Day Three Report:Day Three of the new four-day instalment Cheltenham festival has been accused of a lack of identity, but no one could accuse Inglis Drever of not doing his best to put a stamp on it after another resolutely defiant victory in the Ladbrokes World Hurdle. Brian O'Connorat Cheltenham

Those nostalgic for the old, three-day festival bash are arguing against some persuasive commercial realities, but it wasn't just a blank day for the Irish runners yesterday that seemed to provoke a somewhat under-whelming atmosphere.

In the circumstances, then, it was a welcome bonus for the Cheltenham authorities that Inglis Drever's three-parts-of-a-length defeat of Mighty Man, with Blazing Bailey in third, produced its own little piece of festival history. Only once before had a former stayers champion regained the crown, and although Inglis Drever didn't overcome a four-year gap in the fashion of Crimson Embers (1982-86), there was more than enough grit floating around yesterday to satisfy the hardiest taste.

Unfortunately, some of it ended up in the eye of the enigmatic Black Jack Ketchum, the pretender to My Way de Solzen's crown who made it to only the second flight before taking a fall he was lucky to get up from.

But most of the rest of that grit was produced by Inglis Drever and his Galway-born jockey, Paddy Brennan, who at times looked to be fighting a useless battle to get into contention.

Brennan's refusal to give up, though, and the experience of his previous ride on the horse, when he blamed himself for defeat, eventually saw Howard Johnson's horse power to the lead in the straight and then repel all boarders.

It might not have had the quality of his 2005 defeat of Baracouda in the first year for a four-day festival, but it was certainly good enough to cement the relationship between Graham Wylie and Brennan, who is in his first season as retained rider to the hugely wealthy owner.

"I've never felt as much pressure as I felt today because I knew how good he was, and Howard and Graham knew too," said the 25-year-old, whose previous festival victory came in 2006 on board Shamayoun in the Fred Winter Hurdle. "It's some relief, and he's some horse. They were coming to me but I felt he'd pull out more and more."

The plan for Inglis Drever now is a return to the flat for the Northumberland Plate at Wylie's local Newcastle track, but plans are less clear for Black Jack Ketchum.

"It's disappointing but it's the game we're in. Life goes on," said a philosophical Jonjo O'Neill.

And Mighty Man's jockey, Richard Johnson, picked up a three-day whip ban.

Inglis Drever's former jockey Graham Lee was also on the mark when the 20 to 1 shot L'Antartique provided owner Tony Durkan with another festival winner in the Jewson Novices Chase, 27 years after he scored with Anaglogs Daughter in the Arkle.

Ruby Walsh notched his 13th festival success on Taranis, who repelled the late challenge of Our Vic to land the Ryanair Chase.

"He was pulling up mad in front - he had loads left!" joked the champion jockey, while trainer Paul Nicholls, registering his 100th winner of the season, predicted that Taranis will get three miles next season.

JP McManus and Jonjo O'Neill collected their first pot of the meeting when the 33 to 1 outsider Butler's Cabin edged out Character Building in a thrilling finish to the four-mile National Hunt Chase.

It was a fourth victory in six years, and a fifth in all, in the amateur contest for O'Neill, but it turned into a memorable first success at Cheltenham for rider Alan Berry, son of former champion jockey Frank Berry, who is McManus's racing manager.

Butler's Cabin's task was eased by the second-last fence exit of the hot favourite Gungadu, but the effort of getting his head in front resulted in the horse finishing distressed and having to be unsaddled on the track.

"The horse gave me everything and he was exhausted. But he seems fine now," said Berry, who has worked with O'Neill for the last five years.

"Alan gave him a brilliant ride. He did everything right," praised the trainer.

The Cork-born rider Alan O'Keefe won a second festival race on Idole First after the 2005 Coral Cup victor collected in some style in the Racing Post Plate.

"I've won six on him and he always tries his heart out. The atmosphere on a day like this always gets him going," said O'Keefe. "It didn't feel like they went that quick. but when they travel and jump well, it's easy."

A pair of third-placings was the best that Irish-trained horses could achieve yesterday, and one of them came from the veteran Adamant Approach in the Pertemps Final behind the Tom Doyle-ridden Oscar Park.