Peace And Co again met with defeat as Connetable came out on top in the Betfred Racing "Follow Us On Twitter" Contenders Hurdle at Sandown.
The Nicky Henderson-trained Peace And Co had badly fluffed his lines when losing his unbeaten record in the International Hurdle at Cheltenham in December, when racing far too free.
On this occasion he moved with much more restraint for Daryl Jacob and all looked set fair for the 4-7 favourite entering the straight.
But t he distress signals were starting to come out after the second-last, with the eventual winner jumping the final flight just ahead of long-time leader Rayvin Black.
Peace And Co just kept on at one pace up the hill for third, with Paul Nicholls' four-year-old Connetable (15-2) beating Rayvin Black by a head, making the most of a hefty weight allowance.