There was a first Grade One win for Sean Bowen when he and If The Cap Fits got the better of a driving three-way finish that included Apples's Jade in the Ryanair Stayers Hurdle at Aintree.
Bowen, set to ride outsider Monbeg Notorious for Elliott in the National, got Harry Fry's seven-year-old home in front at 7-1.
Runner-up Roksana was beaten just a head - with another mare, Elliott's odds-on favourite Apple's Jade (5-6f), a neck further back in third.
Davy Russell and Ornua took the Doom Bar Maghull Novices' Chase at Aintree.
Henry de Bromhead's challenger beat and was beaten by Friday's Topham Chase winner Cadmium at Roscommon and Punchestown respectively last October, before chasing home Dynamite Dollars in the Henry VIII Novices' Chase at Sandown.
He was in front when falling at the sixth fence in the Arkle Trophy at Cheltenham last month and was the 3-1 joint-favourite to bounce back along with Arkle runner-up and fellow Irish challenger Us And Them.
Riding Ornua for the first time over fences, Davy Russell sent his mount straight to the lead and some slick jumping kept the pressure on his rivals in behind.
Us And Them tracked him into the straight and was gradually closing the gap after the final fence, but Ornua had enough in reserve to prevail by a length and three-quarters.
Robbie Power put himself in good heart for his National challenge on Jury Duty when he and Reserve Tank scored a surprise win at 20-1 for Colin Tizzard in the Grade One Betway Mersey Novices' Hurdle.
Tizzard's big-race hopes rest with dual Topham winner Ultragol.
After only hinting at promise on his first two starts over hurdles, the Tizzard-trained five-year-old has really turned a corner since the turn of the year - registering successive wins at Sandown and Kempton.
However, he faced a significant step up in class for this two-and-a-half-mile Grade One affair and was priced up as a 20-1 shot Power.
Reserve Tank travelled strongly on the heels of the leaders for much of the race and jumped to the front three flights from home.
Brewin'upastorm - fourth in the Ballymore Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham last month - did his best to close the gap, but Tizzard's charge found extra from the last hurdle to prevail by three and a quarter lengths.
One For Rosie and 11-4 favourite Angels Breath dead-heated for third.
