Sam Waley-Cohen pronounced himself more than happy after Long Run regained winning ways with a workmanlike victory in the Betfair Denman Chase at Newbury yesterday.

The 29-year-old amateur jockey and the Cheltenham Gold Cup winner, who is owned by Waley-Cohen’s father, Robert, from Edgehill, near Banbury, have had to play second fiddle twice to Kauto Star this season.

But after a virtually faultless round of jumping, capped by a prodigious leap at the final fence, the seven-year-old gelding held off his Nicky Henderson-trained stablemate, Burton Port, who was receiving 10lb, by half a length.

The bookmakers were not impressed with Ladbrokes, Coral and Betfred pushing Long Run out to 5-2 from 2-1 for the Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup on Friday, March 17.

But Sam Waley-Cohen said: “I really think that was as good a prep as you could possibly want with him.

“It was a great race and an important one for us. We wanted to come here and give the horse confidence and give me confidence.

“I was really pleased with his jumping. He was a little careless with the water (jump), but apart from that he’s jumped really well. You couldn’t ask for more from a seasoned chaser.

“Riding a special horse like that gives you a feel you can’t replicate in any other way.”

Robert Waley-Cohen added: “It’s a huge relief. We were giving a lot of weight to some very good horses.

“He did it really well and jumped absolutely fantastically. Hopefully we can do away with the careless jumping now for the rest of his career.”