Wetherby reportCalatagan ended a losing run stretching back exactly 12 months as he claimed Wetherby's Castleford Handicap Chase for a second successive year.
Malcolm Jefferson's charge had not troubled the judge since his victory in the two-mile race last December and was duly sent off a 14 to 1 chance under Tom Dreaper. But he defied his generous price, taking it up at the final fence before powering away from Almaydan by a length and three-quarters.
Jefferson said: "He is a grand horse and . . . has won on the Flat, over hurdles and fences of course. Tom gave him a great ride - he used his head when the others went off too fast."
Howard Johnson and stable jockey Denis O'Regan had plenty of chances at the West Yorkshire track and the pair went home with two winners for owners Graham and Andrea Wylie.
Striking Article (evens favourite) made it two wins in a row for the Wylies on his jumping debut in the first division of the Novices' Hurdle.
He went to the front four out and passed the post with five lengths to spare over Lease Lend.
Wylie said: "I was very pleased with that. We saw him win at Fairyhouse and liked him, so we decided to buy and he then won a bumper for us at Carlisle.
"Now he has won over hurdles too, we can plan and Denis said he jumped and travelled well."
Circassian (3 to 1) completed the brace when coming home four lengths clear on his fencing bow in the Beginners' Chase.
Furmigadelagiusta, bought out of the Luca Cumani stable for 115,000 guineas by Karl Burke, recouped a small portion of that price tag in the Introductory Juvenile Novices' Hurdle.
Sent off an 11 to 2 chance on his jumping bow, Furmigadelagiusta came home a length and a quarter clear of 3 to 1 favourite Pagan Starprincess.
Burke said: "He has decent form on the Flat and we paid good money for him . . . He could be good and we will give him a Triumph Hurdle entry."
There was some heated discussion on pulling up between winning rider, Brian Hughes, and Warren Marston, on ninth-placed Hareem, which resulted in a three-day suspension for the latter.
Marston will be out of action between January 7th and 9th after the stewards found him guilty of improper riding "following an incident after the race".
The rider had earlier been on the score sheet when 33 to 1 outsider Sarrococca scored by 23 lengths for Martin Keighley in the Handicap Hurdle.
The George Moore-trained Greenbelt (14 to 1) landed the second division of the novice hurdle under Graham Lee.
