Gentleman De Mee makes the running to down the mighty Edwardstone at Aintree

Saturday: Maghull Novices' Chase, Aintree

Willie Mullins finally got his man. Injury denied him a crack at Edwardstone with his top 2m novice chaser at Cheltenham, where his second string could not quite get the job done.

But Gentleman De Mee succeeded where Arkle Chase third Blue Lord and one-time ante-post favourite Ferny Hollow, sidelined with a sore suspensory ligament since January, failed and lowered the colours of the dual Grade 1 winner.

Edwardstone was sent off 4-7 favourite to complete a top-level treble in the Poundland Maghull Novices' Chase, having scored with authority in giving Alan King his first Cheltenham Festival winner for six years last month.

But in a race in which none of his Arkle victims took him on again, JP McManus' Gentleman De Mee proved the new novice on the block.

Watch again: Gentleman De Mee beats Edwardstone at Aintree

The 7-2 shot, who had only won his first race over fences in February and who scored in Grade 3 company a week before the Arkle, stepped up in class in style as he made all under Mark Walsh.

Edwardstone threatened briefly in the straight but was put in his place by four and a half lengths, though he pulled 11 lengths clear of old rival Third Time Lucki who filled the places.

Mullins felt he was taking on the favourite at just the right time and said: "I was hoping that Alan's horse might just be feeling the effects of Cheltrenham and that's probably what happened.

"He'd been working very well but you don't think you're going to come and beat the Arkle winner. We were fresh coming here and we were hoping our freshness might be the right card to play and it looked like that.

"Mark was very good on him, he got him out and got him jumping. He was giving him a breather when he made a mistake at the fourth-last but Mark felt he was always in charge."

'We've just been beaten by a better horse'

Mullins' last Maghull winner Douvan (2016) went to the top of the 2m chasing tree and the trainer is optimistic for Gentleman De Mee's future.

"He's improved in the last six or eight weeks, probably for a change of tactics and getting confidence winning races, rather than being held up and getting beaten earlier in the season," he said. "He loves being forward in his races, being let do what he wants to do.

"He's maturing and growing into himself, he's a big horse. I'm hoping there's more to come, we'll see if Mr McManus wants to go to Punchestown, and the Champion Chase is a long-term aim, that rather than the Ryanair. He's entitled to be a contender in the Champion Chase. He's improved hugely."

King had no regrets about aiming Edwardstone at a race in which his Arkle winner Voy Por Ustedes was a beaten odds-on favourite behind Foreman in 2006.

"There's no bad luck about it," he said. "On the day we've just been beaten by a better horse. I said in the week the one horse I was scared stiff of was JP's, he was only 3lb below me in the ratings and he's probably come with an easier prep."

Alan King had no regrets about running Edwardstone despite defeatCredit: Edward Whitaker

Third Time Lucki made a bad mistake at the fourth-last fence and Harry Skelton briefly lost an iron.

Trainer Dan Skelton said of the three-time chase winner: "I wish we hadn't bumped the cross fence but he came back on the bridle afterwards and has run well.

"We've seen the back of Edwardstone in the three times we've been beaten this year."

Mullins also revealed that Ferny Hollow is on course to get a belated crack at Edwardstone and the other top two-milers in 2022-23.

"He's good," the trainer said. "He had a vet check the other day and everything's going well. He'll be back next season and hopefully he'll get a bit of time out at grass first."

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