TEEMING Rain ran out the winner of the Elizabeth Finn Care Devon National at Exeter yesterday under a power-packed ride from Robbie McLernon, repeating his win at the track last year in the same race.

Swinging into the home straight there were plenty in with chances but Teeming Rain kept pulling out the stops, gaining ground on the leader Present M'Lord to take it up on the run-in and win.

"He never really puts in the same performance twice. Jonjo (trainer O'Neill) said to try and keep him interested and don't bully him too much," said the winning jockey.

"The pace was good, he jumped super and the loose horse really helped up the run-in as he does idle a bit."

Miss Nightingale made it two out of two when winning the opening EBF Breeders' Fund Mares' National Hunt Novices' Hurdle. It was a close finish with Real Treasure holding the advantage until Miss Nightingale got up in the dying strides to win with Hot Tottie staying on to steal second.

Stuart Kittow, who trains the winner at Cullompton for his Devon-based owners Terry Hubbard, Richard Browne and Jimmy Webber, said: "It took a little while for her to learn to jump, especially on the racecourse when she seemed to get stage fright.

"She was home bred by Mr Webber and Mr Hubbard which makes it more special. We will probably go for the final at Newbury at the end of the month."

The drying ground played into the hands of The Disengager who bounced off the ground to win the Weatherbys Single Race Bloodstock Insurance Handicap Hurdle in the hands of Nick Scholfield.

Jeremy Scott, who trains the winner for Geoff Brown and twins Peter and Paul Govier, said: "He's been crying out for better ground. He's in again at Wincanton on Friday so he may run with a penalty. We dropped him back in trip today but on this type of track that doesn't normally matter."

Victor Dartnall's good run of form continued when Dancing Mist, back over his preferred ground and dropped in trip, came home a wide margin winner of the novices' steeple chase, despite his jockey Jack Doyle having to work hard for parts of the race.

Russell Watts, part of the syndicate of owners, said: "Jack knows him really well and when we ran him here last time he didn't like the ground at all and he was going well so we pulled him up. It depends what the handicapper does now with him where we go next, but the Highlands National is an option."

Dartnell doubled up when French Leave took the concluding Amateur Riders Handicap Hurdle under Joshua Guerriero.

Tony McCoy cruised to the front on Moorlands Teri, his only ride of the day, after the last in the novices' hurdle run over two miles even-and-a-half furlongs and won very easily from Kirbati King who was five lengths away in second.

Winning trainer Tim Vaughan had readied the mare to win her hurdles bow at Uttoxeter and a break had worked the oracle after a disappointing run at Huntingdon next time out.