By Cornelius Lysaght BBC racing correspondent at Aintree

THURSDAY REVIEW

Tony Dobbin began his winning run on Monet's Garden

Everyone is always looking for a system in racing.

One they should consider after Thursday is to back every horse on the northern racing circuit as it has been a remarkable day for stables connected with the north.

There were three wins for Nicky Richards and Tony Dobbin, while Grey Abbey, trained by Howard Johnson, was very striking in his victory in the Betfair Bowl.

In a way, it's a pity that Grey Abbey has become such a star at a relatively late age because he has got everything - a front-running grey with bright orange colours, really genuine.

If things had worked out slightly differently for him earlier on in his career, he could have been a Desert Orchid, or at least got that kind of following.

But at 11, he's really getting a fan club and he set Aintree alight with his brilliant performance - just three weeks after the Cheltenham Gold Cup when conditions weren't ideal for him.

Thursday racewatch

My theory is that you should treat horses that run at Cheltenham and then go on to Aintree with caution - and you could see some of the horses, Sir Rembrandt for example, were probably feeling their exertions at the Festival.