This season's father-and-son theme continued at Cheltenham as Nigel and Sam Twiston-Davies combined in both the headline events.
Half-an-hour after a brave win from Double Ross in the Stewart Family Thank You Gold Cup, stable star The New One furthered his Festival claims in the StanJames.com Inter-national Hurdle.
After big-race success in the last month for the trainers and jockeys of the Tizzard and Moore clans, the Gloucestershire-based Twiston-Davies family were afforded a rousing home welcome.
The New One is now 3-1 favourite with Coral and Ladbrokes for the Champion Hurdle after what was a match on paper with the classy Zarkandar, last year's winner who came out half- a-length ahead when the pair met at Aintree in April.
The 2-5 market-leader delivered a devastating finishing kick when Zarkandar pressed him, conjuring six lengths from almost nothing on the run for the last.
While the runner-up's connections felt aggrieved about a coming-together with Brendan Powell and Jumps Road approaching the final flight, jockey Daryl Jacob said he would not have prevailed over Sam Twiston-Davies' mount in any case.
Proud father Nigel said: "Having the boy on board makes it extra special … what I loved was when the other horse got to him he quickened away - it was Champ- ion Hurdle-type acceleration."
Twiston-Davies will produce The New One again in the williamhill.com Christmas Hurdle at Kempton on Boxing Day.
His son said: "I missed the last, but he has so much boot underneath him that I gave him a kick in the belly and off he went."
Jacob said of Zarkandar: "It [the interference] obviously put him off his stride a bit, but in regard to the winner, there was no way I'd have got to him anyway."
The stewards ruled Powell at fault, and suspended him for three days (December 29-31).
Twiston-Davies regards The New One as one of the best he has trained, unlike Double Ross, who plays more of a supporting role for Grange Hill Farm. This was their first victory after countless placed efforts in the valuable Grade Three handicap over two miles and five furlongs.
A springer in the market at 7-1, Double Ross was on his second stint over fences and had only five chasing starts to his credit.
Sew On Target and Easter Meteor set a frenetic pace, with Double Ross on their coat tails messing up the fourth-last but passing them with two fences left.
Paddy Power winner Johns Spirit and Tony McCoy's mount Colour Squadron were preparing a challenge but it was Cantlow who emerged as the nearest danger to Double Ross, who tired but survived by two lengths.
"I needed to fill him up down the hill after a mistake to try to get a bit of life back in him and when I turned in, he finished really well," said Sam Twiston-Davies
Twiston-Davies senior said: "He's a novice, but that's how you win these big races - he was well handicapped, possibly."
Jonjo O'Neill chalked up his 100th winner of the season as full brothers More Of That and Eastlake both won under McCoy.
More Of That extended his unbeaten record to four in the Osborne House Relkeel Hurdle and Eastlake (5-1 favourite) hit the mark in the Jenny Mould Memorial Handicap Chase.
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