Rubaud (5/4 favourite) justified his market position with a brave performance in the Ladbrokes Pendil Novices' Chase at Kempton Park.
Second to leading Arkle fancy L'Eau Du Sud at Warwick on his previous outing, Rubaud was made to work hard for victory at a course where he was winning for the fourth time.
Everything went smoothly for the first circuit of the Grade Two despite market rival Imperial Saint refusing to allow Rubaud an uncontested lead but Harry Cobden had to niggle his mount along once or twice on the final lap on his first attempt over two and a half miles.
Rubaud also had to survive several sketchy jumps on the far side but he had come back on the bridle rounding the final turn where he had the strong-travelling Boombawn and Mark Of Gold in his slipstream.
The latter hit the front in the straight but Cobden had saved something on Rubaud who had his head back in front jumping the last before keeping on gamely to repel a sustained challenge from Boombawn by a length.
It was a third win of a profitable campaign for Rubaud who won a course Listed hurdle on his reappearance before supplementing those gains with victory in the Elite Hurdle at Wincanton.
Trainer Paul Nicholls was winning the Pendil Novices' Chase for a fourteenth time.
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Cobden was inclined to put the jumping errors down to the ground, saying on Racing TV: "That was probably the ground. He's not effective on softer ground, he struggles in that.
"I was having to put more pressure on him because I didn't want to lose my slot [on the inside]. I had a bit of daylight and he could see the fences but it was all probably a little bit rushed and the Hobbs horse was on my outside going better than me and when you have one come across you and you've got one on your outside penning you in you never get out and it's normally race over so I was probably a bit more aggressive just to keep him in there.
"Turning in I managed to sit up on him for five strides, just to try and get a bit of air into him.
"I thought he was very tough over the last three, boxed on well and really stuck his neck out. A tough performance and he had a very hard race two weeks ago following L'Eau Du Sud around Warwick; there's lots to build on.
"The only doubt I had was if the run was too soon from Warwick. He had a hard race from the back of the last to the line because it looked like the horse in front was pulling up and he might have caught him. That was the only question in my mind that might possibly stop him but good horses just win don't they?"
'I'm amazed he won'
Nicholls added: “I’m amazed he won, going down the back I thought he was in a bit of trouble. I thought he was never going to win, but he came back and showed some class. He’s a tough horse. He hates the ground like that and it’s the first time he’s ever won on soft ground. He’s a much better horse on better ground.
“He had a hard enough race at Warwick in the Kingmaker and two weeks between is quick enough, but he toughed it out there and stayed on really strongly which obviously was a doubt.”
Rubaud will now be aimed for a crack at the Manifesto Novices’ Chase at the Aintree’s Grand National Festival.
“We’ll freshen him up and go to Aintree for the two-and-a-half-mile novice race,” continued Nicholls.
“To do that and stay on strong just opens up some options, but the key to him is good ground. We can get him better than he was today and we’ll move on to Aintree. He’s pulled a front shoe off and when he’s done that he’s overreached as well, but it’s superficial.
“I’m delighted and we’ve had some nice winners now – the horses definitely haven’t been right through January, but they’re just getting there now and we’re looking forward to, hopefully, a nice spring where we’ll be doing the best we can.”
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