Sir Alex Ferguson celebrated a £139,000 payday as Gold Cup hope Protektorat spearheaded a huge double at Haydock.
Defying a sizeable drift in the betting, the young pretender to the Festival crown made a deep impression in the Merseyside mud. But last year's Gold Cup winner A Plus Tard found it too much of an ask and was pulled up by Rachael Blackmore in the straight.
As the odds on favourite's jumping faltered, Protektorat (15-2) produced some bold jumps for Harry Skelton. His mount led the field at the fourth last fence and brushed aside Eldorado Allen's brief challenge, keeping up the gallop for an 11-length supremacy.
