Saphir Du Rheu got his career over fences back on track with a brilliant display in the Betfred Mildmay Novices' Chase at Aintree.
Having failed to complete on two of his first three starts over the larger obstacles, the six-year-old was sent back over hurdles by Paul Nicholls after the turn of the year, a plan which yielded a Cleeve Hurdle success and a runner-up spot in the World Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.
Back chasing for the first time since falling in the Feltham at Kempton at Christmas, Saphir Du Rheu was the 13-8 favourite and Sam Twiston-Davies cut a confident figure throughout.
Never too far off the pace, the grey was far more convincing in the jumping department and had most of his rivals in trouble from the home turn.
Carraig Mor matched the Nicholls runner for a long way, while the winner's stable companion Irish Saint also loomed up ominously, but Saphir Du Rheu found another gear on the run to the final fence and skipped over it well to seal an emphatic 15-length success.
Carraig Mor just beat Irish Saint to the runner-up spot to prevent a one-two for the champion trainer.
Twiston-Davies said: "He only made one mistake. I spoke to Ruby (Walsh) before I went out about how I would ride him.
"He's a bit numb and if you sit still he tends to fight you, but if you throw the reins at him he uses his brain.
"We've had a lot of communication problems in the past, but I think he's learning slowly.
"From the ditch I asked him to stretch and I just made sure we got over the last."
Owner Andy Stewart said: "He's fluffed his lines a couple of times and wasn't good enough to win the World Hurdle, but we're delighted with today."
Nicholls said: "He's not a hurdler, he's a chaser and I wanted the end the season to be over fences so we can progress next year.
"I've always thought of him as a Gold Cup horse rather than a World Hurdle horse.
"For a six-year-old to do that in a Grade One, having had two falls, is ideal, and he can only get better.
"Yesterday we didn't think we had a Gold Cup horse for next year, but we have now.
"We schooled him at Wincanton last week and Sam has done a lot of work with him."
Nicholls went on: "We've done a lot of schooling with him. He was a bit unlucky with his two falls. He was a bit enthusiastic. He jumped very well when he won at Exeter and we just thought we'd win the World Hurdle.
"He was second and those two runs over hurdles did him the world of good. He's a very immature horse in a lot of ways and he was very good to do that after two falls.
"He's not a hurdler, that's why we've gone back chasing.
"The Gold Cup will be his target. That's what we'll aim at. What, how, and where we go on the way we'll talk about after today."
