Spillane's Tower roared back to his very best to take victory in the Betfair Cotswold Chase on Trials day at Cheltenham.
Jimmy 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.
Mangan said: "I would have gone back to Ireland a disappointed man if he had put up a poor show today.
"We were very confident today with him and Grey Dawning is a very good horse and Venetia's (Williams, L'Homme Presse) horse has made him fight, it was no walkover. I suppose you do have to start dreaming of the Gold Cup and he's in that grade now. We'll speak to Frank (Berry, racing manager) and JP.
"Without using the racecourse as a schooling ground, we've had to get him fit so we've mixed and matched between fences and hurdles and I was disappointed in his run over hurdles.
"It was trainer error because he had travelled all the way to Down Royal five hours there and five hours back and then ran him the following Saturday and he was flat.
"He's a lovely horse and he's a star. I wouldn't mind a few more like him and if it wasn't for JP sending me horses like him I might be closed, but that's the way the game goes, you are at the top of the ladder one minute and then at the bottom the next.
"It's my first in Britain since Monty's Pass and I thought I nearly had one with Oscar Delta one day but this is great."
Venetia Williams is also inclined to send her runner-up to the big one after doing all he could to defend his Cotswold Chase crown.
She said: "If you go back to the King George last season we were ahead of Spillane's Tower off levels but we were giving him 6lb today.
"I think at three out all three horses thought they would go by us but Charlie (Deutsch) wasn't going too hard all the way round and he had to keep the revs up at that point as he couldn't afford to let it turn into a sprint which the others might have preferred.
"He's a fantastic horse and has never been the easiest to train. I didn't stop yelling for him all the way up the run-in and I knew if L'Homme Presse was neck-and-neck up the run-in he would have every chance. But in the end the margin remained the same all the way.
"They put considerable distance back to the third and I think we've got to come back in March. There is the best part of two months between now and then so we will discuss things with the owners and make a plan."
Dan Skelton was also far from despondent with Grey Dawning's run as he focuses firmly on one day in March.
He said: "I did wonder how I would feel if he got beat and I'm disappointed to get beat but I'm not disappointed with the overall feel of the race.
"He jumped very well, there wasn't much pace on and it turned into a bit of a sprint up the hill. He missed a crucial fence and then stayed on afterwards and I was most encouraged at the staying on to the line after the mistake.
"He didn't win but we needed to run and I couldn't keep him up there for so long. We trained him up and he needed this run.
"I'm training him for the Gold Cup this year and I'm not going to get to the 11th hour and forget it.
"We're happy with the fact we've got a run under our belt and 90 per cent of the race he looked great, jumped well and then stayed on after a mistake that may or may not have cost him victory.
"We felt coming into the race Spillane's Tower would be the one to beat but I'm not discouraged for March. I've no doubt we will reverse form, but whether we will beat the others only time will tell."
