Gemirande held on strongly to deny favourite Madara and win the December Gold Cup at Cheltenham.

The pair pulled away from the rest of the field on the approach to the second-last and came together briefly while jumping it.

They were still together at the last before the 11-2 shot, ridden by Charlie Deutsch and trained by Venetia Williams, edged ahead of the 11-4 favourite and stayed on to win by a length.

Madara, ridden by Harry Skelton and trained by brother Dan, was well clear of third-placed Fugitif (6-1), who won last year’s race.

Gemirande, an impressive winner last time out at Ascot, was well placed throughout and Deutsch was delighted to have landed another big race victory on the eight-year-old.

“His jumping was electric and I’m chuffed for him to get his head in front. He loves racing,” he told ITV Racing.

“He’s a real character – the more you pull the faster he goes but he is really game.

“Venetia is a magician with what she does with her horses.”