Dan Skelton’s The New Lion won the Unibet Hurdle at Cheltenham but the race was marred by an injury to Sir Gino.
Billed as a match between potentially the two best two-mile hurdles in Britain, both were biding their time in the four-runner race when Sir Gino appeared to land awkwardly at the flight at the top of the hill and Nico de Boinville pulled him up.
Harry Skelton was content to take a lead for as long as possible on The New Lion, a winner over two miles and five furlongs at the Festival in March, before he asked him to quicken approaching the last.
Nemean Lion and Brentford Hope proved tough adversaries, before The New Lion (9-4) eventually got on top to win by a length and a half.