Mick Fitzgerald brought the Nicky Henderson-trained winner Tysou home with a powerful late lunge that saw him overturn the form of his defeat at the hands of Dempsey on their previous appearances.

The top weight ran a game race under his welter burden of 11st 12lb, but after pulling hard early and then duelling with well-backed 5-2 favourite Hoo La Baloo for the lead throughout, he could not fend off the winner who prevailed by two lengths.

"He really does seem to be a different horse this season, " Fitzgerald said. "I have doubted him a bit in the past, but he has grown up and he gave me his everything." Dempsey's trainer Mark Pitman saw the lighter side of the spousal battle too afterwards. "He is at the top of his game at the moment and I thought we had it won. But if you are going lose to any horse, it might as well be the one owned by your owner's husband, " he joked.

Earlier on the card, in the rearranged Cleeve Hurdle, Henry Daly was left cursing his luck again as Mighty Man leapt to the head of the betting for the Ladbrokes World Hurdle despite finishing only second behind sentimental favourite Fire Dragon. Just as he had flown up the hill all too late to grab the spoils at Cheltenham last time out, so it all happened again as the 158 favourite was unfortunate to find Fire Dragon two lengths too good. There was something of a sense of justice with Fire Dragon's victory though, with trainer Jonjo O'Neill having lost Smurfit Champion Hurdle candidate Lingo in a gallops accident earlier in the day.

"Without a doubt AP [McCoy] won it, " O'Neill said.

"He got him galloping right from the start. It was magic.

He's entered in the World Hurdle and we'll probably run there, depending upon how he comes out of this."

A somewhat fortunate Royal Shakespeare landed the Agfa Hurdle later on the card after he was left in the clear when German raider Fiepes Shuffle fell at the last fence. And from there it was left to Tom Scudamore aboard the favourite to claim the prize which extends Steve Gollings' likeable gelding's lead at the top of the Order of Merit table.

Despite the slice of luck attached to the win, Royal Shakespeare's jockey Tom Scudamore was full of praise for the gelding while remaining realistic. "He's such a genuine horse and he keeps trying for you. He needs good ground though. I don't know if he's good enough to win a Champion Hurdle even on good ground because Brave Inca looks a very good horse, but he could run into a place.

Paul Nicholls' Napolitain won a dramatic Grade One Scilly Isles Novices' Chase as Turpin Green threw away any chance of victory at the last. The big disappointment of the race was the winner's stablemate and hot favourite Albuhera though, who was beaten a long way out and finished last.

Eearlier on the card, Detroit City leapt to the front of the betting for the JCB Triumph Hurdle with a stylish success in the opening contest on the card under jockey Richard Johnson.