Best Mate emulated Arkle and joined horse racing's greats when he won the Cheltenham Gold Cup for the third successive year this afternoon.
The nine-year-old, trained by Henrietta Knight and ridden by Jim Culloty, had a few anxious moments before hitting the front approaching the last then held on to win by half-a-length from 33-1 outsider Sir Rembrandt.
"I thought we were beat coming to the last," Knight told Channel 4 television. "But he's tough though...he was brilliantly ridden. It is a Gold Cup, there's no quarter given... he has battled on really well," added Knight.
Best Mate (8/11fav) becomes the fourth horse to win the Gold Cup three times following Arkle (1964-66), Cottage Rake (1948-50) and Golden Miller, who was victorious on five occasions between 1932 and 1936. Third place in the 10-strong field went to Harbour Pilot, sent off at 20-1.
In the second race Iris's Gift avenged last year's narrow defeat at the hands of French ace Baracouda in a thrilling renewal of the bonusprint.com Stayers' Hurdle.
They both jumped the last hurdle well, but Iris's Gift (9-2) dug very deep and would not be denied, prevailing in the end by one and a half lengths. Crystal D'Ainay was fully 13 lengths further back in third.
In the opener Made In Japan, trained by Philip Hobbs and ridden by Richard Johnson, won the JCB Triumph Hurdle.
"The race really suited him and the rain overnight helped as well," said the winning jockey.
"I got a lovely run round and you just need a bit of luck, which I got. It has helped me win the race today. "It is tiring out there, but my horse has stayed very well from off a decent pace. Anything that wins today will need to be able to stay."
Earthmover (14-1) defied his veteran status to land the Christie's Foxhunter Chase in dogged fashion.
The Paul Nicholls-trained 13-year-old, winner of this race in 1998, went to the front approaching the fourth from home.
Never Compromise and Oneminutetofive were on his shoulder turning for home, but the latter soon dropped away.
Earthmover and Never Compromise jumped the last virtually together, but it was the old boy who found most on the run-in for a four-length success.
County Derry was 12 lengths away in third, but favourite Lord Atterbury was never going or jumping that well and could not get in a serious blow.
St Pirran justified strong market support with Ruby Walsh in the saddle for a victory in the Grand Annual Chase Challenge Cup.
Walsh was going strongly on the 4-1 favourite coming to the second-lastas leader Reiziger began to give way.
Ground Ball (10-1) jumped the last upsides the eventual winner, but was nomatch on the run to the line and went down by two and a half lengths.
Reiziger (33-1) plugged on for third, seven lengths back, with No Visibility(14-1) fourth.
In the Cathcart Challenge Cup, Our Armageddon more than made up for a below-par effort in the Arkle Trophy withan all-the-way successRichard Guest's seven-year-old was pulled up two days ago, but is nothing ifnot tough.
He looked like being swallowed up by Impek at one stage after mistakes at thefourth-last and third-last fences, but Jim Culloty's mount cried enoughapproaching two out and it was Iris Royal who threw down the main challenge.
Our Armageddon had too much left after the last, however, and ran on well fora two-and-a-half-length success.Impek was 11 lengths away in third.
Finally, joint-favourite Sporazene (7-1) completed a memorable afternoon for Nicholls andWalsh with victory in the closing Vincent O'Brien County Hurdle.
Irish raider Harchibald, the other market leader, looked all over the winnerafter the second-last, so well was he travelling.
But Sporazene picked up well and was in command jumping the last, and hestayed on strongly to hold the late rally of Hawadeth (50-1) by half a length.
Copeland (25-1) was third, beaten another one and a half lengths, withBalapour (12-1) fourth. Harchibald faded to finish fifth.The victory clinched the leading rider at the meeting award for Walsh.
Cheltenham 2.00
1 Made In Japan (R Johnson) 20-1
2 Chief Yeoman (A Dobbin) 40-1
3 Top Strategy (R Walsh) 33-1
4 Cherub (L Cooper) 16-1
Cheltenham 2.35
1 Iris's Gift (B J Geraghty) 9-2
2 Baracouda (T Doumen) 8-11 Fav
3 Crystal d'Ainay (R Thornton) 8-1
Cheltenham 3.15
1 Best Mate (J Culloty) 8-11 Fav
2 Sir Rembrandt (A Thornton) 33-1
3 Harbour Pilot (P Carberry) 20-1
Cheltenham 4.00
1 Earthmover (Miss A Goschen) 14-1
2 Never Compromise (Mr A P Crowe) 9-2
3 County Derry (Mr N Harris) 16-1
Cheltenham 4.35
1 St Pirran (R Walsh) 4-1 Fav
2 Ground Ball (D J Casey) 10-1
3 Reiziger (P J Brennan) 33-1
4 No Visibility (T J Murphy) 14-1
Cheltenham 5.10
1 Our Armageddon (L McGrath) 9-1
2 Iris Royal (M A Fitzgerald) 11-4
3 Impek (J Culloty) 3-1
Cheltenham 5.45
1 Sporazene (R Walsh) 7-1 Jt Fav
2 Hawadeth (Mr T J Malone) 50-1
3 Copeland (J E Moore) 25-1
4 Balapour (C Llewellyn) 12-1