Jockey Harry Cobden rode Meetmebythesea to a first Paddy Power Gold Cup success for owner JP McManus at Cheltenham on Saturday.
The 2-1 favourite was level with champion trainer Dan Skelton’s Blueking D’Oroux (10-3) going over the last fence before pulling away to win by two-and-a-half lengths.
Torneo – a 12-1 chance – was almost three lengths further back in third place.
Cobden, the 2023-24 champion jump jockey, pumped his fists in the air as he went across the finish line.
“These big days don’t come along very often and I’m going to enjoy every single one of them from now on,” the 28-year-old, who in May started as McManus’ retained jockey in Britain and Ireland, told ITV Sport.
“To ride a horse like this in a race like that, you just have to pinch yourself to be in this position.
“It’s wonderful for the boss [McManus], he puts so much into racing, I’m just the lucky man that’s allowed to be part of it.”
Meetmebythesea took top billing in a reduced field of 10 horses, with five non-runners including the highly fancied July Flower.
But the six-year-old lived up to that expectation, although trainer Ben Pauling stopped short of touting Meetmebythesea’s chances of competing in the Gold Cup back at Cheltenham’s March Festival.
“He jumped brilliantly and travelled really well… and showed a bit of guts there to win well,” said Pauling, before adding “I don’t know what I see him as”, when asked if Meetbythesea could be a future Gold Cup horse.
“He needed to do that today. I think he showed a lot more than we have seen from him so far, but he’s just really good.
“You don’t know what you have got under the bonnet until you compete in races like that, but that was really cool.”
It was a second big victory for Meetmebythesea at Cheltenham after winning there as a novice at the Festival in March.