Cheltenham: Kauto Star joined the list of racing greats with victory in the Cheltenham Gold Cup for trainer Paul Nicholls, jockey Ruby Walsh and owner Clive Smith.
The 5-4 favourite, the highest-rated chaser since Desert Orchid, won his sixth race of the season in a pulsating renewal, with his only scare coming with a slight error at the last.
The seven-year-old beat Exotic Dancer, with 40-1 chance Turpin
Green back in third, and the success was especially sweet for
Smith, who in addition to bagging over £200,000 for winning
the blue riband of jumps racing, also picked up the lion's share of
a £1million bonus offered by betting exchange firm
Betfair.
The winner's stable companion Neptune Collonges led the field into the straight but there was a slight panic when a loose horse, Idle Talk, threatened to cause havoc.
Tony McCoy stalked Kauto Star all the way on Exotic Dancer but he could not match the market leader's impressive turn of foot where it mattered and finished two and a half lengths in arrears.
Turpin Green ran a huge race for Nicky Richards and Tony Dobbin the same distance back, but the race was all about Kauto Star and he was always going to win if he safely negotiated the final fence.
Nicholls said: "All the talk about his jumping has been a load of rubbish, why couldn't people just concentrate on the fact he had won all his five races this season?
"Ruby knew what he had to do and I just told him to go out there and do what you do best.
"I told him to just have faith in him and that is what he did. It feels brilliant, it's absolutely unbelievable, I cannot tell you how nerve-wracking this last month has been.
"Everyone has had their doubts about (Royal & SunAlliance winner) Denman and this fellow, but they are good horses and they have done the job at the end of the day. We've had the last laugh.
"He needed the run at Newbury and after that it's been work, work, work. The owner has always left it to us, which has been brilliant."
Walsh said: "He got there easily enough, there was just a little doubt about whether he would get home or not, but thankfully he did. I didn't notice his mistake at the last!
"I completely forgot about all the pressure during the race, despite everybody having an opinion on Kauto Star. That is the greatest race and he has won it easily.
"People have been asking if he would stand up or not, but he has proved it under pressure now and landed a £1million bonus in the process."
Exotic Dancer's trainer Jonjo O'Neill was magnanimous in defeat, saying: "He ran a blinder. We were beaten by a better horse.
"Tony rode him like he does all the time. The winner is a very, very good horse. There is always Liverpool now, but we'll have a think and try again next year."