No fluke about Lucky success

Lucky Nellerie is described as a “lunatic” by his trainer Ferdy Murphy but he put up a fine staying performance to win the Weatherbys Bank North Yorkshire Grand National at Catterick.

The ground had officially changed to heavy, from soft, heavy in places before this three-and-three-quarter-mile test and the 8-1 chance loved it as he was soon at the head of affairs.

And that is where he stayed under conditional jockey Michael O’Connell, undaunted by the driving wind and rain and keeping up the gallop to score by three and a half lengths from Bannister Lane.

Murphy also saddled joint-favourite Clemax, who not surprisingly was pulled up after the fourth fence having made a bad mistake at the second.

The West Witton trainer said: “Lucky Nellerie is a lunatic on the gallops, but he is getting better and to be fair to him he is a Christian in other ways.

“He is just very nervous when a jockey gets on his back.

“He is a tough galloper, but he takes a lot of getting fit and will improve for that run.”

O’Connell, who was gaining his 21st career success, joined Murphy in September and he said: “That is my first winner for Ferdy and there is no better man for getting a horse ready for this type of race.

“Tom Dreaper has done a great job with the horse at home too, Lucky Nellerie is tough but he has his own way of doing things and you just have to leave him alone and let him get on with it himself in a race.”