Memories of the brilliant Desert Orchid were rekindled as his nephew Chaos Theory trotted up at Huntingdon today.
The promising youngster, trained by Mary Reveley, indicated that he has inherited plenty of family ability as he slaughtered 16 rivals in the EBF Novices' Hurdle.
Moving smoothly into the lead on the bridle in the home straight under Tony Ross, he was seven lengths clear of One Nation at the line.
Chaos Theory is probably the best horse to run in Richard Burridge's colours since Desert Orchid retired after a fall in the 1991 King George VI Chase.
Desert Orchid, the winner of the King George VI Chase a record four times times as well as the Gold Cup, is still going strong at the age of 21.
"It may be a long time since the days of Desert Orchid but I still get excited by it all," said Burridge.
"I bred this horse with my father James and especially when you've bred them you become fond of them and worry about them.
"We've always thought a lot of this horse - he's always shown a bit of class.
"But he's tall and leggy and still has a lot of strengthening and maturing to do."
Bone idle Zafarabad woke up his ideas to put himself back in serious reckoning for the Cheltenham Festival.
Fitted with blinkers for the first time, the grey showed much more sparkle than of late to secure a comfortable victory in the Bertie Masters Memorial Novices' Chase.
Richard Johnson - switched to Huntingdon after the abandonment of Wincanton - was able to hold a much more prominent position than usual on Zafarabad.
Once he was let loose he stamped his authority, pulling eight lengths clear of main market rival Paris Pike.
"That was much more like it," said trainer Alan King. "He's not ungenuine but he is the most lazy, laid-back horse and the blinkers certainly helped him.
"We popped the blinkers on last week at home and they seemed to waken him up. That is certainly the easiest race he's had for some time."
The victory prompted Coral to cut Zafarabad to 20-1 (from 40s) for the Royal & Sun Alliance Chase at Cheltenham.
The betting for that race is led by Gloria Victis at 5-1, then it's 6-1 Native Upmanship, 7-1 Alexander Banquet & Lord Noelie, 10-1 Norski Lad.
Zafarabad will have his credentials tested further when he tackles the Reynoldstown Chase at Ascot next month. "We're not going to start thinking about Cheltenham until after he has run at Ascot," said King.
Good Vibes duly landed the odds in the Kitty Ward-Thomas Novices' Chase but his faulty steering means that Cheltenham is off his agenda.
He jumped badly right for most of the journey and almost ended up over the rail - frightening photographers in the process - after jumping the second last.
Fortunately David Casey managed to straighten him up in time and he was soon back on an even keel and he easily took care of Serenus by three and a half lengths.
"He has had a problem jumping right-handed and almost ran out under Jamie Osborne at Haydock a few years ago," said trainer Oliver Sherwood.
"We brought him here to see how he'd be suited to two miles and it's confirmed our view that he needs two and a half miles or three."
Reveley and Ross clinched a double as Foundry Lane easily justified odds of 8-11 in the March Handicap Chase.
