Inglis Drever beats Baracouda to the big prize.

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Howard Johnson staked an uncontestable claim for a place among the elite of British jumps trainers as Inglis Drever gave him a third Cheltenham Festival victory of the week when beating Baracouda in the Ladbrokes World Hurdle on Thursday.

In teaming up with multi-millionaire owner Graham Wylie, Johnson has been furnished with an expensively-purchased but ultra-talented team of jumpers that many of his colleagues could only dream about.

And his name can now be mentioned in the same breath as the likes of Martin Pipe, Paul Nicholls and Philip Hobbs at the top of the tree.

Yet even with the array of classy performers at his disposal, few could have expected that Johnson would come to jump racing's Olympics and claim three victories - Arcalis and No Refuge were the others - with the possibility of more still to come.

Having started the week as Festival 'virgins', Wylie and jockey Graham Lee still seemed as genuinely stunned with this success as their first, and the Cheltenham crowd welcomed them into the winner's enclosure as their own, despite Inglis Drever having denied Baracouda a third stayers' crown.

Having his first try at this three-mile trip, Inglis Drever (5-1) surged to the front at the last and was far too strong for the 6-5 favourite up the hill, scoring by three lengths.

Rule Supreme did nothing wrong and was a creditable third, only another three-quarters of a length behind Baracouda.

With Baracouda's supposed pacemaker Knife Edge dropping out in the early stages, it was left to Tom Scudamore and Westender to take the initiative and they bolted well clear down the back straight and were still holding a clear advantage at the second-last.

But all the time a posse of challengers were closing, including the market principals.

Having jumped the penultimate flight in sixth place, Lee threw everything at the winner, who found more acceleration than all of his rivals and led just before the last.

Galloping home strongly, the six-year-old saw out every yard of the race in style.

"I never usually shake, but watching that race today made me shake a little bit because I love this horse," said Johnson.

"He jumped as straight as a die today. Graham gave him a lovely ride. All credit to the staff at home and the girl who does him.

"I knew he'd come up the hill. We've got one that's high and steep at home. When he's on form he goes up our hill great.

"That's the secret about training our horses - going up steep hills. It seems to get their wind right and helps them be fit and healthy.

"I knew he was well when I saddled him up. We call him Popeye at home and when his eyes were popping right out I knew it was a good sign.

"If he's in good fettle, he might go to Liverpool, and if not he'll be back next season.

"The irony is that he wouldn't have run here had Royal Rosa not done a tendon at Kempton. But he'll be back next season as well, so there's plenty to look forward to."

Reflecting upon the week, he went on: "It's been a dream since we first arrived at Cheltenham on Tuesday morning. It's quite hard to take it all in."

But Johnson admitted that his increased success in training - which now involves a total of some 150 horses - may mean that his enormous farming operation has to be scaled down.

"We've got 600 head of cattle and they take some calving I can tell you," he said. "I'm a hands-on man but with the horses as well, I think we are going to have to cut back.

"My wife, Sue, said to me 'We haven't got any life' and she's right."

Lee praised his mount for having a heart "as big as the winner's enclosure".

"He didn't travel great, he didn't jump great but he's got a big heart and in the end I think I got there a bit too soon - but I wasn't going to stop when I got him going," said the rider.

"I was forced to track Baracouda for a while because I wasn't travelling well, but I'm so happy for the horse. He's always been a real favourite of ours.

"Through injuries I've missed 10 weeks of the season so far - 10 good weeks too - but one Cheltenham win would have made up for those 10, let alone three."

For every winner there has to be a loser and it was sad to see Baracouda forced into second place again as his bid for a history-making third win in the race went wide of the mark for the second year running.

But despite the obvious disappointment of defeat, Francois Doumen took it with grace.

"He was really a splendid second," he said. "Tony (McCoy) was impeccable, he gave him the perfect ride. We were just beaten by a better horse and we have to respect that.

"He may go to Aintree. We will certainly enter him, but it may depend upon the ground.

"Maybe as he is getting older he does not have the speed he had in the past, but he has run a good race.

"Nobody likes to come second but he has now run in the race four times and never come worse than second. He is still some horse."

Owner JP McManus added: "We were just beaten by a better horse. He ran his heart out. All credit to Francois, he had him ready to run the race of his life."

Rule Supreme, who should have been suited by the fast pace of the race, stayed on for third without ever looking likely to reel in the winner.

Trainer Willie Mullins said: "He's had a hard race. I'm happy with the horse and there are no excuses really.

"I am a bit disappointed as he was in the form of his life, but he was beaten fair and square and perhaps that's as good as he is.

"He'll definitely go to Punchestown now and then we'll go for the French Champion Hurdle again."