No Heretic prevailed in a thrilling finish to the Betway Chester Cup.
Having his first run on the Flat for over 900 days, No Heretic once again advertised National Hunt trainer Nicky Henderson's dual-purpose skills.
Having raced keenly in the early stages, the eight-year-old did well to hang on late in the piece as Iain Jardine's Nakeeta was delivered with a sustained challenge . A photo-finish was called but No Heretic (11-1) got the verdict by a short head.
Silver Concorde was third, with Gabrial The Hero faring best of the Dr Marwan Koukash team in fourth.
Successful jockey Jamie Spencer said: "That's only his second run since 2013. To win a Chester Cup is a tremendous training performance.
"He's got the job done."