Jimmy Mangan's Spillane's Tower roared back to his very best to take victory in the Betfair Cotswold Chase on Trials day at Cheltenham.
Mangan's stable star has always shaped as potentially a real top-notcher and after a couple of comeback runs over hurdles his Grand National-winning trainer was confident of a big run.
Jack Kennedy was happy to let L'Homme Presse bowl along in front, and while Grey Dawning also took a stalking role, in his case in third of the four starters, his chance ultimately went with a bad mistake at the second-last.
Ahead of him Kennedy was in cruise control coming to the final fence on the JP McManus-owned 11-4 winner and while L'Homme Presse did not go down without a fight, it was the Irish raider who was three-quarters of a length to the good at the line.
Dan Skelton's The New Lion won the Unibet Hurdle at Cheltenham but the race was marred by an injury to Sir Gino.
Billed as a match between potentially the two best two-mile hurdles in Britain, both were biding their time in the four-runner race when Sir Gino appeared to land awkwardly at the flight at the top of the hill and Nico de Boinville pulled him up.
Aftewards, Nicky Henderson confirmed after veterinary assessment that Sir Gino suffered a fractured pelvis.
Harry Skelton was content to take a lead for as long as possible on The New Lion, a winner over two miles and five furlongs at the Festival in March, before he asked him to quicken approaching the last.
Nemean Lion and Brentford Hope proved tough adversaries, before The New Lion (9-4) eventually got on top to win by a length and a half.
