Fondmort - fourth victory at the track.

Fondmort continued his Cheltenham love affair with a thrilling victory in the Ryanair Chase on the third day of the Festival.

Nicky Henderson's classy performer (100-30 joint-favourite) was registering his fourth valuable success at the Prestbury Park circuit when he got the better of Lacdoudal (20-1) and Impek, the other market leader, by a length and a quarter and a head.

Fondmort was adding the £150,000 Grade Two contest to his Cheltenham wins in the Paddy Power and Tripleprint Gold Cups and the Unicoin Chase.

And it was his ever-reliable jumping which once again stood him in good stead as he reeled in Tony McCoy and Impek at the top of the hill, just before which the champion jockey had been looking confidently over his shoulder.

Mick Fitzgerald asked for prodigious leaps at the last two fences and Fondmort did not let him down and he soon had the race in the bag.

The tough-as-teak 10-year-old was kept up to his work to hold on bravely up the hill from the staying-on runner-up and the rallying Impek to make amends for a narrow defeat in last year's renewal.

An emotional Henderson said: "He's very special isn't he?

"I don't know why horses like places or doing things but we all know this horse just loves this place.

"In fairness over the last two or three days I've never known him better. You can't be confident about races like this but you've got to say he couldn't have been any better."

The only hiccup in an otherwise foot-perfect round came at the sixth from home when Fondmort took off very early but Henderson was not too concerned.

He continued: "He can stand off and Mick knows what he can do and what he can ask him. His jumping is just ridiculously accurate and just give him this track.

"I've got to admit when AP was looking to see where we were I had slight reservations because AP doesn't normally do that but this horse is so tough.

"Mick said he was tired up the hill but he'd done them by then with his jumping and his pace.

"He was just beaten in the race last year so he's got his just rewards - he deserved it.

"He's won his Paddy Power, his Tripleprint and goodness knows what else but he deserved a Festival win.

"He's been such a great old servant and he doesn't even need a trainer."

Fondmort still holds an entry in the John Smith's Grand National but Henderson said: "We'll talk about the National but probably it's a tough thing to ask him to do after that.

"We might look at the two-and-a-half-miler at Aintree but then again it's not Cheltenham.

"Running at this place is his home game."

Fitzgerald rates Fondmort as "one of my favourite horses".

He added: "He's just class. He's one of those horses that you would literally pull yourself off your death bed to ride he's that good.

"He loves it round here, he really does, he's just a class horse.

"When he was looking round, AP was just trying to pull up the race to suit himself and I thought I'm not having any of that so I kicked on and got past him and made Impek race from some way out because he's always been a doubtful stayer while this fellow just loves it up that hill.

"I knew I could rely on him over the last two obstacles - he is ultra-reliable."

Fondmort was quoted at prices ranging from 25-1 to 40-1 for Aintree but when asked about the Grand National, Fitzgerald said: "He didn't stay last year and in my opinion it's a pointless exercise. If they had a National over two-five then that would be different."

Lacdoudal's trainer Philip Hobbs said: "He was flying at the finish and all he needed was another 100 yards and we might have had a different result.

"He is possibly more effective at three miles and he got a bit outpaced early on, as we thought he would, but he has run very well."

Impek's trainer Henrietta Knight was upset about a problem down at the start.

"You don't usually see me so angry but I am absolutely seething, he was all worked up by the time I got to the start," she said.

"I couldn't get a bucket for him anywhere and in the end I had to borrow one for him from the catering staff.

"We raced cross country to get to him but he had already spun round and dropped him (McCoy) once and by the time I was there his brain had gone.

"Tony was screaming at them to wait for him when he was out of line but they wouldn't wait and you just don't need that with this horse as everything has to go the way he wants it.

"There were three false starts at this meeting yesterday and for a premier meeting that is disgraceful, the standard of the starts this week has been poor and I think I will be talking to the stewards about it."

Owner Jim Lewis was more philosophical.

"AP was unhappy the way the start was conducted when the starter appeared to let them go before he was on the course proper," he said.

"You need everything to go right but we will live to fight another day and Fondmort is a very good horse around here."