Cannock Park held on gamely to the land the mallardjewellers.com Maiden Hurdle at Cheltenham for Craig Nichol and Paul Robson.

The five-year-old has been faring well since winning his sole point-to-point start, taking a bumper at Bangor last time out by four lengths.

He was a 15-2 chance in a field of seven at Prestbury Park and made the running from the start, gaining a lead that grew wider as the race developed.

The gelding looked to tire when climbing the hill, but did not fold and toughed it out to prevail by a neck from Innatendue, with odds-on favourite The Kemble Brewery in third.

“He tied up a bit, but he had a bit of an accident at home about four weeks ago and we had to back off him a bit. He’ll certainly come on for it and there’s a nice race at Wetherby at the end of the year we can look at,” Borders-based Robson said.

“I think he wants soft ground and I’m not sure we’ll get that in March, but we’ll see. We can dream.”

Celebrating his first Cheltenham winner, Robson added: “I wanted to come here and win a race instead of somewhere else as it is Cheltenham at the end of the day. It is lovely to come here with a nice horse. I’m pretty much flabbergasted to be fair. It is what everyone says it is, it is a dream (to have a winner at Cheltenham).

“We knew the way he won his bumper and point-to-point bumper that he was a nice horse. Lyall Hodgins rode him that day (at Alnwick) and he couldn’t pull him up and he went past the line 20 lengths clear.

“We just had to hold our time and get him schooled. He was still green today. I walked the track and I thought it was a bit heavy down the back straight, but they have done a great job getting it where it is today.

“I just about beat him up to the line as I was running up next to him!”

Ginny’s Destiny then capitalised on the late fall of market leader Crebilly to land the cavani.co.uk Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase for Harry Cobden and Paul Nicholls at a price of 100-30.

Nicholls said: “We will find something similar I would imagine, but we might run him in a better race, we’ll see. He will get three miles in time as he gallops all day. I’d say he will run in some good handicaps.

“He could just keep progressing. If he can jump and gallop like that in soft ground, he will win plenty of races.”

The Turners Open National Flat Race was won by Ben Brookhouse’s Brechin Castle, who wore the silks of the trainer’s father, Roger.

The 9-4 favourite for the Listed contest, Jack Quinlan’s mount scored by two and a quarter lengths.

“I wanted to run him over hurdles as I wanted to run him in the Persian War first time out but dad wanted to run him in bumpers,” the trainer said.

“He is very professional, and he is a dude. He has been well educated and at the end of it today he has been well ridden.

“Dad loves Cheltenham and to get a winner here for him is great. We will be running a lot of horses for him here hopefully, but this lad is the best of them by a long way.

“We discussed about possibly taking him to Leopardstown in February (for the Dublin Racing Festival).

“He might go to Ascot in December next then on to Leopardstown before Punchestown. If he goes to Punchestown he won’t go to Aintree and he might turn up here for the Champion Bumper so he has lots of options. He is a very nice horse.”