CARLISLE staged the latest renewal of the Colin Parker Memorial Chase on Sunday on heavy ground, and it attracted an excellent field, with the market headed at 7/4 by Kim Bailey’s Imperial Aura, the impressive winner of the Northern Trust Novices’ Handicap Chase at Cheltenham in March.

The opposition included Sam Brown (Anthony Honeyball/Harry Cobden), winner of the Grade 2 Altcar Novices’ Chase in which the challenging Windsor Park (Brian Ellison/Brian Hughes) was a faller, and Black Op was appearing for the first time since chasing home Slate House in the Grade 1 Kauto Star at Kempton last Christmas.