Foly Pleasant, West Lockinge trainer Henrietta Knight's progressive handicapper, revelled in the testing conditions to gain a notable success in the Ladbroke Trophy Chase at Cheltenham on Saturday.

The heavy rain may not have been to everyone's liking, but the rain-softened ground proved ideal for the eight-year-old gelding as he landed the £32,500 first prize.

Jim Culloty sent Foly Pleasant into the lead three fences from home, and he held on gamely to beat fellow top weight Lady Cricket by a length and a quarter.

It was the son of Vaguely Pleasant's first outing since finishing runner-up to Shooting Light in the Thomas Pink Gold Cup at Prestbury Park last November.

And Knight said: "He runs fresh with no problem and he will come back here for the Mildmay Of Flete at the Festival. He loves this ground."

Culloty added: "He is as tough as nails. He is not over big, but he is a real pro. He is a proper handicapper and jumps under pressure."

Meanwhile, Knight remains optimistic about Lord Noelie's chances in next month's Gold Cup - despite the gelding finishing a well-beaten fifth behind Rince Ri in the Pillar Property Chase.

"He cannot go in those conditions," she reasoned. "Jim (Culloty) said he just couldn't get his feet out of the ground.

"When he raced at Liverpool he was able to run through the mud which was sloppy, but this ground was holding."

"I am still optimistic about the Gold Cup and Terry (Biddlecombe, Knight's husband) feels he'll be two stones better on good ground."

She also paid tribute to veteran Go Ballistic who produced a heartwarming display to finish third, beaten six lengths.

"He is a lovely old horse," she said. "He has already been to eight Festivals and his next run will be in the Gold Cup."

Elsewhere, on the card, Mick Fitzgerald, who lives at Childrey near Wantage, notched a Grade 1 success on Kates Charm in the Byrne Bros Cleeve Hurdle.