HENRY Brooke was the star of Cartmel’s opening fixture of the season when he landed a first day 269-1 treble at the Cumbrian course.

Remarkably, Brooke’s three winners were for three different trainers and came from just five rides on the day.

He opened with a win on the impressive Never Up, who produced a storming late challenge to peg back the front-running odds-on favourite Romulus Du Donjon, representing the Grand National-winning team of trainer Oliver Sherwood and jockey Leighton Aspell, in the Cartmel 25th Anniversary Sticky Toffee Novices Hurdle.

Never Up, who had been outstanding in the paddock and rightly won the best turn out award for the race, is a fine, big hurdler trained at Middleham by George Moore and, on this evidence, is likely to prove a horse to follow round the Northern circuit.

Brooke’s hopes of a quick double on the front-running Grand looked dead and buried when the favourite Allbarnone cruised to the front approaching the last and went two lengths clear starting up the run in.

However, Grand Vintage rallied to Brooke’s call and with Allbarnone idling in front, he came back to regain the lead close home and provide trainer Kenneth Slack with a first Cartmel win and a fourth of his career so far.

The jockey then had to wait to the final event, the Swan Hotel and Spa Handicap Hurdle to complete his three timer, but it came through the Donald McCain-trained Sealous Scout who stormed away when the even money favourite Vaihau cried enough after jumping three out.

The training honours on the day went to Middleham’s Micky Hammond, whose team is in flying form right now. He completed a 58.5-1 double with Alderbrook Lad in the Bet Totetrifecta Handicap Chase and Tullamore Dew in the featured Burlington Stone Grand Veterans Chase.

Alderbrook Lad is part owned by the new BHA Chief Executive Nick Rust, who was on course with his wife Margarita to receive the trophy.

Tullamore Dew’s owner Bradford-based Les Horvath was paying his first visit to Cartmel and was rewarded with a win when the 13-year-old battled on to keep Hinton Indiana at bay.

“I only ran Tullamore Dew here because of the ground as we weren’t sure he would get the trip. He is a lovely horse, but I wish I had had him six years ago” said Hammond.

Both winners were ridden by Joe Colliver, who was completing the first double of his professional career.