Found A Fifty was the epitome of bravery in a pulsating finish to the My Pension Expert Maghull Novices’ Chase at Aintree.

Gordon Elliott’s Arkle runner-up had seen the form of that race franked by Cheltenham Festival third Il Etait Temps on Thursday and with Quilixios and Nickle Back leading the field along at a strong pace, the seven-year-old’s stamina was assured to come into play in the closing stages.

Both Jack Kennedy aboard Found A Fifty and Nigel Twiston-Davies’ Master Chewy edged their way into contention and it soon became evident they would fight out the finish of this race, as Quilixios backed out of things after two out.

There was little to separate the pair at the last and it seemed Master Chewy was going to keep on to glory when edging his head in front up the run-in. But Found A Fifty (11-8 favourite) was not for lying down and rallied gamely to get back up after a titanic tussle in the shadow of the post.

Elliott said: “We’ve had a great season, we’ve been hitting the crossbar all week and what’s not winning is running very well.

“I’m thrilled to see this horse win and I’m delighted for Noel and Valerie (Moran, owners). It’s a huge day and he was tough. He’s a good horse.”

Gerri Colombe battled to victory to take the William Hill Bowl Chase at Aintree.

Gordon Elliott’s Cheltenham Gold Cup runner-up was sent off the 9-4 favourite and travelled competitively throughout under Jack Kennedy.

He was ridden rounding the home turn but as stamina came to the fore up the run in, he locked horns with Ahoy Senor.

While Lucinda Russell’s charge did his best to fight back up the inside, Gerri Colombe was just too strong and came home half a length in front.

Corbetts Cross finished a further two and a quarter lengths back in third.

For a young jockey, Jack Kennedy is very familiar with the highs and lows that racing can supply.

The 24-year-old has experienced extremes of both throughout his career so far, winning 10 times at the Cheltenham Festival but missing the meeting completely due to injury twice.

He has suffered a broken leg on five different occasions, but each time has returned to action to seamlessly pick up where he left off.

Cheltenham success, which evades many good jockeys for years, came almost instantly to Kennedy when he partnered Labaik to victory in the 2017 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, despite the horse being a 25-1 chance with a history of refusing to race.

The triumph was no fluke, however, and at the 2018 Festival he rode four winners for Gordon Elliott, though the following year he drew a blank and returned to Ireland empty handed.

Injury prevented him from riding at the meeting in 2020, but the all-or-nothing nature of his Cheltenham fortunes was evidenced again in 2021, as he rode four winners, including the biggest prize of them all when partnering Henry de Bromhead’s Minella Indo to Gold Cup victory.

However, the whole event was held behind closed doors due to the coronavirus pandemic, something that struck him as he walked back to the paddock past an empty grandstand that would usually be brimming with people.

“It was class, obviously it was a pity there was no one there but the initial feeling I got when I crossed the line was the same as if the stands were packed,” he said.

“The walk down the chute and things afterwards, that’s when you realise there’s no one there, but it was a dream come true.”

Delta Work provided him with a sole victory in 2022 when winning the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase before a fall at Naas the following January scuppered any hopes of riding at the meeting last year.

“Missing it last year was tough and there’s a while to go yet, so hopefully I do make it there,” the rider said.

“I’ll keep going, as when you start thinking about those sort of things, then something goes wrong then. I’ll keep going as usual.

“I suppose it’s just the cards you’re dealt. We seem to be going well this year.

“Labaik seems a while ago and obviously there’s been a couple of years I’ve missed through injury.”

The Cheltenham Festival is the pinnacle of the sport for many and for the big operations, from which people expect success, there is a great sense of pressure to get off the mark as soon as possible.

Spectators will be keenly waiting for the first success from the power stables of Willie Mullins and Elliott and this is a pressure that trails into the weighing room, too.

“To get a winner is great, we’ll try to pick up as many as possible – but if I get one, I’ll be happy,” said Kennedy.

“It’s a big help if you can get one on the board early, it kind of settles you into the week better than if you’re left waiting for one. It’s a massive help if you can get one on the first day.

