Pickanumber storms to wide-margin win in the Swinton Hurdle at Haydock Park

Pickanumber (22-1) shocked his trainer and the rest of the field as he routed his rivals to grab a wide-margin victory in the Pertemps Network Swinton Handicap Hurdle at Haydock Park on Saturday afternoon.

Irish raiders have been taking plenty of the big National Hunt prizes for the past six months and Joseph O'Brien's Lark In The Morning was sent off the 9-4 favourite to continue it on the only mixed Jumps and Flat meeting in Britain on Merseyside. Last month Willie Mullins took the biggest handicap on Merseyside with I Am Maximus landing the Randox Grand National at Aintree Racecoursebut O’Brien couldn't replicate that at Olly Murphy's Pickanumber turned the prestigious two-mile contest in a procession at Aintree’s sister track.

Under 5lb claimer Dylan Johnston, Murphy's six-year-old dominated the feature at Haydock and ran out an astonishing 15-length winner of what is normally one of the most competitive handicaps of the year. Sue Smith's Tapley (18-1) finished a distant second just half-a-length ahead of Tintintin (11-1) with Luttrell Lad (22-1) the same distance back in fourth. Favourite and recent Cheltenham Festival winner Lark In The Mornin was another half-a-length back in fifth under JJ Slevin. Trainer Murphy admitted he was shocked by the victory but he may head across the Irish Sea for the Galway Hurdle with Pickaumber.

He said: "I'm a bit shocked really, especially because I didn't think they went very quick and I thought there were a lot of horses beat turning in. He's a horse we picked up cheap from Doncaster last autumn and he's four from five for us now. He's kind of not scraped home in a couple of ordinary races, but he hasn't exactly been hosing up and it's just a remarkable performance. I couldn't quite make head nor tail of it really. I wouldn't say I thought we were running in the wrong race, but I thought he'd done his winning and I'm as shocked as anyone. I don't remember a Swinton winner winning by 15 lengths and it probably won't help us going forward, but it's a big pot to win today and we'll enjoy it. I said before today, he's been on the go all winter and probably wants a holiday, but that holiday might be cut short now and we might look over the Irish Sea at a Galway Hurdle."

Zain Nights (4-1 favourite) won the opener at Haydock, the Pertemps Network Long Distance Handicap Hurdle. The Lucy Wadham-trained five-year-old won has been in fine form, winning three of his last four starts including at Cheltenham last month. And under Gavin Sheehan he continued that successful spell with another victory, beating My Bobby Dazzler (14-1) back a head. Harbour Lake (9-1) was a further three-and-a-quarter lengths back in third, with Windtothelightining (11-1) another five-and-a-half lengths adrift in fourth. Under Sheehan, he was always travelling well and took over the lead at the second last and got the better of a battle with the eventual runner-up My Bobby Dazzler.

Trainer Wadham said: "He's unbeaten over three miles and he's as tough as anything, now he's got his jumping together he travels so well, being off the Flat, and he loves this good ground. He's a five-year-old who's just improving. We'll give him a summer break now, we were slightly umming and ahing about running today, but he came out of Cheltenham so well we thought we'd have one more run. I think we'll stay hurdling next season and hopefully he'll be good enough to go for something like the Pertemps Final (at the Cheltenham Festival), he's going that way."

On the Flat at Haydock Shartash (6-1) won the Listed Pertemps Network Spring Trophy Stakes. Archie Watson's four-year-old tracked leader Pogo (9-2) for much of he seven-furlong contest. And under Joshua Bryan, Shartoush hit the front two furlongs out and stayed on well to score by a neck from Pogo. Witch Hunter (11-2) was two-and-a-half lengths back third Karl Burke’s 5-4 favourite disappointed and could only finish fifth of the six runners.

Richard Fahey's Silent Move was a shock 28-1 winner of the Pertemps Network Handicap. The three-year-old had only won one of his previous four starts – at Thirks last August – and was fifth on his seasonal return over 1m2f at Musselburgh last month. But under Connor Murtagh, Silent Move put that indifferent form behind him dropped back to a mile. Silent Move made almost all of the running and stayed on well to score by a length from Cheshire Dancer (11-2) with Cerulean Bay (4-1) a head back in third

Mereside Diva (11-2) landed victory in the the Pertemps Handicap. David Barron’s four-year-old ran out a length winner of the mile contest on the Flat. Under Callum Rodriguez, the filly beat Wreck It Ryley (17-2), with Beauty Choice (15-2) a further length-and-three-quarters back in third.