Festival form so often proves paramount and there are no better equipped horses for one week in March than Bobs Worth as he emerged triumphant in a thrilling Betfred Gold Cup.

With the first and the third home in former champion Long Run, Nicky Henderson took his unprecedented haul at the meeting to a cool 50.

There was a record, too, for Bobs Worth, who is unbeaten in five visits to the course and, in adding to the RSA and the Albert Bartlett, he had already earned, was becoming the first since the great Flyingbolt in the 1960s to secure three different Festival events in a row.

His jockey Barry Geraghty bought the gelding as a yearling and made a minor profit when selling him on for a little more than £20,000 at four to Henderson and The Not Afraid Partnership, a syndicate headed by Malcolm Kimmins.

That he clinched his second Gold Cup following his win on Kicking King in 2005 went some way to soothing the wounds of that decision.

Surprisingly, the 11-4 favourite was making just his second appearance of the season after his victory in November's Hennessy as Henderson had opted for racecourse gallops and sessions at home to prepare for Cheltenham, sp unwilling was he to risk him during the wet winter.

A rainy Cotswolds day was not ideal, either, and Geraghty had appeared anxious aboard his mount as he dropped a little off the pace set by Sam Waley-Cohen and Long Run.

Tony McCoy, a last-minute deputy for the injured Davy Russell, kept Long Run in his sights aboard Sir Des Champs, while Silviniaco Conti was in the equation until he fell at the unforgiving third-last.

By now, Bobs Worth had gained momentum and passed Long Run and Sir Des Champs approaching the final fence, with enough left in the tank to forge seven lengths clear.

"He's just a true professional, and such a brave horse," said Henderson. "Barry was trying to hang on to him as we know he comes up the hill, he has never been beaten on it. Bobs Worth hasn't run since the Hennessy and Long Run hasn't run since the King George, so it was all down to what we did at home and we did it as a team..

"I was worried about the ground but they are two really brave horses and you just have to take what you get. You can't take anything away from Long Run, Sam was going hammer and tongs with AP [McCoy] and he wasn't intimidated."

Unless Paul Nicholls has a phenomenal Grand National meeting, Henderson will surely win the trainers' title for the first time since 1987.

Yet it was Willie Mullins who took top trainer at the Festival with five wins. His quest for the Gold Cup goes on for at least another year, though, after his latest candidate Sir Des Champs could only finish second, with champion jockey Tony McCoy standing in for the injured Davy Russell.

"[Tony] had spoken to his previous riders, he has lots of experience around here, so I was happy enough to leave it to him. I thought we had Long Run's measure, but I didn't look behind, maybe I should have done."

The well-fancied Paul Nicholls-trained Silviniaco Conti was still in with every chance until coming to grief three fences from home.

Nicholls said: "He'll be back to fight another day. He's absolutely fine, that's the most important thing. I was spitting blood for 10 seconds but then you move on."