Lostintranslation got the better of king of Haydock Bristol De Mai in the Betfair Chase for Colin Tizzard and Robbie Power.
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Nigel Twiston-Davies' grey was going for his third Betfair Chase win in a row under Daryl Jacob, but both he and the winner were sent off 5/4 joint-favourites as the market struggled to separate the duo.
It was difficult to separate them after the last, too, as they went head to head in a thrilling duel, but Lostintranslation pulled out more when asked to win by one-and-a-half lengths.
Lostintranslation is the new 9/2 favourite for the Gold Cup with Sky Bet.
Bristol De Mai cut out the running in his customary front-running style, with Lostintranslation held up off the pace by Power with Frodon and Ballyoptic racing in between.
At the top of the straight Lostintranslation had loomed up into contention and it soon became a match race with Ballyoptic and Frodon dropping away.
Lostintranslation was travelling the better approaching the second last, but the slightest of errors there gave Bristol De Mai added impetus and the whip was drawn on Tizzard's horse for the first time.
He nosed ahead after the last and pulled away late on, with Bristol De Mai going down on his sword with an excellent effort in defeat.
😍 What a race that was to watch
— Sporting Life (@SportingLife) November 23, 2019
💪 LOSTINTRANSLATION downs Bristol De Mai on his own turf...
🏆 And he's now the clear Gold Cup favouritepic.twitter.com/3CTcxiiAIk
Tizzard said: "I've never had one jump better than this fella. He's just a lovely horse and we make sure we look after him as they don't come along very often.
"He's immaculate at his fences - he makes the right shape. He just got in tight to the second last and was in a heap. Bristol De Mai might have even headed him. We didn't know what he was going to find, but he kept going right to the line.
"He stays well and has got the pace for two miles. He's got everything in front of him."
Sky Bet cut Lostintranslation to 3/1 from 5/1 for the Ladbrokes King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day, as well as that 9/2 Gold Cup quote.
If he does go on to win those two races, he will have completed the Jockey Club Chase Triple Crown, which yields a £1million bonus.
"The plan at the start of the season was to have a prep race, then come for this and to have a go at the £1million bonus, so he'll go for the King George next," Tizzard confirmed.
"Whether we need to run him between the King George and Cheltenham, we don't know yet - we want to go for the Gold Cup.
"Kempton is the plan, definitely - it may suit him more. He's won here today and done it well against Bristol De Mai. It's only two years ago he beat Cue Card by 57 lengths, so this is his track.
"Our horse has got the pace and he can jump and we've seen today he can grind it out on good to soft ground - this horse has got everything."
Robbie Power has already ridden one Cheltenham Gold Cup winner in 2017 victor Sizing John - and feels Lostintranslation has all the attributes to make him a serious contender.
He said: "It's no secret how much we thought of this horse. Today was D-Day - he was stepping into the big boys' league.
"They don't come much bigger than Bristol De Mai round Haydock, so we were going to find out plenty about his Gold Cup credentials. The horse has done the talking and has answered them all.
"I couldn't believe how well he was travelling. He was in his comfort zone the whole way. He's had a tough race, but it's six weeks to the King George which is probably ideal. He'll be freshened up and he's only seven, so roll on Kempton.
"Sizing John was a good jumper. They don't come better than him, but this horse has a lot of similarities in that he jumps well and has a great cruising speed.
"Those are the two main attributes you need for a Gold Cup contender."