WALES has to wait another year for Grand National glory after Irish runners scored a 1-2-3-4 in Saturday’s big race.

The Evan Williams-trained Buywise only got as far as the Canal Turn in the Grand National before getting squeezed up and depositing his jockey on the Aintree turf.

Kirkland remains the only Welsh-trained horse to have won it, back in 1905.

Although he had no winners at the meeting, Williams can be pleased with some fine placed efforts. Clyne recorded another personal best finishing third in the Grade 1 Aintree Hurdle. For a while he looked like he might win. His stablemate On Tour, owned like Buywise by chemist Hywel Jones, put up a bold show coming in second to Thomas Patrick in the three mile chase on Saturday. He likes the Mildmay course, having won there in November, and doubtless he will return to Aintree next season.

It was a case of what might have been for many of our local trainers this week, with many placings but few victories. Milton Bradley’s Indian Affair was second at Wolverhampton on Saturday, succumbing to the winner’s challenge only in the last 50 yards.

Deborah Faulkner’s Beallandendall was always looking held by Modeligo when finishing second to him at Chepstow, but two recent course wins had left him 14 pounds worse off with the winner compared with their February clash.

Faint Hope was third of four in a Ffos Las novice hurdle for Grace Harris, only four lengths behind Greatrex and Twiston-Davies horses. It was a slowly-run affair, though, and the form may not be reliable.

David Evans sent five horses to Windsor on Monday and came away with two second places and two thirds. At least he could look back on his two-year-old filly Lady Prancealot making good use of her racecourse experience at Chelmsford on Thursday. She broke smartly and made all for an easy win, albeit at the uninviting odds of 1/2.

Ron Harris took the unusual step of running Powerful Dream twice in two days last week. David Probert was the jockey on both occasions. At Lingfield on Wednesday she finished third despite missing the break, a major handicap on such a sharp track. The next evening at Chelmsford she got away better, led near the finish and won going away. She seems equally happy on the all-weather tracks (four wins) and on Bath’s 5f 160yds course when the going is firm (three wins).

Powerful Dream is one of several entries Harris has made for Bath’s all-sprint card on Friday evening.

A large crowd enjoyed a fine afternoon at Chepstow on Saturday. There were doubles for Ali Stronge and Andrew Tinkler. Sam Sheppard was in the winner’s enclosure twice, once on his father’s Modeligo and later on Debra Hamer’s Looks Like Power, who won by 17 lengths.

One that went into several notebooks was Nikap in the bumper. She nearly unseated her rider Tom Buckley when crossing the road after the winning post first time round. The saddle slipped and he lost his irons, yet despite being able to offer his mount limited assistance he stayed in the plate and the filly ran on in great style to finish second to Garretstown. She was, however, carrying at least a stone less than her rivals.