The famous inn is the oldest pub in the historic Lancashire county boundaries and is frequented by the trio who comprise Across The Bay’s syndicate.
Co-owner Anthony Coyne told the Liverpool Echo after Saturdays race “It was a fantastic performance. He had his wind op straight after the Welsh National. He looked really good in the Welsh National all the way down the back straight second time around but Jason said he started gurgling and he might have pulled him up. But he felt the horse kept wanting to run, kept wanting to finish his race. So he nursed him and he still finished seventh. But Donald said he was working well at home, but we couldn’t be certain until he got out on the racecourse how he was going to perform after his wind op. But he kept on giving more every time he was challenged.
“We will leave it to Donald but hopefully we will head to Aintree.”
Haydock’s Betfred Grand National Trial featured just two with entries in the Aintree showpiece – the Rebecca Curtis-trained Teaforthree and Nigel Twiston-Davies’ Viking Blond – although at 76th on the list the latter may struggle to make the cut for the big one.
The former showed up well for a long way before tiring in the testing conditions to eventually come 10th of the 11 finishers. Viking Blond was fifth.