TRAINER Ian Williams will now prepare Gas Line Boy for another tilt at Grand National glory after he claimed the Grand Sefton Handicap Chase at Aintree on Saturday.
The Portway-based handler made the decision to go for the two-mile-five-furlong event rather than the longer Becher Chase earlier in the day and he was duly rewarded.
The testing conditions over the famous National fences played to the strengths of Gas Line Boy, but he still needed to recover after Arctic Gold fell in front of him at a crucial stage.
He needed to be nimble to avoid the faller before jockey Robbie Dunne kicked clear after the last, with the 9-2 favourite having enough up his sleeve to hold off Ultragold by four and a half lengths.
Sametegal kept on to finish a further two and a half lengths back in third.
The 11-year-old, owned by The Three Graces, came fifth in this year's Grand National and will now be targeted at the 2018 renewal.
After the race, Williams tweeted: "Gas Line Boy confirmed his love of the National fences. He finished a gallant fifth in the Grand National in April and he'll be trained for the big one again.
"All being well, he'll go next in the £100,000 32Red Veterans' Final at Sandown Park on January 6."
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