AFTER finishing third in last year's Weatherby's Novice Handicap Chase for the John Corbet Cup, Mrs Be romped to victory in last Saturday's Intrum Justitia Cup Champion Hunters' Steeple Chase at Stratford, writes Mervyn Collins.

Ridden superbly by Polly Gundry, the Irish bred nine-year-old carrying the bottom weight overcame long-time leader Yeoman Sailor at the second last to claim a six-length success and the £18,560 first prize.

Saturday's fields were decimated after the day's heavy showers that saw more than 20 horses taken out before and during a meeting that for the most part was raced under blue skies.

It was tough going for the horses and the mud-splattered jockeys on the softish ground but for trainer Paul Nicholls the evening started just as it had finished 24 hours earlier when Darrias won the opener at 9/1 to follow the Shepton Mallett handler's Friday night double.

Ressource, third in the equivalent race 12 months ago, was a surprise 25/1 winner of the Jenkinson Caterers Amateur Riders' Handicap Hurdle race for George Moore, while Ghadames profited from a second last tumble by the frontrunning Golden Crusader to take the Irish Thoroughbred Marketing Handicap Steeple Chase from Broom trainer Tony Carroll's Old Marsh.

The withdrawals of Mister Friday and Montefault along with Friday winner Lord Beau left the night's main event a wide open affair but the winning jockey was certainly cheered home in style by the appreciative crowd.

Nicholls was at it again in the fifth race when Tony McCoy steered home 3/1 chance Spring Margot before Rachel Green rode Tales of Bounty to victory in the Ladies' Hunter Steeple Chase that saw the owner take home the Stratford Millennium Rose Bowl.

Virtus was sent off favourite for the last with Richard Johnson on board but the Paul Hobbs' trained five-year-old trailed in second behind Front Rank ridden by J P McNamara.

Johnson got the two-day meeting off to a fabulous start when taking Lonely Man the hard route to victory all the way from the tape to winning post.

Trained by Richard Phillips at Adle-strop, the 33/1 rank outsider was helped by the first fence unseating of McCoy on Martin Pipe's Murat and a penultimate fence fall that interfered with favourite Party Games who appeared all set to pip the eventual winner.

Friday's second race was marred by a couple of fatalities and ended with Silence Reigns repeating a success at Warwick earlier in the month for trainer Nicholls.

He was at it again in the next when Ruby Walsh steered Natal to the line in the Jewson Novices Hurdle and the Irish jockey quickly doubled up when 2/1 favourite Gallik Dawn prevailed in the Intrim Justitia Handicap Chase.

Lord Beau gave jockey Tom O'Brien the perfect race in the Weatherbys Novice Handicap Chase for the John Corbet Cup and brought success for trainer Aaron Bateman who only recently celebrated his first win under rules. Only four horses finished what had proved an arduous test over the three-and-half-mile distance.

The night's final race was only one furlong shorter and again Walsh was the winning rider but this time Shane as he rode Altitude Dancer to victory over the favourite Azzemour, trained by Nichols and piloted by Ruby Walsh.