenham Festival in March.

Dashel Drasher tried to make all but was beaten six lengths in third, while Champ, another previous winner, stayed on for fourth.

Winner 'unique' for delighted O'Brien

“He never knows he’s beat,” said O’Brien. “The horse is still very young and I can’t believe he is here winning a Grade One – I could tell two furlongs out he was going to get there.

“He’s a bull of a horse, Noel Fehily bred him with Jared (Sullivan, co-owner) and Noel always has him home and pre-trains him and has done a great job with him.

“He’s unique, Noel was telling me today he was two weeks’ premature and the mum foaled herself and he is just one of those – you honestly wouldn’t know he was in the place at home, he’s so straightforward.

“We took him away a couple of weeks ago because I wanted Johnny to have a sit on him and because I didn’t want Johnny to get to the races and think, ‘I’m not getting much of a feel here’, because that is just Crambo.

“He said he didn’t give him much of a feel, but I said just trust him on the day and that is what he did – and I can’t thank Johnny enough, he’s given him a fantastic ride.”

O’Brien had taken the tough decision to choose Burke ahead of Crambo’s regular rider Connor Brace.

He added: “Johnny has been riding in Grade Ones since he was 18 years of age. It was my decision, I’ve never hidden behind the owners and I just felt coming here today, I needed to tick all the boxes.

“Conor has done a fantastic job and to be honest, Connor has made this horse over the years.

“This horse hasn’t arrived here today the finished article, this is down to what Connor and all the team at home have put into him, which is what you see today.

Cheltenham aim

“I’m very lucky that I have very good owners and I will speak to them when I get home, and speak to Neil (Jukes, race planner), who does our entries, and see where we go.

“I personally don’t think he needs another run before Cheltenham, but we will see.

“We’ll take it one race at a time and it’s only my second Grade One and I’ve been training 12 years. It’s been a long time between drinks and the first one was very important to me because it belonged to Chris Cooley, who I wouldn’t be here without and I’m absolutely delighted.”

Lavelle so proud of gallant Paisley

Emma Lavelle was almost reduced to tears so proud was she of Paisley Park after he went down fighting in his bid for a record-equalling fourth victory.

It is five years since the popular veteran first claimed the Ascot’s traditional pre-Christmas highlight and he has since added to his tally in 2020 and 2022.

The soon-to-be 12-year-old may not be the force he once was, but having shown the fire still burns bright when a fast-finishing second in last month’s Long Distance Hurdle at Newbury, he was prominent in the market at 6/1 to match French great Baracouda’s four Long Walk wins.

While Paisley Park has become renowned for hitting a flat spot before charging home late, on this occasion he travelled with real zest throughout, ensuring he was right on the coat tails of the leaders rounding the home turn.

As per usual he gave generously to Tom Bellamy when asked for maximum effort and even poked his head in front on the run-in, but was in the end denied by the five years younger Crambo after a titanic tussle.

“He’s just the most extraordinary horse and it is heartbreaking because he did everything right,” said Lavelle.

“He travelled so well today and he jumped brilliantly. He loves it, he absolutely loves his job.

“I just thought, ‘oh this is it’, and whereas at Newbury I was going, ‘oh my God, please don’t come any sooner the line, give us another length to beat Dashel Drasher’, today I was thinking, ‘where is the bloody line!’. I think he thought he’d done enough, but he’s galloped his heart out and we’re so proud of him.

“It’s tough as these races are so hard to win and it’s hard to have horses good enough to run in them even. For him to just keep turning up every year is so, so special.

“When he was travelling so well I thought, ‘my God, there is life in the old dog yet’, because at home he almost feels like he doesn’t quite have the speed he had as a young horse. But you see him at the races and he makes a fool of you every which way this horse because it looks like he is travelling better now than he ever has done.”

On future plans, Lavelle added: “I’ve always said this season is race by race and he’s been like, ‘well I’m not blinking retiring!’. I suppose we will go for the Cleeve (at Cheltenham in January) and see what happens after that.

“The reception he’s got today almost makes me cry and I’m walking in and I’m like, ‘oh my God’, and it’s not because I’m beaten. I stood out the front, not surrounded by friends or anything, but just the noise of people shouting for Paisley is just incredible.”

Timeform View: David Cleary

The first Grade 1 of the season for staying hurdlers attracted just about all the best British-trained contenders in the division. A race run at just a fair pace on good ground perhaps wasn't ideal for the out-and-out stayers in the line-up, but the first two – Crambo and Paisley Park – did well to pull as far clear from the pacemaking Dashel Drasher on the run-in as they did. Their efforts look well up to scratch for the race.

Paisley Park was weighted to turn the tables on Dashel Drasher from their meeting at Newbury early in the month and duly did so. However, he was denied a fourth win in the Long Walk by Crambo, a rival five years his junior, edged out close home after the pair had had a tremendous scrap from the last.

This was just Crambo's second run at three miles and he's evidently improved markedly for the longer distance, given a well-judged ride by Jonathan Burke, taking over in the saddle. That said, Crambo's age seems the main reason why he would be a significantly shorter price for Cheltenham than the runner-up. He could improve again, though he will need to against the pick of the Irish.

Of the rest, the favourite West Balboa disappointed in better company. The other previous Long Walk winner in the field Champ shaped satisfactorily on his first outing since the spring. The four-year-old Blueking d'Oroux ran respectably, perhaps stretched by the much longer trip.

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