The Queen Mother is set for an exciting time in her 100th year after a thrilling comeback by her horse Easter Ross at Kempton today.
Britain's most famous jumping owner was viewing on television as the chasing newcomer stormed home in the Up & Coming Novices' Chase.
It provided the Queen Mother, one of the staunchest supporters of National Hunt racing, with her first success of the campaign.
Easter Ross, racing for the first time since a fall in the Coral Cup at year's Cheltenham Festival, put up a splendid display of fast jumping.
When challenged by Starbuck in the home straight he lengthened in fine style to come home 14 lengths clear.
Jockey Mick Fitzgerald said: "He was really winging them today and when I asked him to go - he was away. I'm sure there's plenty more to come."
Trainer Nicky Henderson said: "I'm sure that would have made good telly-watching at Sandringham. He's always been a fantastic jumper, though he is a bit scary at times.
"He's taken a bit of time to come right. Unfortunately he had a fall at Cheltenham on the one day we really wanted him to come good."
Henderson entered Easter Ross for the Royal & SunAlliance Chase at Cheltenham but after this performance may prefer to keep Easter Ross at shorter distances.
"He's always threatened to get a trip but watching him go round at that speed makes you think differently. He has seriously quickened up from the second last.
"But he needs some more practice first before we start thinking about the big races."
Cedar Square, freshened by a three-month break and ridden by Jim Culloty, pulled away in good style from the final fence to defeat Esperanza IV by 13 lengths in the Shepperton Handicap Chase.
"He was one of the first in my yard to go down with a touch of the virus," said trainer Vic Dartnall.
"But he's not a mid-winter horse anyway and we decided to give him a long break.
"He's a difficult horse as he has a muscle enyzme problem and we've had to change his diet.
"He will have learned a lot from this outing today and that's the best he's ever run."
A crack at Cheltenham's Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Chase is now on the cards and Dartnall is toying with send Cedar Square back over hurdles towards the end of the season.
Next season the nine-year-old is set to switch from racing under Rules to the point-to-point circuit.
Dartnall and Culloty went on to complete an 80-1 double when Miss Bertaine landed the Stay All Day Handicap Hurdle.
Martin Pipe added another to his tally, courtesy of yet another French recruit.
L'Epicurien, making his British debut, justified 6-4 favouritism in the February Juvenile Novices' Hurdle.
He made most of the running but needed to be firmly ridden after the last by Tony McCoy to deny Salford Flyer by half a length.
Mister Doon (25-1) sprang a surprise when thwarting Haut Cercy in the Mount Bell Novices' Hurdle.
There was more grief for punters when hot 6-4 favourite Ontheboil flopped in the Limber Hill Novices' Handicap Chase won by 14-1 chance Granby Bell.
