Outstanding jumper Black And Bent will be set on a path towards the Melbourne Cup after he again demolished his rivals to win the $200,000 Grand National Hurdle at Sandown.The freakish six-year-old gave trainer Robert Smerdon his third win in the feature when he romped home by 12 lengths on Sunday, taking his record to nine wins from 15 starts over the jumps."I'm glad it's all over," said relieved jockey Steven Pateman after landing his first victory in the feature."He's an amazing horse, he was

Outstanding jumper Black And Bent will be set on a path towards the Melbourne Cup after he again demolished his rivals to win the $200,000 Grand National Hurdle at Sandown.

The freakish six-year-old gave trainer Robert Smerdon his third win in the feature when he romped home by 12 lengths on Sunday, taking his record to nine wins from 15 starts over the jumps.

"I'm glad it's all over," said relieved jockey Steven Pateman after landing his first victory in the feature.

"He's an amazing horse, he was in the zone today. He went forward and the tempo just allowed him to relax and I just had to keep him out of trouble which he got in to when turning out of the straight.

"That's competitive racing but his turn of foot just puts them away.

"He has the staying ability and the jumping ability. He's just a freak, he's unbelievable.

"You get a certain confidence when you are on him behind the gates, he marches around like Muhammed Ali."

Desert Master ($17), who won the 2009 Grand National Hurdle and was third last year, was runner-up with Famous Prince ($20) 3-1/4 lengths away third.

They were no match for the $1.30 favourite who sat third before unleashing his winning run.

He will go for his fifth successive win in the J J Houlahan Hurdle (3400m) at Sandown on August 28.

Managing owner Mike Symons outlined the plan to get Black And Bent past the first qualifiying clause for the Melbourne Cup by winning either the R M Ansett Classic (2400m) at Mornington on October 1 or The Bart Cummings (2500m) at Flemington on October 2.

Both races are at Listed level.

"If he could win a race like that he could get a penalty and get into the Cup but that's still six weeks away," Symons said.

"This horse is still on the up, that's the scary thing. That will top him off for next time."

Black And Bent is a more than capable performer on the flat having won seven races including the 2600m final of the Banjo Paterson Stayers Series at Flemington on July 9 before completing a hat-trick of jumps victories.

Smerdon, who also conveyed a sense of relief after the win, had previously won the race with Zabenz (2002) and Black And Bent's half-brother Some Are Bent (2007).

As well as the Melbourne Cup, connections are eyeing the $A1.7 million Nakayama Daishogai (4100m), a Group One jumps race in Japan on Christmas Eve.

While Some Are Bent won over $1 million in jumps races and Black And Bent has won less than half that amount ($486,341) Symons said Black And Bent was every bit as good if not better than his elder sibling.