“He’s won it like a warrior,” Adam Wedge said after landing the Welsh Grand National on Secret Reprieve here, and if his mount could talk, he would surely have said the same of his rider. There was a Wedge-shaped imprint on the turf after two of the first four races, yet the undaunted jockey got off the deck to produce an impeccable ride on the 5-2 favourite, turning what should have been a Christmas bonus for punters into a New Year’s present instead. This was, for the most part, as smooth a success as is realistically possible in a race that runs for nearly four miles. It was also the second successive win in the race for a local stable, after Potter’s Corner broke a 54-year drought for Welsh‑trained runners in December 2019. Secret Reprieve, who was heavily backed to win on the National’s traditional date of 27 December before it was lost to the elements, was always travelling like a strong favourite should and eased into the lead between the final two fences. He crossed the line three lengths clear of The Two Amigos (9-1) and Yala Enki (12-1), who has now finished third in the last three renewals. The only concern for Evan Williams, Secret Reprieve’s trainer, after the winner cleared the last was a piece of flapping leather under his saddle. One girth had snapped but a second girth was enough to keep Wedge in the saddle and give Williams a long-awaited first victory in his “home” National. Williams, who was close to tears in the winner’s enclosure, paid tribute to his stable jockey’s resilience as a vital part of the success. “The worry came when Adam was squashed on the floor and we didn’t think we’d get him to this race,” Williams said. “They patched him up unbelievably in there and he deserves the plaudits. How he can ride after he’s had two crunching falls like he’s had? I just take my hat off to him.” Secret Reprieve can be backed at around 25-1 for the Grand National after this victory but Williams feels that this year’s Aintree race could possibly come a year too soon. “He’s still a novice and the race that really comes to mind is the National Hunt Chase at the Festival, but that’s only because he’s a novice,” he said, turning his eyes towards Cheltenham instead. “But I’ll have to talk to Mr and Mrs Rucker [the owners] and that’s for another day.” Earlier on the card, Adagio staked a convincing claim to be the best juvenile hurdler in Britain this season with a two-and‑a‑half‑length defeat of Nassalam, the even‑money favourite, in the Grade One Finale Junior Hurdle. Nassalam had won his two previous starts by a combined total of more than 100 lengths but, while he had a useful advantage at the second-last, Adagio and Tom Scudamore reeled him in quickly and sealed the win with a flying leap at the last. Adagio was cut to around 10-1 for the Triumph Hurdle, while Nassalam is out to 16-1 (from around 12-1). Paul Nicholls dominated the remainder of the British action, finishing the day with seven winners from 18 starters, including a Grade Two double at Kempton with McFabulous (Relkeel Hurdle) and Master Tommytucker. Harry Cobden, his stable jockey, completed a treble having landed a novice hurdle on the Kempton card on Barbados Buck’s, while Bryony Frost had a double for the yard at Chepstow. “We hadn’t had a winner in 2021 and now we’ve had seven in one day,” Nicholls said. “This is a lovely start to the new year. If we can keep going until the end of the season, we ought to be able to crack the 172,” which would be one more than his all-time record for a season.”