It was a day for shocks at Wetherby with red-hot favourites Silviniaco Conti and At Fishers Cross being turned over in the two feature races as Menorah and Cole Harden set themselves up for bigger days later in the campaign.
Silviniaco Conti had won the King George VI Chase on Boxing Day and was the market leader with some bookmakers for this season's Cheltenham Gold Cup prior to being left behind at the second-last in the Grade Two he won two years ago.
Noel Fehily set out to make the running in the bet365 Charlie Hall Chase, but challengers were queuing up at the top of the straight and Double Ross took it up with three furlongs to run.
Richard Johnson was just getting ready to pounce on Philip Hobbs' Menorah, however, and the 2010 Supreme Novices' Hurdle winner stormed to a four-length success, with Taquin Du Seuil staying on to pip Double Ross for second.
Hobbs was at Ascot, where he said of the 8-1 winner: "Delighted. He's a fantastic horse, he's a Cheltenham Festival winner and he's won plenty of other races.
"I think it's the first time he's won over three miles. I suppose you have to think about King Georges and races like that.
"That wasn't the first thought this morning, but we're going to have to go that sort of route, I'd have thought.
"I suppose we needed Silviniaco Conti to run below par for us to have a chance, which he has. Anyway, he's run fantastic."
Jonjo O'Neill was pleased with Taquin Du Seuil, who performed much better than on his reappearance at Newton Abbot.
"I'm delighted with him, and he would have run better with a better gallop. He jumps better the faster they go. We're back on track now and we will head for the Betfair and races like that," said O'Neill.
Paul Nicholls was satisfied with Silviniaco Conti, who faded into fifth.
"He is just getting a bit lazier, Noel said he got very tired. What he needs now is a real end-to-end gallop like he'll get in the King George. He needed a race to tighten up and he should improve for the run.
"Basically, he has run OK. He'll go Betfair, King George and Gold Cup."
At Fishers Cross was sent off the 4-7 favourite in the bet365 (West Yorkshire) Hurdle but could only finish a dismal last of three behind Cole Harden (9-4), a young horse who might just be destined for big things.
Second in the Sefton to Beat That at Aintree, he made every yard of the running under the impressive Gavin Sheehan, beating Medinas by eight lengths.
Cole Harden was given a 12-1 quote for the World Hurdle by RaceBets.
Rebecca Curtis floated the idea that At Fishers Cross may now go novice chasing.
She said: "I think he'll improve from that, but I don't know what to make of it really. AP (McCoy) thought he was going to pick them up turning in, but he found little.
"AP thinks he might be worth a go over fences and if JP (McManus) agrees that might be the way we go."
Greatrex doubled up in the finale when Kaysersberg (5-4 favourite) made a winning chasing debut, beating Blakemount by eight lengths.
"I was told when I got him there was every possibility he'd be a better chase and it looks like he could be," said Greatrex.
McCoy did have his first winner since returning from injury on John Quinn's ultra-impressive Aurore D'Estruval in the OLBG.com Mares' Hurdle and she may be stepped up into Grade One class, as stablemate Cockney Sparrow was after winning the corresponding race 12 months ago.
They were not going fast enough for her going down the back straight and when McCoy gave her her head is was just a matter of how far she would win by.
"Hopefully she can go on to prove herself as the best mare around," said Quinn.
"She'll stay in the mares' races if she keeps winning, you'd be daft not to. She seems quicker than she was in the spring.
"We might have a look at the Fighting Fifth. Cockney Sparrow was second in it last year and with the new Haydock race the week before you never know what might turn up."
Steve Gollings has a nice prospect on his hands in the shape of The Grey Taylor (17-2), who got off the mark at the first time of asking over timber under Richard Johnson in the Watch Racing UK Anywhere Novices' Hurdle.
"He's always shown us lots of ability and ran well in his bumpers without winning," said Gollings.
Owner Graham Wylie's silks have been a familiar fixture at this meeting down the years due to the exploits of Tidal Bay and they were carried to victory once more when Nicholls' Solar Impulse survived a blunder to win the bet365.com Novices' Limited Handicap Chase.
