Donald McCain delivered a wonderful new chapter in his family's matchless Grand National record on a day of drama and sorrow at Aintree.
Four times in the past McCain's father Ginger had stood proudly in the winner's enclosure after the race he virtually made his own thanks, above all, to the unique exploits of Red Rum.
On Saturday it was the turn of his son to take centre stage after his 14-1 shot, Ballabriggs, delivered his first National success.
Stepping out of the formidable shadow of his father at Aintree has not been easy for the brilliant trainer and no-one who watched him dash from under the rails to greet his horse out on the course in his moment of triumph can doubt the significance of the achievement.
'I am just a little bit proud of my boy,' said Ginger, now 80, as he made his way towards the press conference.
'He's done a cracking job with this horse. If I ever meet his father I am going to congratulate him and ask him where his brains came from.'
The old boy was so enmeshed in the folklore of Liverpool that you could understand his reluctance to hand over the baton until 2006.
By then, of course, in the late evening of his career, he had added a remarkable fourth National success with Amberleigh House to the three Red Rum triumphs.
Although Ginger took most of the plaudits that day in 2004, it was widely accepted that his son, his long-time assistant, played a major part in the preparation of Amberleigh House at their stables in the heart of Cheshire.
1 BALLABRIGGS (J M Maguire) 14-1
2 Oscar Time (Mr S Waley-Cohen) 14-1
3 Don't Push It (A P McCoy) 9-1
4 State of Play (Paul Moloney) 28-1
Also: 15-2 Fav The Midnight Club Tote: win ?14.50 places ?3.80 ?3.50 ?3.90 ?7.30 Tote Exacta: ?225.30 CSF: ?181.25 Tricast: ?1934.42
Donald conceded: 'By the time of Amberleigh House I was doing most of the training. We just worked together with what we had. The National has always been in my life and after winning with Amberleigh House I'd convinced myself it wouldn't matter if I didn't win it because I'd already been involved with one.'
These days McCain, now 41, controls by far the most formidable team of jumpers assembled in the north of England, to the point that he is emerging as a major threat to Paul Nicholls' stranglehold on the trainers' championship.
This season he has produced close to a century of winners.
The success of Ballabriggs in the world's most famous race was planned with clinical precision.
To prevent the handicapper ruining his horse's favourable mark over fences, McCain cunningly campaigned him over hurdles.
His patience and foresight were rewarded with a superb victory as the strapping Ballabriggs led throughout the second circuit before bravely seeing off the sustained late challenge of Oscar Time and his dashing amateur rider, Sam Waley-Cohen.
Last year's hero Don't Push It performed with great credit under top weight to claim third place and jockey Tony McCoy said: 'He ran a great race and all credit to the horse. It's very difficult for horses to win back-to-back Nationals.
'He was off the bridle a little bit early and he got low at a couple of fences late on which was energy-sapping.'
felt his horse was beaten by the weight, saying: 'He ran his heart out, but perhaps he had 10lb too much. We will have to see about next year, he will be 12 then.'
Don't Push It came in ahead of State of Play and Niche Market. Fresh initiatives allowing the field to bypass fences on the second circuit led to the dramatic sight of horses in full flight streaming past two fences.
The decision was made because the bodies of two dead horses lay on the landing side, in the path of the onrushing leaders.
Ornais was killed when he came down at the fourth and Dooneys Gate broke his back at the sixth, Becher's Brook.
Their horrific deaths marred a finish and result that would otherwise go down as one of the best Grand Nationals of modern times.
The pace in the bright sunshine was unrelenting to the point that Ballabriggs was so tired at the conclusion of four-and-a-half miles that his jockey Jason Maguire, immediately jumped from his back and asked course staff to hose down the horse with buckets of water.
McCoy, too, jumped off Don't Push It.
So, for the first time in living memory, only one of the first three in the race, Oscar Time, made his way back to the enclosure reserved for those who have performed with glory.
Winner and third were instead led away to the racecourse stables to cool down.
McCain explained: 'It's hot out there and Ballabriggs wasn't supposed to hit the front until the elbow. He had given his all and wobbled a little bit. He doesn't hold anything back so we took him off to cool him down.'
For Maguire, nephew of Adrian Maguire, the winning ride on Ballabriggs came as compensation for missing out on the success of Silver Birch in 2007 because he rode Idle Talk for McCain.
'That was tough but this more than makes up for it,' he said. 'I can't believe the way Ballabriggs has done it.
'My biggest problem was getting him to relax. For a horse to travel too well in the first half of the race and still get home in front is quite unbelievable, especially when he was considered to be a doubtful stayer.'
There was a sting in the tail for Maguire when he was hit with a five-day ban for excessive use of the whip.
Ballabriggs gave owner Trevor Hemmings his second National win, six years after his colours were carried to victory by Hedgehunter.
Hemmings admitted: 'I had to turn away because I couldn't look. People kept telling me I was going to win but I felt it wasn't really happening. This race is the ultimate.'
Preston upset Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson earlier this season by sacking his son, Darren, as manager. And there was little cheer for Ferguson yesterday when his What A Friend was pulled up in the final mile.
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