Once he had calmed down, the 83-year-old offered a simple six-word assessment of the display afterwards, telling BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra: "I think the jumping won it.

"What can I say? Great horse, it was a bonus. Winning here last year with two was fantastic and doing it again this year is fantastic. Thank you very much."

During his emotional run, Caldwell Potter sported the colours of former co-owner John Hales, who died in January aged 85. Ridden by jockey Harry Cobden and trained by Paul Nicholls, his run for the line also prompted huge cheers from the Cheltenham crowds.

It signified a 50th Cheltenham win for Nicholls, who also didn't conceal his delight post-race, saying: "It was a good performance; it's what we wanted to see from him. He loved that. He can only improve.

"It's only the last month he's shown us what he's made of. We were under a bit of pressure. You've got to get to know them like people. He's run ok this season."

The 125-1 outshot Anyway was second and O'Moore Park third. Pre-race favourite Firefox delivered an underwhelming display though, finishing in sixth place.