Expectant Costello delighted to keep Easterby’s winning run on right track

Buoyed by the stable’s Cheltenham Festival win with Hawk High and a valiant placed effort by Trustan Times, the bay mare edged out The Pirate Queen in the closing stages of the £40,000 EBF Stallions & TBA Mares’ ‘National Hunt’ Novices’ Hurdle Finale at Newbury.

It looked for much of the straight as if the Alan King-trained The Pirate Queen was going to repel the challenge only for Dougie Costello’s mount, a two-time winner at Wetherby this season, to put her head in front on the line to win by a short-head.

“I wasn’t sure I’d won because she wasn’t doing a lot, but thanks to Tim for putting me back on her,” said Costello, who revealed how he nearly missed the race.

“I also need to say a big thank-you to the mother-in-law as my wife is at home lying on the couch in labour, I will be home in 30 minutes, so I’m glad it worked.”

The victory was another significant boost for Great Habton-based Easterby ahead of the 2014 Flat campaign that begins at Doncaster this Saturday.

Sam Waley-Cohen sees no reason why 2011 Gold Cup winner Long Run will not handle Aintree’s unique fences when he lines up in the Crabbie’s Grand National on Saturday week.

Well-beaten in Wetherby’s Charlie Hall Chase and then the Betfair Chase at Haydock, the horse was already trailing in rear when unseating Waley-Cohen at the final fence in the King George.

Long Run, who enjoyed a great rivalry with Kauto Star and Denman before losing his way, did enjoy a confidence-boosting win at Kelso last time out.

His rider has a first-class record over the National fences. From 16 starts, he has won on three occasions and been placed five times, including last year when Oscar Time was fourth to Sue Smith’s Yorkshire hero Auroras Encore.

“You need a horse with class. If a horse can’t travel comfortably, you’re in trouble. If you’re always having to ask and push you never get into it. For me, you want a horse that can gallop and attack fences otherwise it’s hard work,” said Waley-Cohen whose father Robert owns the Nick Henderson-trained horse.

The jockey also disclosed that Long Run is only heading to Aintree after the controversial fences were made more horse-friendly.

He said: “They are definitely different. They’re a bit more forgiving and you can get away with a little bit more. I can’t wait to ride him.

“We wouldn’t have run him over the old fences, there is truth to that. He gets a bit casual, he runs into one or gets racing and gets a bit casual.

“When you see him meet a fence right, he really uses himself well, he’s neat and powerful. With the National fences, they back them off and they can think about them and respect them.”

Saltburn jockey James Reveley is still waiting to hear whether his father Keith’s Night In Milan makes the 40-runner cut for the National.

However, Scotswell could be a Scottish National contender after landing the £25,000 Liz Adam Memorial Handicap Chase at Kelso under Reveley, who continues to ply his trade with increasing effectiveness in Britain and France.

It was the most significant win to date in the training career of Harriet Graham, who is clerk of the course at Musselburgh and Perth.

She said: “He’s home-bred and if he ran well today we said we would save some pennies and enter him in the Scottish Grand National. That’s the long-term aim so, hopefully, he will get in.”

Danny Cook was on the scoresheet on his first day back since breaking his leg at Newcastle in November when Kilgefin Star took the novices’ hurdle at the Borders track.

Cook, attached to the yard of Malton trainer Brian Ellison, suffered the injury in freak circumstances – he was kicked at the start of a race and then rode in the contest before realising the extent of his injury.

The rider then suffered a setback when it emerged that the fracture had not healed.

He said: “It’s nice to have a comeback winner as it gets the blood flowing again.”

Grand National-winning jockey Ryan Mania recorded his 49th success of the campaign, a new season-best, when Bellorophon took the handicap hurdle. It was a spare ride following Wilson Renwick’s fall in an earlier race.

Norton trainer John Quinn’s Cockney Sparrow could line up in the Grade One Mares Hurdle at the Punchestown festival.

A winner at Wetherby, she was second to My Tent Or Yours in the Fighting Fifth at Newcastle before finishing a creditable fifth to the history-making Quevega in the OLBG Mares’ Hurdle at Cheltenham.