“If you haven’t had a winner by the Thursday, you’d obviously be getting a bit anxious, but you’d try to not let it get it to you and you just have to keep riding as best you can.

“I suppose I get a bit nervous, but I wouldn’t let it get to me. Sitting in the weighing room, maybe the 10 minutes before you go out, you’re wanting to get on with it, but as soon as you get up on them, it all goes away.

“The weighing room is quieter than everywhere else, as everyone is in the zone. Once you get settled into the whole thing, everyone will loosen up a bit, but before the race people are probably a bit tense.

“It depends what sort of week you’re having, if it’s a good week it flies by and if it’s a bad week it can be the longest week of your life. In 2019, I didn’t have a winner there, that was a long week.”

Kennedy may have ridden a Gold Cup winner for De Bromhead but Elliott is the trainer with whom he is most readily associated and the two have a well-established bond.

“Gordon has been unreal. From the minute I came in here, he hasn’t been afraid to put me up on good horses,” he said.

“I’ve been up here on school holidays since I was 12 or 13 and started here full-time just before I turned 16.

“Myself and Gordon have the same ideas about things and seem to work well together. I’m sure he’s been unhappy with a few rides around there, actually in 2019 after the County Hurdle (unseated from Eclair De Beaufeau at the last), I got a bit of a telling off after that!

“Even if I did something wrong, Gordon would tell me but he forgets about it straight away and it’s on to the next one.”

It is clearly a partnership based on mutual esteem and loyalty and Elliott is unreserved in his praise for the rider, simply saying: “In my mind, he’s the best jockey riding, on either side of the Irish Sea – he’s different class.”

Paul Townend hit back with a treble of his own at Fairyhouse in his effort to keep tabs on Jack Kennedy in the battle to be champion jockey.

Kennedy moved 19 clear with a four-timer at Down Royal on Tuesday but just 24 hours later that was back down to 16, as Townend partnered three of his boss Willie Mullins’ four winners at the rescheduled meeting.

Spread Boss Ted (2-5 favourite) had to be ridden right out to justify cramped odds in the Easter Festival March 30th – April 1st Novice Hurdle, in which Kennedy’s mount Binge Worthy was a bitter disappointment and finished a tailed off last of four.

“I went out to settle him and thought I was after doing too good of a job at halfway!” said Townend.

Spindleberry (5-2) looked the Mullins second string in the HAY “How Are Ya” Campaign Mares Maiden Hurdle behind the Mark Walsh-ridden Jolie Coeur Allen but she was an impressive winner, with the favourite only third.

“Coming off a break, that will knock the freshness out of her and she showed a very willing attitude to stay going after being as keen as she was for the first mile of the race,” said Townend.

“She’s lightly-raced too and only had one run in a bumper, so I think she’ll improve away.”

O’Moore Park (8-11 favourite) brought up Townend’s treble with a nine-length win in the Fairyhouse Supporting Treo Eile Maiden Hurdle.

Townend said: “He benefitted from the run the last day, which knocked the freshness out of him and brought him on.

“He’s a chaser – he’s no respect for a hurdle when he meets one wrong.

“On that ground, to pick up like he did when I gave him a squeeze at the back of the last was nice. He’s progressing away and is going to be a chaser.

“I think he can go further.”

Walsh did get on the scoresheet himself when Mirazur West (8-11 favourite), a full-brother to high-class-but-fragile stablemate Ferny Hollow, won the Easter Festival Early Bird Maiden Hurdle.

There was a sad postscript to the race, with Gordon Elliott’s D B Cooper, the winner’s main market rival, suffering a fatal injury.

Mirazur West was left unchanged at 14-1 for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle by Paddy Power and Betfair.

“He’s still learning and settled a lot better today than he did in Leopardstown,” said Walsh.

“He’s well able to jump, there is no issue with that anyway, it’s just keeping him relaxed.

“I only found out when I pulled up that Jack’s horse had gone wrong. It takes away from the race and is very unfortunate.”

