TRAINER Gavin Cromwell increased his high strike-rate in Britain this season with a superb big race double at Haydock on Saturday. Sean Flanagan partnered both winners.

Yeah Man provided the visitors with their first ever success at Haydock with a dour staying performance in the Virgin Bet Grand National Trial.

The Irish raider was a 9/2 joint-favourite for the £100,000 feature, having finished a close second to Victtorino on his most recent trip across the water for Ascot’s Silver Cup in December.

With conditions ultra-testing, the three-and-a-half-mile contest was not for the faint hearted, and in the end it turned into a straight shootout between the bold-jumping grey My Silver Lining and Yeah Man, who stalked the mare into the home straight.

My Silver Lining looked to be travelling the better of the pair three fences from the finish, but Cromwell’s charge started to get on top late on and passed the post with a length and a half in hand.

Yeah Man is not entered in the Randox Grand National at Aintree but Cromwell, who decided against making the trip to Merseyside, is eyeing the Irish equivalent.

He said: “I’m delighted with that and I think he deserved it after a couple of defeats at Ascot.

“We weren’t sure about the ground, but he got through it well. I’d say we’ll go for the Irish Grand National now. He wouldn’t have got into it off his current mark, but he will get in now.

“I think we’ll skip Cheltenham, he may have an entry in the Kim Muir but I’d say he’s most likely to go for the Irish Grand National.

“I’ve never had a winner at Haydock before and I’ve never been. It’s a great result.”

Flanagan said: “It was a very good performance and I’ve actually fallen off him after the line. He just stood on himself and I went over his head.

“The only worry we had was the ground. He had one run on it last year (and disappointed), but I rode him that day and things just weren’t right for him on the day anyway and he didn’t finish out.

“He was duly rewarded today as he’s been knocking on the door and tipped up (at Ascot) two runs back.

“He jumped really well today, he’s a dour stayer and he’s done it really well.”

Grade 2 success

Just over an hour later Cromwell and Flanagan struck again when Now Is The Hour (12/1) ran out a surprisingly easy winner of the Grade 2 Prestige Novices' Hurdle over an extended three miles.

Winner of a two-and-a-half mile maiden hurdle at Fairyhouse last month, Now Is The Hour was taking a big step up in class but, held up at the rear of the 10-runner field, the seven-year-old coped best with the heavy conditions and breezed into the lead at the last before being pushed out to score by 17 lengths.

The result augurs well for Irish novice hurdlers taking on their British counterparts at Cheltenham next month.

Gavin Cromwell has now trained 11 winners in Britain this season - seven at Cheltenham, two at Haydock and one at both Doncaster and Huntingdon.