Going soft but good for Lord

Lord Transcend pu up a marvellous display of front-running and bold jumping under Graham Lee to win the Peter Marsh Chase by 10 lengths from the gallant Tony McCoy-ridden First Gold, making the most of the 17lb he was receiving from the veteran French raider in very testing going.

Winning trainer Howard Johnson has 85 horses at his Crook, County Durham yard for Lord Transcend's owner, the software billionaire Graham Wylie. As Johnson greeted the winner, he explained that Lord Transcend is the lynchpin of his stable. 'He'd be my favourite horse in the yard, as he was Graham's first horse and Graham got the racing bug with him and turned my yard upside down.'

But Lord Transcend has been hard to train, missing a season because of his fragile legs. 'If you looked at his legs under those bandages, you would see they are in a mess,' Johnson said. 'He won't go to Cheltenham this year and he would be too young for the National but he might go for the Scottish National.' That race last year was won by Johnson's Grey Abbey.

It was a joy to watch Lord Transcend and First Gold tanking along at the head of the field and First Gold must take much of the credit for putting up a fine spectacle. As his trainer, François Doumen, said of his 2000 King George winner: 'He was killed with weight. His past was glorious and he still pays for it.'

There was only one semblance of a mistake from Lord Transcend and Lee was able to ease him near the line, putting behind him a poor jumping display at Wetherby, which his trainer put down to him being 'too buzzy' in the preliminaries.

The win completed a double for Wylie, Johnson and Lee although Inglis Drever made hard work of going through the ground - described by many trainers and jockeys as 'desperate' - in the early stages of the Champion Hurdle Trial. However, Lee kept pushing away and his mount collared Mister McGoldrick between the last two hurdles and went on to win by eight lengths.

Johnson said of Inglis Drever, who was trained on the Flat by Sir Mark Prescott: 'Sir Mark told me that he likes easy ground and that I should not run him on the heavy. I took my chance today but Sir Mark is a good judge and I am a bad judge.'

Bad judge or not, Johnson is doing well with the horses he trains for Wylie and Inglis Drever is a live Champion Hurdle outsider at about 16-1, although he could be switched to the World Hurdle (formerly Stayers') if stablemate Royal Rosa, due to run at Cheltenham on Saturday, does not come up to scratch.

Roman Ark galloped his rivals into submission in the Imperial Leather Novices' Hurdle, not looking in much danger after taking over from Kingston Town shortly after turning for home. Malcolm Jefferson's grey recovered quickly from a last-flight error to beat favourite Baby Run eight lengths and is on target for one of the novices' hurdles at Cheltenham. His time, about five seconds slower than Inglis Drever, was respectable.

Royal Emperor put up a good performance in the Totesport Hurdle to finish second to Doumen's Blue Canyon. It was a confidence booster for Royal Emperor before a return to fences. The winner, confidently ridden by McCoy, benefited from going left-handed after being unsuited by Kempton on Boxing Day.

· Leopardstown must pass a 7.30am inspection to see if today's Irish Champion Hurdle meeting can go ahead. The going is heavy after rain yesterday and a frost is forecast.