Friday 13 March 2015 15:20, UK
Heavily-backed favourite Peace And Co raised the roof in the opening event on the final day of the Cheltenham Festival as he led home a one-two-three for Nicky Henderson in the JCB Triumph Hurdle.
The master of Seven Barrows is no stranger to success in the juvenile championship, with this a record sixth victory since his initial strike with First Bout 30 years ago.
Peace And Co spearheaded a formidable trio for the multiple champion trainer in this year's renewal, having followed up a stunning British debut at Doncaster with a more workmanlike effort at Cheltenham in January.
Sent off the 2/1 market leader for his biggest assignment, Peace And Co travelled powerfully throughout in the hands of Barry Geraghty and briefly looked like running away with the prize as he rounded the home turn still hard on the steel.
However, his previously unbeaten stable companion Top Notch would not go down without a fight, and Hargam was also in the mix under Tony McCoy to make it a Henderson wave of three approaching the final obstacle.
Each of them cleared it well and although Top Notch led halfway up the run-in, Peace And Co reeled him in, much to the delight of the majority of punters.
One of the first to congratulate Henderson was legendary trainer Michael Dickinson, who saddled the first five home in the 1983 Cheltenham Gold Cup.
"You had bloody five!" Henderson quipped.
He went on: "We know Michael Dickinson had the 'famous five' and Willie (Mullins) has monopolised this meeting all week, it's quite nice to do something totally ridiculous. We've definitely never had the first three here before.
"These have been three really good four-year-olds and have looked the best all the year through.
"Any one of them could have won in their own right and it's bad luck when you have to go beating up your own troops, but fair beer - this is the championship and that's what they're entitled to go for.
"We had a poll in the yard to try and put the three in the right order and Peace And Co came out on top. They have never worked together.
"Coming here you'd have said we have to win that with one of them. If we didn't win that we were in trouble. It's been our race since Christmas really, with what we were sitting on.
"I suppose that day at Doncaster, when we were here watching him (Peace And Co), he looked frightening.
"Coming to the last, there were two of them owned by Simon Munir and Isaac Souede and the other was JP (McManus) ridden by AP (McCoy). At the last three different results were possible and it was quite nice knowing that surely one of them was going to do it from there.
"Simon and Isaac's horses have run well all week, but they needed a winner. To have two four-year-olds like to that to come in here was pretty extraordinary."
Henderson is unsurprisingly in no rush to commit to future targets, but the winner looks likely to turn out at Aintree's Grand National meeting.
Although he has the size and physique to jump fences, he looks set to remain over the smaller obstacles next term and received quotes for the Champion Hurdle.
"Barry says we should go there (Aintree) with Peace And Co, but we'll see how they all come out of the race before anybody makes any rash decision on what we're going to do," said Henderson.
"Peace And Go is definitely a chaser. I wouldn't say he's a four-year-old chaser, but he would jump a fence. He's got loads of scope, but I don't suppose we'll be doing that for a while.
"Hargam is the horse with all the speed really and that ground went against him.
"Top Notch was brought back into the top flight having looked like he was going to be fourth or fifth.
"The change of ground took Hargam out and brought Top Notch in, but the one thing Peace And Co's got is the ability to handle anything."
McCoy, riding at his final Festival before retirement, said of Hargam: "It's definitely soft out there. Hargam is a stubborn horse and battled on well but the first two home are good horses."
John Ferguson, trainer of fourth-placed Devilment, said: "It is a pity the rain came last night as he just struggled on the softer ground. I am delighted with the way he ran and jumped and I am very happy with him."
The winner was given quotes in the region of 12/1 for the 2016 Champion Hurdle.
