Frodon became only the second four-year-old to win the Caspian Caviar Gold Cup when outpointing older rivals in the valuable handicap chase at Cheltenham.
Trainer Paul Nicholls sent out Unioniste at that tender age to score in 2012 and repeated the trick with Frodon (14-1), who was providing Sam Twiston-Davies with a big-race success after returning from injury.
Last year's winner Village Vic made a brave attempt to make all the running and stuck to his task for minor honours when the pace hotted up.
Kylemore Lough took the lead before the second-last, but Frodon, who had run better than his place suggested in the BetVictor Gold Cup last month, ranged up menacingly.
Twiston-Davies drove him right out to land the spoils by a length and a half from Aso. Village Vic was a head away third and Quite By Chance fourth.
Twiston-Davies said: "I said he had a good chance, and it's important for me coming back from injury to get a big one on the board for the boss - I couldn't be happier.
"If he hadn't made a mistake at the ditch down the back the last time, you wonder what might have been.
"I was happy with my position and that's what we wanted to do today, give him a bit of space and the right horses to aim at.
"He jumped the last really nicely, but when the ground is like this it's a long old run-in."
He added: "These days are very important. He's brave and it's a very special day."
Nicholls said: "I enjoyed that, I thought he was awfully unlucky the last day. "The rain suited him and I thought he'd go close today."
Nicholls went on: "The rain suited him rather than Bouvreuil, who didn't stay on the ground.
"Frodon's a good horse, he jumps well. They can all make the odd mistake, he's only a novice, but we put that right in the last month and he was a lot fresher today. He'd only run seven days before the BetVictor.
"The great thing is he is still a novice, we will mix and match but today was the day.
"It was great for Sam to have a winner on the big stage. It will have done his confidence the world of good."
Wholestone handled the testing conditions in admirable fashion to grind out victory in the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham.
Persistent rain made the three-mile contest a real stamina test but they went a sensible pace, made by Ami Desbois with Wholestone going a close second after the first half-mile.
All six horses were still in contention at the second-last, where West Approach made a bad mistake that cost him his chance, although he did rally.
Wholestone (13-8 favourite), trained by Nigel Twiston-Davies, had to dig deep for Daryl Jacob to gain the verdict by a length from the game runner-up Ami Desbois.
Jacob said: "He's a very tough horse, he's getting better and better with every run.
"We were a little bit worried about the soft ground, but he coped with it well. It's getting very soft."
Dual Grade One-winning hurdler Whisper got his career over fences back on track to give trainer Nicky Henderson a birthday winner with a resolute success in the Ryman Novices' Chase.
The Dai Walters-owned gelding, who was beaten at 2-5 on his only other chasing start in January last year, upstaged his odds-on stablemate Different Gravey in defeating long-time leader Baron Alco by two and a half lengths.
Henderson said of his 4-1 scorer: "He was all in pieces the first time at Exeter. For one and a half years he has been absolutely rubbish and you could tell at home and everywhere.
"We took him to pieces at the end of the summer and we could not find anything. He has a bit of confidence and happiness back in his life. When he is good, he is a very good horse.
"That was great, things are beginning to happen."
Eastlake bounced back from two lacklustre runs to claim a dramatic renewal of the Raymond Mould Handicap Chase.
Having been pulled up on both starts this season the 10-year-old gained his second win in the extended two-mile contest having also won it in 2013, and first since the Topham in April.
Taking full advantage of runaway leader De Faoithesdream's fall three out, the 33-1 chance held the late charge of Un Beau Roman by a length and three-quarters.
Winning trainer Jonjo O'Neill said: "He seems in great form at home and everything seemed good with him. It is only down the road, so we thought we would give it a go.
"He got his heart issue a few years ago. It all went good for a while and then he went and won the Topham. It flips in every now and then.
"He is a grand old horse and it is lovely to see him win. I just wish someone would have told me he was 33-1!"
Noel Williams celebrated his first Cheltenham winner after Briery Queen continued where she left off to make a winning seasonal return in the OLBG Mares' Handicap Hurdle.
Joining matters at the last full of running the 8-1 shot, who captured a Listed event on her final start last year, crossed the line three and a half lengths clear of On Demand to complete a treble on the day for Geraghty, after Defi Du Seuil and Eastlake.
Williams said: "That is my first winner here and hopefully not my last, as I could get used to that a bit. Barry kept hanging on to her, but she does travel strongly through her races.
"I was pretty convinced she had improved a bit through the summer, but you never know by how much. To be fair, I was not delighted seeing the rain fall, as Barry said at Newbury to run on her genuine good ground."
