The nine-year-old carried 10st 2lb and was going well when the partnership came to grief when hampered by Delta Work, who had similarly unseated at the 21st fence in the four-and-a-quarter-mile showpiece.

Vaughan is now keen to return to Aintree with Sally and Richard Prince's gelding after the bold showing.

He said: "It was sickening really that he was off a low weight, we know he stays, we had him in the form of his life.

"I thought Alan had done a tremendous job to navigate his way to that point and done all the donkey work, then we get brought down or hampered by one of the favourites in the race – of all the horses in all the world, having come to Cheltenham here and won here twice (over the cross country course), you wouldn't have thought would fall.

"It is just an unfortunate set of circumstances."

The Vale of Glamorgan handler will now ponder options which include the Grand Sefton at Aintree, though he is keen to protect his official mark of 141.

Vaughan added: "Would you have finished in the first eight or 10? I thought it was a no-brainer he would have, because staying is his strength and off that weight and on that ground.

"What I do know is he took the fences brilliantly well and whether we aim now for the Sefton in December or try to keep him especially for the National, I don't know yet – we'll have to speak to the owners.

"But we are thrilled with him. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is nice to be back on the right tracks with the right horses and in the thick of it.

"He still looks a progressive horse. Make no mistake about it – I will try to protect his mark. That's my job.

"Hopefully we will have another crack in it. We have a few others in the background that might blossom."