Banbury trainer Paul Webber was relieved after Time For Rupert got his Cheltenham Gold Cup campaign back on track by outclassing his rivals in the Betfair Graduation Chase at Newbury yesterday.

The 8-15 chance jumped well for new jockey Denis O’Regan, who was replacing Stanford in the Vale rider Will Kennedy, to come home a length and three-quarters clear of The Giant Bolster in the three-mile contest.

“What a relief,” said Mollington handler Webber. “He’s a horse that will never win by further than he has to, so I have to be very pleased.

“We’ll go for the Argento Chase (at Cheltenham on January 28) and maybe look at the Irish Hennessy as an alternative.”