The mood of disappointment was replaced with one of unbridled joy as Black Hercules banished memories of his last visit to Cheltenham to hand Ruby Walsh a landmark 50th Festival victory in the JLT Novices' Chase.
Having failed to live up to expectations when sent off favourite for the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle at the meeting 12 months ago, the seven-year-old exacted that defeat to claim his first win at the highest level.
While not putting up the same extravagant display as that of his Willie Mullins-trained stablemate Vautour in landing the Grade One prize last year, the Graham Wylie-owned gelding turned in a career-best performance to hand his rider another moment to savour in the saddle.
No sooner had the tapes gone up did the drama start with Davy Russell left planted in the ground after being unshipped from Zabana when appearing to get tangled up with Outlander, who along with Garde La Victoire, was to see his chances end when capsizing four out.
Bristol De Mai, chasing a fourth successive win, cut out much of the early running as he looked to back up his impressive victory in the Scilly Isles Chase at Sandown last time out. Although still pitching in there after the third-last, his chances of success looked slim as L'Ami Serge and 4-1 co-favourite Black Hercules breezed past on the run down to the penultimate fence.
For a moment it looked as though Black Hercules, who was initially set to contest the National Hunt Chase on Tuesday, was to taste defeat as a market leader for the second year in succession, as L'Ami Serge moved on, but having drawn upsides over the final fence, an extra gear was found at the right time to master the Nicky Henderson-trained gelding.
Rarely is Walsh defeated with the Prestbury Park winning line in sight and that was to be the outcome once again, as although Bristol De Mai forged away from L'Ami Serge for second up the run-in, he could not close in on the winner, with three lengths splitting the pair at the line.
Black Hercules was introduced at 20-1 for the 2017 Gold Cup by Betway, while Paddy Power went 25-1 for the same race.
Mullins said: "I thought he was a stayer at first, but he showed a lot of speed when he won at Navan. The better ground has probably been a big help to him as well. I thought he was gone at the second-last - he seemed to be wavering around a bit. But once Ruby got him balanced, he just powered up the straight.
"He would have been too free in the four-miler, so that's why we changed (target)."
Reflecting on the achievement of Walsh notching up a half-century of winners at the prestigious meeting, the Closutton handler had nothing but praise for the man he first spotted riding as a 7lb claimer.
He added: "He's the best jockey I've ever had riding for me. For the first time I saw him as an amateur, he was different gravy and he still is.
"My last winner (as a jockey) was beating him a short head and when I hung up my boots, I said, 'that's enough'. I always knew he'd be going for the top - he just oozed class.
"Ruby's first ever ride for me was in a 19-runner bumper and he came from last to first and I said then he was the future - 50 winners is fantastic, he's always in the right place."
As for Walsh he repaid the thanks to those who have helped him in reaching his incredible tally.
He said: "It's amazing. When I joined Pat Taaffe here on 25 (winners), I thought that was unbelievable, but 50 is incredible.
"I've been lucky round here. I'm in the privileged position to ride for Willie Mullins now and Paul Nicholls in the past and without people like that behind you, you wouldn't get anywhere near that number. I'm the lucky guy who gets to steer the ship."
Of the winner, Walsh said: "He's tough. We thought he'd win the Albert Bartlett last year but he was disappointing - we got it right this year.
Bristol De Mai was looking to give Nigel Twiston-Davies a third winner of the week and he said: "He ran a great race, we've no excuses. Maybe we could have done with the ground a bit softer, but he was coming back at the line.
"We'll look at Aintree and maybe Ayr, something like that."
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