Wholestone handled the testing conditions in admirable fashion to grind out victory in the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham.
Persistent rain made the three-mile contest a real stamina test but they went a sensible pace, made by Ami Desbois, with Wholestone going a close second after the first half-mile.
All six horses were still in contention at the second-last, where West Approach made a bad mistake that cost him his chance, although he did rally.
Wholestone (13-8 favourite), trained by Nigel Twiston-Davies, had to dig deep for Daryl Jacob to gain the verdict by a length from the game runner-up Ami Desbois.
Jacob said: "He's a very tough horse, he's getting better and better with every run.
"We were a little bit worried about the soft ground, but he coped with it well. It's getting very soft."