Panic Attack won the Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham | report and video replay

It hadn't been plain sailing for the mare since she impressed in a bumper on debut for Willie Mullins in 2020 and she only made her debut for Skelton under a year ago after 649 days off the track.

This was her seasonal reappearance and Panic Attack raced easily in midfield in a tightly bunched field.

At the top of the hill - three out - leading Irish challenger Coming Up Easy made a bad blunder which put paid to his chances but few of the remainder could be ruled out with any degree of confidence.

Rounding the final turn, there were five in a line, and a few others close enough, with the eye constantly drawn to favourite Vincenzo who appeared to be travelling kindly on the inside.

Vincenzo headed into the last in front but was far from fluent whereas Panic Attack landed in front and hit the ground running; she extended her advantaged up the hill, crossing the line four lengths clear as Skelton performed his trademark celebration in the saddle.

Vincenzo held on for second ahead of the winner's stablemate Hoe Joly Smoke who made up good ground from the rear.

This year's renewal of the handicap chase was run in memory of Edward O'Grady whose family presented the trophy to winning connections.

O'Grady, who died in July aged 75, won the Paddy Power Gold Cup with Tranquil Sea in 2009 who was only the second Irish-trained winner of the race and the most recent; he also sent out 18 Cheltenham Festival winners.

'I’m only doing my fxxxing job!'

"We got racing early enough but on an older horse like her I wasn't too worried about that," Skelton said.

"She's been there before and knows how to dig in and she's seen it out really strongly. It's a credit to Dan and the team, they got her spot on for today and she powered up the hill.

"It's a big day for her, that's a big race and we'll let her get over that now and see where we go."

Brother Dan said: “Everyone has done a fantastic job to get her in the condition that you see today. She hasn’t had a run, which I was a little bit concerned about, but she had been for an away day, and she actually went the same day L’Eau du Sud went away so that was obviously a nice gallop. The fact she has some experience was really important. You can’t say your horse is improving at nine-years-old, but what she is doing is thriving and her body is probably the strongest that it has ever been. It is an obvious advertisement for giving National Hunt horses a bit of time. We have never won it before, and it is obviously brilliant.

“I’m very proud of the horse in third, Hoe Joly Smoke, but I had to run him with the form he was in at home. Just tripping on landing at the last may have even cost him second place.

“It is fairly obvious to all and sundry that we have got the best team we have ever had. There is no point knocking on the door they have got to get through it. The horses of yesteryear were brilliant, and they got through plenty of doors, but when you have got a bigger team it does feel easier. We have been second in this race a couple of times. I remember after Spiritofthegames finished second in it as I had never left a racecourse so disappointed for a horse as Norman Lake, who was one of our biggest supporters, died a couple of years ago and it would have been great to have won a race like that for him. This horse is just very tough and she is a great advertisement for our whole team as she has been a fragile horse.

“She didn’t make it to the Cheltenham Festival at the end of last season and she has done everything asked of her in training and not missed a beat so fair play to her as she is a credit to herself. To some degree (it does give me more satisfaction when a target comes off), but at the end of the day I’m a paid professional and like Roy Keane would say I’m only doing my fxxxing job!

“When she couldn’t make the Plate last season I then thought the race for her was the Paddy Power Gold Cup. It was then whether we got a prep run into her, and I’m glad we didn’t in the end. The only doubt I had coming here today was that we hadn’t had that run beforehand, but we didn’t need it in the end which was great.

“I knew Panic Attack was not going to be miles behind any of them, but it was nice to have two arrows to shoot at the race.

“We are just running the right horses in the right races and if you have got horses for these races I want to be running them. I love running horses, and I don’t shy away from it.

“She definitely won’t come back for the December Gold Cup. I’ve got a couple of plans. I think she is most likely to go to Doncaster for the mares race over the Christmas period. We will then plan out the spring, but I would hope to bring her back here for the Mares’ Chase.”

Target since January

Owner Bryan Drew said: “This has been a target since January and she has been in the form of her life.

"Dan has done a wonderful job with her. She has jumped and travelled like a dream then kicked on beautifully. She will make a lovely broodmare as well, but hopefully we will have another year or more with her. That was phenomenal.

“To be fair we couldn’t run her after Warwick as she had a knock that swelled up so it made the decision for us, so it is not quite as clinical as that, but it still feels good.”

Sam Thomas, trainer of Vicenzo, commented: “The Skelton team are unstoppable at the moment, but we lost nothing in defeat and I’m very proud of our horse.

"I don’t see why we wouldn’t come back for the December Gold Cup. Dylan (Johnston) was very happy and there were no excuses.”

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