Emma Lavelle was almost reduced to tears so proud was she of Paisley Park after he went down fighting in his bid for a record-equalling fourth victory in the Howden Long Walk Hurdle.

It is five years since the popular veteran first claimed the Ascot’s traditional pre-Christmas highlight and he has since added to his tally in 2020 and 2022.

The soon-to-be 12-year-old may not be the force he once was, but having shown the fire still burns bright when a fast-finishing second in last month’s Long Distance Hurdle at Newbury, he was prominent in the market at 6-1 to match French great Baracouda’s four Long Walk wins.

While Paisley Park has become renowned for hitting a flat spot before charging home late, on this occasion he travelled with real zest throughout, ensuring he was right on the coat tails of the leaders rounding the home turn.

As per usual he gave generously to Tom Bellamy when asked for maximum effort and even poked his head in front on the run-in, but was in the end denied by the five years younger Crambo after a titanic tussle.

“He’s just the most extraordinary horse and it is heartbreaking because he did everything right,” said Lavelle.

“He travelled so well today and he jumped brilliantly. He loves it, he absolutely loves his job.

“I just thought, ‘oh this is it’, and whereas at Newbury I was going, ‘oh my God, please don’t come any sooner the line, give us another length to beat Dashel Drasher’, today I was thinking, ‘where is the bloody line!’. I think he thought he’d done enough, but he’s galloped his heart out and we’re so proud of him.

“It’s tough as these races are so hard to win and it’s hard to have horses good enough to run in them even. For him to just keep turning up every year is so, so special.

“When he was travelling so well I thought, ‘my God, there is life in the old dog yet’, because at home he almost feels like he doesn’t quite have the speed he had as a young horse. But you see him at the races and he makes a fool of you every which way this horse because it looks like he is travelling better now than he ever has done.”

On future plans, Lavelle added: “I’ve always said this season is race by race and he’s been like, ‘well I’m not blinking retiring!’. I suppose we will go for the Cleeve (at Cheltenham in January) and see what happens after that.

“The reception he’s got today almost makes me cry and I’m walking in and I’m like, ‘oh my God’, and it’s not because I’m beaten. I stood out the front, not surrounded by friends or anything, but just the noise of people shouting for Paisley is just incredible.”