Paisley Park recorded a battling success on his seasonal reappearance in the Ladbrokes Long Distance Hurdle at Newbury.
Emma Lavelle's charge was the dominant force in the division last season, winning each of his four starts, including the Stayers' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in March.
Making his first competitive start since that landmark victory, the seven-year-old was sent off the 8-15 favourite in the hands of regular partner Aidan Coleman.
Paisley Park faced just four rivals in the three-mile Grade Two, including three previous winners of the race in Thistlecrack (2015), Beer Goggles (2017) and dual victor Unowhatimeanharry (2016 and 2018).
The Worlds End took the quintet along for much of the way, but was passed by both Paisley Park and Colin Tizzard's veteran Thistlecrack on the run to the final flight.
In receipt of 6lb, Thistlecrack did not go down without a fight, but Paisley Park was always getting the better of the argument on the run-in and won with a length in hand.
Lavelle said: "I'm delighted for Andrew (Gemmell, owner) and I'm delighted for the team. As long as everything is good after today, it will be Ascot next for the Long Walk (December 21) and then the same sort of route as last season.
"It's a massive sigh of relief. We were saying beforehand, 'isn't it great to have this kind of pressure', but it did feel like quite a lot of pressure. I'm so thrilled for everybody and I'm thrilled for the horse as much as anything.
"He won well in the end and the buzz is unbelievable. To train a horse like this is a massive privilege and a responsibility as well.
"I don't want to get him beaten for everybody, so for him to do it the way he did with the improvement still there it is just really exciting.
"I think he is just amazing."
Tizzard was unsurprisingly thrilled with the performance of Thistlecrack, who is now set for a third tilt at the Ladbrokes King George VI Chase at Kempton on St Stephen's Day - a race he won in 2016 and finished second in last season.
"He is a very good horse and showed it again today. Paisley Park is not for being beaten at the moment. We got close to him a couple of times last season and he always finds a bit more," said the Dorset-based trainer.
"Thistlecrack ran beautifully and will improve massively for that run. I couldn't be more pleased.
"The plan is to go to the King George - we made that plan ages ago. He jumped those hurdles like fences, he's a King George winner and was second last year, so you can't say he's better over hurdles.
"We can't not go because of (stablemate) Lostintranslation."
What a horse 😍
— Newbury Racecourse (@NewburyRacing) November 29, 2019
Paisley Park extends his winning sequence on his seasonal debut in the Grade 2 Ladbrokes Long Distance Hurdle for Aidan Coleman and Emma Lavelle 👏#LWC2019 pic.twitter.com/6alnXIX5HH
Champ survived a late scare to live up to his name and maintain his unbeaten record over fences in the Ladbrokes 'Where The Nation Plays' Novices' Chase.
A winner over the bigger obstacles at the track earlier this month, the Nicky Henderson-trained seven year old - who is named after Tony McCoy - repeated the trick dropped down to two and a half miles, to take Grade Two honours.
Brought through to challenge long-time leader Black Op after the last, the 4-5 favourite very nearly took the wrong course - with Barry Geraghty forced to take drastic evasive action before defeating the front-runner by a length and three-quarters.
Henderson said: "What he is quite rightly saying is, 'there is this fool running me over two-miles-four, should we not be going two-mile-six?', and he wanted to jump the water and go round again. He wants further.
"I'm quite keen to keep him under the three-mile radar, but I think we know where we want to finish off (RSA Chase).
"The original plan was to come here so he could go to Cheltenham on New Year's Day for the Dipper. That's the plan. I want him to go round Cheltenham.
"If we go to the Dipper we can think again, but we don't have to go three miles before the RSA. There is no doubt he stays, as he proved that at Aintree last season.
"If I'd run him in the Albert Bartlett at Cheltenham and done the sensible thing, he would be unbeaten."
Reflecting on his fright, Geraghty said: "He took a chance at third-last, but he did well to survive it and was good at the last two. He was leaning a bit left on the run-in and had a look to go round again.
"I had my head down and driving, but he was leaning left. It was a little scare, but he did well."
Champ - the head-on from another remarkable finish at @NewburyRacing.
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) November 29, 2019
Fair play, @BarryJGeraghty 👏 pic.twitter.com/ohpLWUi5zL
