RACING:Gold Cup hero Denman suffered defeat on his return from a 330-day absence at Kempton. Off the track since his Festival heroics, the Paul Nicholls-trained nine-year-old jumped sketchily in the early stages of the Levy Board Chase - but all looked well when he went to the front before the seventh-last.
But David Pipe's Madison Du Berlais (12) was always going well upsides and the writing was on the wall three from home.
Tom Scudamore's mount quickly opened up a healthy gap and came home in splendid isolation, with runner-up Denman 23 lengths in arrears.
Connections have always felt Denman is a much better horse going left-handed, and this display did nothing to disprove that theory as he lost his unbeaten record over fences.
Victor Chandler were quick to react by making Kauto Star 2-1 favourite (from 11-4) for the Gold Cup, with Denman out to 11-4 from 7-4.
Hennessy winner Madison Du Berlais is clearly on an upward curve and was slashed to 8-1 from 66s for top honours at Cheltenham in March.
King George runner-up Albertas Run was a major disappointment and never looked happy under Tony McCoy as they trailed home a long way back in third.
A downbeat Ruby Walsh said: "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed. I thought it would be a matter of just turning up.
"In fairness to David Pipe and Tom Scu, they knew they were up against a horse that hadn't run for a long time and they turned it into a slog.
"It took me a bit to get him involved and to get him on an even keel.
"But I got him interested down the back and he travelled great.
"But Tom Scu upped it a gear and had me struggling.
"He was fairly tired (at the finish), but we consolidated our position without tiring him into the ground."