THE Haydock Champion Hurdle Trial was renamed this year in honour of four-time winner The New One, and it was appropriate that this year’s race was won in thrilling style by that popular gelding’s erstwhile stable companion Ballyandy, who provided Sam Twiston-Davies with the second of two unlikely wins, justifying a late move which saw him start at 5/2.

A peck at the penultimate hurdle when challenging seemed to cost the winner his chance, and when Pentland Hills (Nicky Henderson/Nico de Boinville) took over from the front-running Cornerstone Lad (Micky Hammond/Henry Brooke) at the last, the race looked as good as over.