Sky's The Limit en route to a fine victory.

Sky's The Limit turned a typically competitive Coral Cup into a rout when he romped home under top weight to bring a successful outcome to a plan hatched four months ago by Irish trainer Edward O'Grady.

The five-year-old had not run since winning a conditions hurdle at Fairyhouse in December but he was clearly none the worse for the break as he showed with an impressive victory.

Barry Geraghty cruised up to the leader Inch Pride after the penultimate flight and soon getting the better of his rival, Sky's The Limit (11-1) shot clear to win as he liked by four lengths from Strangely Brown (25-1), with Dom D'Orgeval (20-1) another three-quarters back in third and Phar Bleu (10-1) fourth.

"This has been the plan," said O'Grady after greeting his 18th Festival winner. "We wanted to preserve his handicap mark so he hasn't run since December.

"I always felt the only way to preserve his mark was not to run him. It doesn't always work out that way but this time it has.

"Nobody expects a horse to win at Cheltenham like that but he did win it very well.

"I think we might try to step him up to conditions hurdles now and Aintree is a possibility.

"The World Hurdle next year would be a nice way to go. It just depends how much he improves."

Geraghty, who was completing 179-1 double following his win on Star de Mohaison in the Royal & SunAlliance Chase, added: "He's had a great run through and he's done it very well and he just jumped out of my hands at the last. He's a very good horse.

"The other horse (Inch Pride) going clear gave him a target but even if Arazi had gone off he'd have got him. He's only five and I'd say he's very good."