Carruthers provided Mark Bradstock’s Letcombe Bassett stables, near Wantage, with a fairy-tale victory in the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury on Saturday.

The eight-year-old gelding, bred by Lord Oaksey, the father of Bradstock’s wife, Sara, put up a terrifically game display under Mattie Batchelor to give the trainer his biggest success since taking out a licence in 1992.

Always in the firing line, Carruthers refused to give way as he was challenged for the lead.

The 10-1 chance continued to pull out more for Batchelor up the home straight, and after a bold leap at the last, he galloped up the run-in to pass the post three and three-quarter lengths ahead of the Philip Hobbs-trained Planet Of Sound (14-1), whose stablemate Fair Along (33-1) was three-quarters of a length back in third place.

Carruthers returned to a popular reception in the winner’s enclosure after scooping the £85,425 first prize.

With Lord Oaksey, 82, who rode Taxidermist to win the race in 1958 and now heads the partnership which owns Carruthers, missing the celebrations as he is not in the best of health, it was left to his wife, Lady Oaksey, to receive the trophy from the Princess Royal.

Bradstock said: “It’s my biggest win by a long way. You’ve obviously got the King George and the Gold Cup, but the Hennessy is in the top six races you would want to win as a trainer, and we have done it.

“I am just elated. My wife does all the work on him and always has done.

“He is a very brave horse. He is not particularly big, but he is a real trier.

“We put a tongue tie on him and that might have made a difference because he seems to be happier, and he is finishing his races better than he ever was.”

For Batchelor, 35, it was an emotional success, coming on the anniversary of his mother’s death.

He said: “He’s a brilliant old horse, last year he was wrong, this year he’s better than ever.”