Gordon Elliott’s Favori De Champdou impressed in winning the Liam & Valerie Brennan Florida Pearl Novice Chase at Punchestown.

The eight-year-old was an 11-2 chance under Jack Kennedy in a field of seven, though the group was quickly diminished when Jonathan Sweeney’s Churchstonewarrior fell at the second.

The loose horse was a worry throughout the race and was particularly problematic for Gavin Cromwell’s Flooring Porter, who was pestered by him when taking up the lead.

That lead was eventually assumed by Favori De Champdou, who kept on well to prevail by 14 lengths from Paul Nolan’s Sandor Clegane.

“He’d a good run the last day and we thought he’d come on from it but we thought it would be tough,” Elliott said.

“Jack said he stayed very well and jumped brilliant. I’d imagine he’ll go for something at Christmas.

“I liked the way he stayed galloping. He travelled the whole way and he could be a real National Hunt Chase horse for Cheltenham.”

Kennedy added: “The loose horse wasn’t doing Flooring Porter any favours, but it was sort of working out well for me.

“Very good, jumped great and galloped all the way to the line so I am very happy with him.

“He’s a very strong stayer and the further he goes, the better he gets. He could nearly have gone around there again.”

Gordon Elliott enjoyed another good day at the office as the trainer claimed the first five races at Down Royal.

Elliott arrived on a high having sent out six winners at the track on Friday and he picked up where he left off in the opening Lisburn And Castlereagh City Council 3-Y-O Hurdle, with Jack Kennedy and 1-4 favourite Wodhooh hitting the target.

The filly is a former Flat performer and has won twice over hurdles since joining Elliott from Sir Michael Stoute, with this success likely to lead to a step up in grade.

Elliott said: “She’s tough and he (Kennedy) said it probably would have suited more if they had gone faster. He said he was kind of on his own in front and she was looking around her.

“She’s tough, she has won three now and she hasn’t done anything wrong.

“She will probably go to Newbury now for the Listed hurdle on December 2.”

Next was the turn of Down Memory Lane, a JP McManus-owned five-year-old who had a point-to-point and a bumper victory under his belt as he came into his hurdles debut the 2-7 favourite.

Under Derek O’Connor, the gelding won by three lengths despite a less than fluent jump at the last in the Tayto Group Maiden Hurdle.

“Derek was very happy but it wasn’t a wonderful race on paper, so you would be disappointed if he didn’t do that. I liked what I saw there,” Elliott said.

“We’ll get him home and see how he is and make a plan, I think we’ll stick to two miles at the moment.

“He has loads of boot and Derek seemed to be fairly happy, and he doesn’t say much, so he looks a good one.”

The Listed Haslem Hotel Handicap Hurdle was then won by Magic Tricks and Carl Millar, a two-length triumph at odds of 5-1.

“Carl gave him a nice ride, he’s got a chance this young lad. He’s with us a couple of years and he has waited his turn and is working hard,” Elliott said.

“He was riding ponies around Dublin two years ago and has come on a long way. He’s going to get plenty of chances. In fairness, he did exactly what we told him to do.

“He (Magic Tricks) has had a few problems, but it is great to do that. Cheekpieces might have helped him today.

“If he didn’t win today, I was going to go chasing with him, but I don’t know now – we’ll see.”

Gerri Colombe obliged in the feature Ladbrokes Champion Chase, after which Elliott scored for a final time on the card as Kennedy and Ash Tree Meadow won a two-runner renewal of the Grade Two racingtv.com/freetrial Chase as the 8-15 favourite.

“We didn’t put him in the John Durkan. We will probably give him a break now as he has been in all summer and we will train him back for some of the Grand Nationals next year,” Elliott said.

“I could run him in the Grand National (at Aintree) in the spring. We were going to go to the American Grand National with him, but he is a French-bred and couldn’t go with his bloods.”

Elliott also sent out two winners at Gowran, taking his tally over the two days to 13.

He added: “A great day but, as I said before, I am very lucky with the horses I have and all the staff. I’m delighted for all the owners too.”