PAUL Henderson celebrated the biggest victory of his training career when Un Beau Roman won the £45,000 BetVictor Chase at Cheltenham on Friday.

In a thrilling finish, the 25-1 outsider from his Whitsbury stable came with a determined late surge under Nick Scholfield to snatch victory yards from the line in the 2m handicap at the home of jump racing.

Henderson, who saddled his first winner as a permit holder in 1991, said: “We schooled Un Beau Roman at home and the lad could hardly hold him so we knew he was very well.

"I've got a couple of horses who are better rated this year than him and he just murders them on the gallops.

"A lot of mine just need a run but although he hadn't run since July, he's so forward-going that he does everything on his own.

“He was originally with Willie Mullins in Ireland and it took me a long time to learn about the horse.

"I thought he was a summer type but I ran him a couple of times through the summer and he wouldn't let himself down on the ground. But summer racing in Ireland isn't proper good to firm going like we get here, it's more like the good surface we had at Cheltenham.”

It was Un Beau Roman's second victory since joining Henderson a year ago, the first coming at Kempton Park in January when he was a 20-1 chance.