Contraband (left) comes to challenge.

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Connections of Contraband had to endure a nerve-wracking 15 minutes before the gelding was confirmed the winner of the Irish Independent Arkle Challenge Trophy at the Cheltenham Festival on Tuesday.

The Martin Pipe-trained seven-year-old appeared to cross the second, Ashley Brook, on the run-in and after they flashed past the post an inquiry was quickly announced.

But after deliberating the matter, the stewards allowed the result to stand.

Timmy Murphy gave the winner a typically patient ride and he settled the seven-year-old at the rear of the field in the early stages as Ashley Brook set a searching gallop in the two-mile test.

Murphy moved Contraband into contention at the top of the hill, where the leader came under pressure from Paddy Brennan.

Ashley Brook still held the call on the run to the last, where Contraband threw down his challenge, but the pacemaker stumbled on landing over the fence and Murphy seized his chance to boot his mount clear.

Contraband then hung to his left as he answered his rider's calls, causing Brennan to switch Ashley Brook.

The post arrived just in time for Contraband (7-1), who held the rallying Ashley Brook by a length, with another four back to River City.

"I didn't like the inquiry going on a long time, but you've got to have luck on your side," Pipe said after the result was confirmed.

"It's great to win. I tipped him on Radio Bristol this morning. I said he was my nap of the meeting. I can't wait to see the head-on and see what happened.

"He jumped well and travelled well. It's always a fast pace in the Arkle, which helped him settle, and the good ground helped as well. He jumped the last and the other horse didn't and that's what counted. It was a great ride by Timmy.

"Hopefully he'll go to Aintree if he comes out of this OK. He's run well there before."

Murphy added: "It was important for him to get a big jump at the last.

"He's never been a bad horse and we have been waiting for this ground.

"Up the hill he didn't stop. He's a funny old horse and has his quirks, and he changed his lead and went to his left, but I thought he had gone past the other horse.

"It is a long time since there have been 20 runners in the Arkle and it was very competitive from the start. We were flat out all the way and it was important to keep him happy."

Contraband carries the colours of David Johnson, and he and Pipe were enjoying their fourth success in the Grade One contest following Or Royal in 1997, Champleve the following year and Well Chief 12 months ago.

Ashley Brook came close to giving his trainer Kevin Bishop a first Festival success, and he said: "I think if he had landed running over the last he would have won, but he pecked quite badly, unfortunately.

"He has had sore shins and we thought possibly of not running him.

"We had him 100 per cent fit, but unfortunately the shins were not quite 100 per cent. But there is only one novice year and only one Arkle.

"He will probably be sore in the morning, but if he is not as bad as we fear he might be, he could run again.

"I don't know whether we would go for the Queen Mother next year, we were thinking more of the staying races. We will have to see, but he does have so much early speed.

"I think he will get three miles and he hasn't done badly for a horse that cost £3,000 running against horses which have cost hundreds of thousands."

Noel Chance, trainer of River City, who was having his first run since beating Contraband at Aintree in October, said: "I am delighted with that. He's done nothing wrong and the flatter track at Liverpool will suit him. That's where we go now.

"He's done well after a long time off but there's only so much you can do at home and he can only improve."

The Mouse Morris-trained War Of Attrition was heavily backed, but despite being sent off the 11-4 favourite he did not play a part in the finish and came home in seventh place.

Close to the pace early on, the six-year-old made several mistakes and dropped out of contention before the turn for home.

His jockey Conor O'Dwyer said: "He jumped super and travelled great, but on this ground and in this company, two miles is probably a bit sharp for him.

"He missed the plain fence between the two ditches, but that was not the problem. We were beaten running down the hill and though we winged the third-last, it was all over by then."