Paul Nicholls glinted in his eye and mischief in mind as he took great delight in giving the new definition of ‘Fergie Time’.

Sir Alex Ferguson and his pals had just seen Il Ridoto, trained by Nicholls and ridden by 18-year-old Freddie Gingell, sweep up the Cheltenham to take the Paddy Power Gold Cup, concluding a remarkable 24 hours for the former Manchester United manager.

It had started on Friday with Potter’s Charm, trained by Nigel and Willie Twiston-Davies, running away with a Grade Two Novice Hurdle, then featured Richard Fahey’s Spirit Dancer showing his rivals a clean pair of heels to win the Bahrain International Trophy for the second consecutive year.

L’Eau Du Sud, a handsome grey trained by Dan Skelton, kickstarted Saturday in the Cotswolds with an outstanding display of jumping in the Grade Two Arkle Trial before Il Ridotto outran odds of 10/1 to become Nicholls’s fourth winner of this historic two-and-a-half mile handicap.

‘They have had a great time,’ Nicholls saddled the favorite, Ginny’s Destiny, who failed to finish. ‘They are great lads – Alex, John Hales, Ged Mason, Paul Hogarth. We’ve got some nice ones to run for them. They’ve got a great squad… probably Alex's best in years!’

What his old team would do for a flurry of success of this nature. Ferguson wasn’t on course, as he was still in Bahrain toasting the incredible performance of Spirit Dancer, whose electric change of gear enabled him to plunder a pot of £472,440.94.