Cheltenham Festival hero Hawk High made a winning return to action with a determined display in the Betfred TV Handicap Hurdle at Aintree.
A winner on his jumping debut at this fixture a year ago, Tim Easterby's four-year-old went on to claim Festival glory in the Fred Winter Juvenile Hurdle in March before finishing down the field in Grade One company at the Grand National meeting.
The 12-1 shot was ridden patiently by Brian Hughes, but eased into contention leaving the back straight and though the front-running Eagle Rock, Cool Macavity and the favourite Garde La Victoire were all in with a chance jumping the third flight from the finish, it was Hawk High who found most for pressure on the run-in.
Eagle Rock was a length and three-quarters away in second, with Garde La Victoire third after costly jumping mistakes in the home straight.
Winning owner Trevor Hemmings, who landed the Grand National with Hedgehunter in 2005 and again with Ballabriggs in 2011, said: "I was hoping for something today and it's happened, which is great. We bred this horse and he's lovely."
The owner's racing manager, Mick Meagher, added: "He won the three-year-old hurdle here last season having been on the go on the Flat during the summer. He went on to win at Cheltenham and ended up running here at the Grand National meeting, so he was on the go 14 or 15 months.
"He had a good summer to strengthen up and we thought he would improve for the run today. That was the worry, as he's not fully fit. He jumps very quickly and it was a good performance. There is a race at Haydock he could go for in about three weeks and we might also look at something like the Gerry Feilden Hurdle (at Newbury)."
Spirit Of Shankly was unsurprisingly given a good reception from the locals after claiming a clear-cut victory in the Betfred Goals Galore Handicap Hurdle for Charlie Longsdon and Noel Fehily.
Sent off the 2-1 favourite, Spirit Of Shankly moved through the two-and-a-half-mile contest with ease and found himself in front at the top of the home straight. The challengers began to queue up, but a couple of slick leaps kept him in front and he found plenty to fend off Lyvius by a length and a quarter.
Longsdon said: "We were very torn between coming here and going for the Silver Trophy at Chepstow. If I could have got another top jockey to have ridden him at Chepstow, he might have gone there.
"We decided to bring him up here so Noel could ride him, the prize-money isn't as good as Chepstow, but he had to win today and it was important he did it in Liverpool! He had a wind operation in the summer, which has helped. Noel said he is really running to the line now."
Parish Business (17-2) benefited from a perfectly judged front-running ride from Richie O'Dea in the totesport Lotto Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle.
Winning trainer Emma Lavelle said: "Richie has a clock in his head, he gave him a brilliant ride and is a big part of the team at home. The horse is as honest as the day is long and he'll jump a fence in time, but we're pleased with how it's going over hurdles at the moment."
Nicky Henderson and Barry Geraghty combined to take the totesport.mobi Novices' Chase with 4-1 shot Golden Hoof.
Richard Thomas, racing manager for owners Chubby Chandler and Lee Westwood, said: "That was good, he jumped great and the good ground is very important to him. He had a wind operation back in the day, so hopefully we can keep his wind right and we'll have plenty of fun with him."
It was a double for Henderson when the Nico de Boinville-ridden Hunters Hoof (4-1) claimed the concluding Betfred Supports Jack Berry House Maiden Hurdle, with odds-on stablemate Days Of Heaven only third under Geraghty.
