“Graham is absolutely flying, he is riding unbelievably well and his presence in the stable has been unreal, we have some good lads and they have improved too as a result of him being there,” Murphy said.

Leading Man was 3lb out of the handicap and was just one of several with a chance as they turned into the straight in the three-mile-one-furlong test.

But Lee sent him into the lead on the run to the third-last fence and he stuck to his task in good style to pass the post with eight lengths to spare over Sir Rembrandt, with Truckers Tavern a further length away in third.

Murphy said of the 9-1 winner: “He is a good horse and I know we all say it, but he will be a National (Aintree) horse in time – we won this race with Truckers Tavern when he was with us and Leading Man is as good as that one was at his best.

“I was going to run him in the three and a half miler at Haydock about 10 days ago but he had a touch of colic and we had to give him an injection so we couldn’t go.

“I said to his owner ‘Pippy’ McKeane that it was only a matter of time before he won a big one and I would like to run him in the Midlands National in the spring – I think she said she would be on holiday at that time so she may have to change her plans!”

Lee had reached the 50 mark when 8-1 chance Naiad Du Misselot came home in front in the St John Ambulance “Caring For Life” Novices’ Hurdle, collaring the gallant long-time leader Bywell Beau halfway up the run-in and then holding his renewed challenge by three-quarters of a length.

Murphy added: “They went plenty fast enough and my fellow stays well, he is a three-miler. Graham said when he jumped the last he was going to win nicely but then the horse heard the roar from the stands.”

Sue Smith bettered Murphy’s feat, landing a treble with Allistathebarrista, Stagecoach Opal – the pair completing a first double for young conditional Michael O’Connell – and Ela Re, who had the assistance of David O’Meara.

The Bingley trainer was supervising her runners at Market Rasen and her husband Harvey said after watching 4-1 shot Allistathebarrista, who carries his wife’s colours, beat his stable companion Darina’s Boy (10-1) by three lengths in the skybet.com Handicap Hurdle: “I didn’t know which would come out best, they were both there with a chance.”

Ela Re (11-8 favourite) can be a bit of a handful and Smith went to the start to make sure he jumped off with the rest in the Guy Salmon Landrover Leeds Beginners’ Chase, which he did quite smartly before going on to beat Kentucky Blue by six lengths.

Smith added: “Ela Re is a good jumper, the problem is getting him started, but he is getting better all the time. David has got his act together and his riding is improving all the time.”

O’Connell switched to Stagecoach Opal in the Come Racing Again here Tomorrow Novices’ Handicap Hurdle when Ever So Slightly was withdrawn, and he was again seen to good effect as his mount got the better of Surricate (trained by Murphy and ridden by Lee) by a length.

The jockey said: “I have been with Mrs Smith for 14 months and they have been very good to me so I can’t complain. It is great to have ridden my first double.”

Kate Walton’s Jimmy Bond survived a scare at the fourth-last to go on and gamely get the better of The Nomad by half a length in the Racing UK For £15 Call 08700 50 69 57 Handicap Chase.

Walton said of the 5-2 favourite: “That was brave, I thought he was going to come down (four out).”