Track and Trace lands North Yorkshire Grand national as part of brilliant treble for Jonjo O'Neill and Richie McLernon

Treble up: Trainer Jonjo O'Neill, left, with JP McManus, the owner of Hasthing whose victory was part of a treble for the Irish trainer at Catterick yesterday. O'Neill's Track and Trace won the feature Vickers.Bet North Yorkshire Grand National. (Photo by Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images)

Track and Trace provided the highlight of a superb 34-1 treble for trainer Jonjo O’Neill and jockey Richie McLernon when winning the Vickers.Bet North Yorkshire Grand National Handicap Chase at Catterick yesterday.

The race, the longest and most valuable of the dual purpose track’s National Hunt season, saw eight runners going to post, including last year’s winner Bushypark – who was also bidding to give trainer Phil Kirby his third win in the last four renewals at his home track.

But it was the raider from Gloucestershire who collected the £10,744 winners’ purse after a three mile and five furlong test on the softground.

Top weight Bushypark cut out most of the early running and was jumping well at the front under conditional jockey Joe Williamson, who was taking five pounds off the horse’s hefty 12 stone weight.

National glory: Jockey Richie McLernon rode a 32-1 treble for trainer Jonjo O'Neill at Catterick - including Track and Trace in the Vickers.Bet North Yorkshire Grand National. (Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images)

Tim Easterby’s Court at Slip (6-1), Ladronne (4-1) and Sean Quinlan and No Cruise Yet (13-2) for Sam and Jonathan England, kept the leader honest, with only a few lengths separating most of the field as the race developed.

But when home favourite Bushypark started to fade on the turn into home, McLernon was waiting to takeover on the 7-2 favourite.

Gillian Boanas’ Crixus’s Escape (8-1), a recent course winner who had been held up at the back for most of the race, started moving forward smoothly and looked at one stage as if he might overhaul the winner under Theo Gillard.

William Easterby on Court at Slip (6-1) also managed to get his horse to rally after the final fence and although both pressed the leader all the way to the line, McLernon had enough in the tank to repel both challengers.

O’Neill said: “I can’t remember the last time I was here, to be honest, it will be a while ago.

“It was a lucky track for me as a jockey, I rode plenty of winners around here, and it’s been a lucky track all round really.

“It’s a nice little track really and the facilities are really nice now.

“He made a couple of little errors, but he hopped away grand. It’s a long trip and he was probably getting a bit tired at the end.

“Hopefully he can move up the ladder a little bit. We’re looking forward to him going forward.”

Earlier, McLernon and O’Neill had won the third race of the day, the Download Raceday Ready Today Novices' Handicap Chase with 3-1 favourite Time for a Pint.

The pair followed it up in the next race – the Friends Of Kiplin Hall/EBF 'National Hunt' Novices' Hurdle – with victory on the JP McManus-owned Hasthing (10-11 fav), who stayed on well to defeat long time leader Pic Roc (4-1).

Earlier, Bingley trainer Sue Smith’s It’s Maisy (7-2 jt fav) won the second race, the racingtv.com Mares' Handicap Hurdle by two and a quarter lengths from Middleham handler Micky Hammond’s You Say It’sOver.

Malton trainer Brian Ellison took the concluding hurdle with Freddy Robinson (10-3) ridden by seven-pound conditional William Maggs.