Gwanako held up in rear, steady headway 9th, went 2nd 4 out, led between last 2, hung left approaching elbow, 4 lengths clear 150yds out, just held on

Irish Raptor tracked leaders, led 10th (Bechers), headed after 2 out, rallied last 150yds, just held

Bothar Na held up towards rear, steady headway 10th (Bechers), chasing leaders 3 out, stayed on same pace from next

I Hear Thunder mid-division, headway 7th, soon chasing leaders, weakened approaching 2 out

Palarshan chased leaders, blundered 13th (Valentines), weakened after 2 out

Oodachee in rear, headway 4 out, stayed on between last 2, never reached leaders

Theatre Knight mid-division, headway to chase leaders 10th (Bechers), weakened 2 out

Black Hills towards rear, headway 4 out, weakened last

Too Forward in rear, hampered 3rd (Chair) and 12th (Canal Turn), some headway 14th, never on terms

Which Pocket towards rear, hampered 12th (Canal Turn), soon behind, tailed off 3 out

Roman Ark in touch, lost place 10th (Bechers), behind from 4 out

Azulejo in rear, hampered 3rd (Chair) behind from 5th

Kenzo III blundered 1st, led to 5th, with leaders when blundered and unseated rider 11th (Foinavon)

Natal in rear-division, good headway 6th, chasing leaders when fell 8th

Macs Flamingo chased leaders, badly hampered and unseated rider 10th (Bechers)

You´re Special in rear, tailed off when pulled up before 14th

Crozan with leaders, left in lead 6th, headed and fell 10th (Bechers)

In The High Grass in rear, fell 8th, dead

Dreux chased leaders, fell 8th

Nice Try in rear, headway and in touch when blunder, hampered and unseated rider 10th (Bechers)

Pak Jack held up, headway 8th, 6th and prominent when fell 12th (Canal Turn)

Dunbrody Millar in rear, behind from 5th, tailed off when pulled up before 16th

Lankawi in rear, headway and 8th when fell 12th (Canal Turn)

Tommy Spar in rear, mistake 5th, fell 8th

Time To Sell in rear when fell 3rd (Chair), dead

Mighty Matters chased leaders, blundered and unseated rider 9th

Eric´s Charm prominent, fell 6th

Marked Man prominent, fell 10th (Bechers)

Nacarat with leaders, led 5th, fell next

This is usually a great spectacle, but it made uncomfortable viewing, with only 12 of these experienced chasers standing at the end of an incident-packed affair run at a relentless pace on drying ground. Plenty of the more fancied runners fell, among them Natal, Nacarat, Kenzo and Pak Jack, who were all prominent at the time of their departures, and one must hope that what happened is not a portent for the National itself.

This was the second running of the Topham as an open handicap, but with the weights raised 14lb at the overnight stage and the new top weight rated just 145, the quality was no better than it might have been with the old 150 ceiling. It failed to draw enough horses of the class a race of this value ought to have attracted, but for once the entire field was in the proper handicap. Ex-French GWANAKO went to post the youngest in the field and with only three chases under his belt, but he had excelled himself when chasing home shock winner Mister McGoldrick in the Racing Post Plate, and off just a 4lb stiffer mark his relative lack of experience proved no handicap whatsoever, as he coped really well with the unique fences. After Becher's took a heavy toll on the field, he was among those left chasing Irish Raptor, and he was handy, going nicely, all the way back from the Canal Turn to the second-last, where the leader got in too close. Gwanako had the race won at the last, but for a moment it looked as if he was heading straight on for the water jump. He needed correcting to negotiate the Elbow safely, but he was still three or four lengths clear and it was only because he seemed to be pulling himself up in the last 50 yards that Irish Raptor got so close again.

While he was not so impressive as Cyfor Malta, who was the only previous five-year-old to win the race, it was still a remarkable performance from a horse who had begun the season winning the Free Handicap Hurdle at Chepstow. The Grand National will no doubt be the target next season, but it is worth remembering that few of these precocious French-breds seem to stay extreme distances, and so he will still have plenty to prove.

Irish challenger Bothar Na ran in the National itself last year and was pulled up. He travelled ominously well here as they headed back from the Canal Turn and looked as big a danger to Irish Raptor as the winner when they came back on to the racecourse. But he did not find as much as looked likely after the second-last, and although he is often placed, he has not won for nearly two years.

Not for the first time here, outsider I Hear Thunder excelled himself in fourth. A course-and-distance winner in 2006, he was right in the thick of it from halfway but was outclassed by the principals from the second-last.

Palarshan has gone five years since his last win, at the Cheltenham Festival, but he has been only lightly raced and has shown he retains his ability again and again. This was his first time here, and he seemed to cope fine with the fences.

Oodachee was pulled up in the Irish National, but he has run well in these big handicaps before. He has yet to win in handicap company, however.

Last year's winner Dunbrody Millar never seemed to be going this time and was eventually pulled up. Last year's runner-up Theatre Knight did a lot better and he was still well in touch at Valentine's. However, he did not get home this time. [GD]

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