Menorah came to the rescue at Kempton yesterday for the team which had seen the King George VI Chase cruelly snatched from their grasp just 24 hours earlier.
Captain Chris had been within a whisker of giving jockey Richard Johnson, Minehead trainer Philip Hobbs and owners Grahame and Diana Whateley the perfect Christmas present, only for Sam Waley-Cohen and Long Run to redouble their efforts and stick his neck back in front.
This was the third attempt to stage the William Hill Levy Board Peterborough Chase following the waterlogging of Huntingdon and Exeter, and a more ideal setting could hardly have been chosen for Menorah (7-2), whose three-and-a-half-length defeat of Hunt Ball took his unbeaten record course record to three.
"I did toss and turn last night – it must have all happened in 20 yards, but that's racing," said Grahame Whateley.
"I never thought Richard Johnson would be beaten in a fight for the finish, but credit to Sam Waley-Cohen.
"Philip said (Menorah) had never looked better. He jumped one fence very big but pinged the rest.
"We'd always aimed for the Peterborough, even when it was at Huntingdon, then Exeter and we're very pleased to see him win at Kempton.
"Everyone is asking if he is going to go to the Ryanair Chase, but I never like to make any plans – the most important thing is to get him back home and see how he is tomorrow."
Of plans for Captain Chris, he said: "Richard has always said Captain Chris was a Gold Cup horse from the first day he sat on him.
"If he's right and fit he'll go in the Gold Cup, that's always been the ambition, and there's races in between we might aim for."
Hunt Ball was staying on encouragingly and owner Anthony Knott said: "I'd like to go for the Ascot Chase next and the Gold Cup is the main target – I've backed him to win a million so he's going there."
Champion trainer Paul Nicholls had a better afternoon than when put in the shade by his rival Nicky Henderson on Boxing Day.
Sanctuaire, who was hammered by Henderson's Sprinter Sacre in the Tingle Creek Chase, combined his eccentricities and undoubted ability in the williamhill.com Desert Orchid Chase.
The 11-8 favourite did not revert to his habit of not starting but appeared to be grinding to a halt when overtaken by Wishfull Thinking turning into the home straight.
But this only galvanised Sanctuaire and he took Ruby Walsh back into pole position by the second-last fence and to an eventual winning distance of 13 lengths.
Nicholls said: "He started to pull himself up on the back straight, Ruby had dropped his stick and I thought that was it, but when the others had gone past him he took off."
