For much of the race he didn't look much like a champion, but Flagship Uberalles eventually sailed through to pick up the Queen Mother Chase.

Favourite backers afterwards were offering up prayers of gratitude to the willpower of the winning jockey Richard Johnson and didn't much care he picked up a four-day ban for his use of the whip.

In truth, it didn't seem to dilute Johnson's pleasure too much either and he was quick to predict that the new champion could have quite a reign.

"I don't see why he cannot be winning this race for two or three more years to come," he grinned. It was easy to see his point.

The gambled on 7 to 4 shot hated the sticky ground, made a number of mistakes and still ran out a three-length winner from the Arthur Moore-trained Native Upmanship.

Johnson may have broken a leg in October, and endured a frustrating three months on the sidelines, but you wouldn't have known it as he rousted Flagship Uberalles along almost from the start.

Still, it looked a pretty desperate task on the run to the second last as the outsiders Latalomne and Cenkos continued to force the pace.

They had already done for Edredon Bleu at the top of the hill, Tiutchev was done for, too, and Johnson was scrambling desperately in behind them.

But Latalomne came down and Flagship Uberalles closed inexorably to the last where he took it up. Nothing was going to sprint up the hill in the sticky going but Johnson's mount did enough.

"He is a very, very good horse but he found it such hard work on the ground. He is so brave and from the second last, he just tried and tried," said Johnson, who rides Looks Like Trouble in today's Gold Cup.

"It was very frustrating watching the races and seeing horses I should have been riding winning the races. But it has all come good. To win a race here makes it all worthwhile," Johnson added,

"It's probably the best race of his life. I'm thrilled," said Moore of the gallant runner-up. "I think two and a half suits him better, he struggled at the top of the hill before galloping to the line, and I'm thrilled with that."

The $700,000 Nakayama Grand Jump in Japan next month is a possible target for Native Upmanship, who ran a blinder according to jockey Conor O'Dwyer.

Moore said: "It's worth a lot of money but it's also a long trip and it's pretty close. I'll talk to the owner, but there's Liverpool and Punchestown if we don't go."

Otherwise it was a day of little joy for Irish horses apart from the bumper win of Pizarro. The favourite Colonel Braxton ran a flat fifth to the 33 to 1 winner Hussard Collonges in the SunAlliance Chase and Paul Carberry's exit from Harbour Pilot in the race leaves him doubtful for today's action.

Carberry was sent to hospital for X-rays to an injured hand and last night the jockey was hoping he had not fractured it. He is due to ride Marlborough in the Gold Cup.

For the second day running a high-profile horse was fatally injured. Rouble in the SunAlliance Hurdle broke both front legs during the race and was immediately destroyed.

Over The Bar, like Pizarro trained by Edward O'Grady, ran a cracker and finished runner-up to Galileo, a Polish-bred horse with only one previous race over hurdles, rather than last year's dual Derby hero.

It was a career high for jockey Jason Maguire whose uncle, Adrian, has missed the meeting yet again through injury. Galileo won over distances from five furlongs to two miles on the flat in Poland and was Stakes placed in Germany.

Jonjo O'Neill, considered by many to be an unlucky second with Rhinestone Cowboy in the Bumper, had the consolation of picking up the four-mile chase with Rith Dubh, who provided JP McManus with a 14th festival success.

The Co Limerick amateur John Thomas McNamaragave the winner an extraordinarily cool ride to hold off Timbera by a head.