A highly-talented chaser three seasons back, Dark’n Sharp was talked of in championship terms when finishing third in the 2002 Grand Annual before winning the Red Rum Chase at Aintree.

But having finished third again in the Grand Annual the following season, the gelding suffered a tendon injury which kept him out of action for all but two years.

A couple of disappointing efforts in unsuitably soft conditions saw the handicap mark of the Richard Phillips-trained veteran drop to a more reasonable level.

And taking a drop in grade here worked the oracle as he seized the advantage when Big Rob – who had jumped fluently to that point – put in a short one at the third-last and unseated Timmy Murphy despite his efforts to stay aboard.

Dark’n Sharp tired on the run to the final fence and briefly looked as if he might let Marked Man in, but Johnson’s mount picked up again on the run-in to score by three lengths.

Gordon Clarkson, assistant to Phillips, was delighted to see an old favourite return to winning ways.

“This is brilliant because, along with Yann’s, he is one of only two horses we have left who have been with us since we moved from Jackdaws Castle,” he said.

“The owners have had to be very patient but he had been working well and we were hopeful today.”

Clarkson reported the Phillips stable to be ready to hit top form after this, a first winner since May.

“This is a good sign and they are in good form at home,” he said. “At least half of them are getting ready for a run now and I think we’ll have a few out in the coming weeks.

“The Mick Weston might be our biggest hope for the season. He fell at the top of the hill in the Championship bumper at Cheltenham but he is fine now and has had a good summer.

“Hopefully, he will be out and running in a novice hurdle by the end of the month but we have got a lot of nice young hurdlers and bumper horses to look forward to this season.”

Big Rob returned to the stables reportedly none the worse for his spill while Murphy was also unhurt.

While Dark’n Sharp’s greatest moments may now be behind him, Wicked Nice Fella looked every inch a horse with a big future as he continued Chris Bealby’s decent run of form when taking the Betfredcasino Novices’ Chase under Noel Fehily.

Kept wide throughout the early stages, the winner outjumped favourite Party Games throughout the early stages of the race and the lengths he made up in the air over each fence made all the difference.

Sent into a decisive advantage over the final fence in the back straight, the 11-2 winner tired slightly in the closing stages but had the race firmly in his grasp and stayed on to win by seven lengths.

Bealby, sending out his third winner in the last fortnight, admitted to already having one eye on the Jewson Novices’ Handicap Chase at next year’s Cheltenham Festival for this seven-year-old, who undoubtedly looks a nice prospect.

“He came back with a bit of a leg after he finished second at Market Rasen and we decided to give him plenty of time,” said the Grantham trainer.

“He jumped beautifully, which we hoped he would. Noel came to school him last Friday and said he was as crafty as a fox.

“He wouldn’t want the ground any softer than it is today and I am not sure he will quite stay three miles but something like two miles and six shouldn’t be a problem as long as the ground is good.”

Gallant Approach made a successful seasonal bow under Andrew Tinkler in the opening Betfredpoker Novices’ Hurdle.

The chasing-bred son of Roselier can realistically be expected to need much further than this two miles in time.

But the good gallop set by gambled-on front-runner Dr Cerullo played into the hands of the 11-2 winner, who hit the front before the second-last hurdle and stayed on stoutly to the line.

Mikado, who again failed to hurdle with much fluency, threw down a flying late challenge to the winner which brought him to within half a length at the winning post while Dr Cerullo was back in third.

Favourite-backers enjoyed some welcome relief in the following Weatherbys Bank Juvenile Novices’ Hurdle.

Market leader Reaching Out, a fair handicapper on the Flat for Hugh Collingridge, settled far better than his rivals off a slow early pace and came home strongly to make a winning bow over hurdles for Nicky Henderson.

Sent to the front on the run to the final flight, the even-money chance quickened right away to beat Equilibria by four lengths in a time 12 seconds slower than the first race.

Owner Peter Webb, who works in finance in the City, was on hand to welcome home the winner – one of an expanding empire for Webb, who has bought a number of horses in recent weeks.

Backers also got the best of the Betfred 540 Shops Nationwide Handicap Hurdle when Into The Shadows initiated a near 6-1 double for trainer Keith Reveley and jockey Richie McGrath.

The 13-8 favourite looked potentially well-in on the best of her Flat form and so it proved as she scooted home from Pirandello despite a messy jump at the last when clear of her rivals.

Reveley and McGrath followed up as Jass (13-8 favourite) took the closing EBF “Junior” Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race.

Rachel Gibney sent out her first winner since taking out a training licence last July when Sweet Bird took the H20 Nationwide Handicap Chase.

The Owyn Nelmes-ridden 25-1 chance was probably a shade fortunate to score after his main rivals blundered their chances away.

But Gibney was nonetheless thrilled to send out her first winner, a third success in the last week for owner Andrew Cohen who owns the Hertfordshire yard from where she trains.