Allez les Bleus. A day after Kauto Star, bred and tutored by Serge Foucher near Paris before he came to England, completed a memorable hat-trick in the King George VI Chase, a giant of a novice chaser trained out of Chantilly emerged from the blue sky above Kempton Park to disturb the home team in the Novice Chase, which is named in memory of Wayward Lad, another three-time winner of the King George.

There are big horses and there are mammoths. At 18.2 hands and with James Davies perched on his back like the proverbial monkey, Original falls emphatically into the latter category. Young Davies, who needed a big-race winner to remind a few of his promise, had to endure some inevitable ribbing as the gangling chestnut - reminiscent of the Gold Cup-winner Mr Mulligan - walked round at the start but the mickey-taking ended about two fences from home as Original cut down long-time leader Oumeyade and lolloped home for a victory that surprised punters and connections.

Trainer Marcel Rolland was mildly insulted that his Auteuil winner should be quoted at 28/1 in the morning papers and even more bemused by the eventual starting price of 66/1. Davies only came in for the ride when better-known names had refused to partner the six-year-old with patchy form and a prominent “F” in his form figures. Vertigo-sufferers need not apply; it is a long way down from Original.

But his pedigree cannot be dismissed. In human terms, Original is the nephew of The Fellow, twice winner of the King George. Davies, fresh-faced and eager, deserved his unexpected moment in the spotlight. He, too, has been a bit bemused by the cruelty of a game that forgets so quickly.

Davies was one of a talented generation of conditionals that included Wayne Hutchinson, Jamie Moore and Paddy Brennan. While Brennan in particular has moved effortlessly into the front rank of jump jockeys and Moore has progressed steadily under the tutelage of his father, Gary, Davies’s career stalled so badly that he went nearly seven months without a winner this year. This was only his third winner of the season.

“It’s been frustrating,” he said. “But I take heart from riders like Graham Lee and Timmy Murphy, who really got going in the middle of their careers. Hopefully this will remind a few people about me.”

Davies showed a commendably cool head when Tony McCoy set a hectic pace on the Paul Nicholls-trained Oumeyade. The frontrunning tactics seemed to have worked to perfection when the odds-on favourite’s pursuers began to flounder coming off the final bend. But Davies gathered the huge chestnut for a final thrust over the last two fences and, once the pair had disposed of the leader, Original strode away to win impressively, to earn a 33/1 quote for the Arkle Chase at the Cheltenham Festival with Paddy Power. “That was my first winner in England,” said Rolland. “But then it was my first runner, too.”

The French did not have the afternoon all to themselves. The Grade Two Desert Orchid Chase, sponsored by Stan James, went to Fiepes Shuffle, trained in Germany by Christian von der Recke. The flamboyant Von der Recke has a fondness for bright ties and red trousers and has become a familiar figure on the race-tracks of Britain, where the money once lay.

The last time Fiepes Shuffle appeared on a British course, in the Tingle Creek at Sandown in December, he fell at the first and menaced the winner, Master Minded, for the rest of the race. But the eight-year-old was on his best behaviour yesterday, not only jumping fluently but showing great heart under Moore when headed by Petit Robin after the last.

“The fall at Sandown made him jump better today and that’s the first time I’ve seen him come from behind again like that,” said Von der Recke. “He doesn’t like it usually. But he’s won 16 races, the old bugger, so you can’t complain.”

As Fiepes Shuffle couldn’t beat Master Minded at Sandown without a jockey, his chances of doing so at Cheltenham were accurately reflected in the 20/1 offered for the Champion Chase.

Original aside, the most eye-catching performance of the second day of the King George meeting came from Starluck in the opening novices hurdle.

Starluck, trained by Alan Fleming from the yard near Dorking that once housed a Grand National winner, demolished a smart field to put himself into the reckoning for the Triumph Hurdle and bring a distinct twinkle to the eye of the young Irishman, who is in his first year as a trainer in England.

The 32-year-old Fleming could hardly believe what he saw in the effortless way Starluck took to jumping hurdles after a decent career on the flat with Kevin Prendergast.

The dark blue and green colours of Andrew Wates, best known for the Grand National victory of Rough Quest, were prominent throughout the two miles but, once Timmy Murphy pressed the button, Starluck opened up a decisive gap, winning by 11 lengths. “I knew he was good as soon as he jumped a couple of poles,” said Fleming. “He’d never jumped anything before, but he was economical. He just took to it.” Away to the west, the victory was noted by Alan King, who had his own reason to celebrate as the compact but lightning-quick Walk On announced himself as a potential Katchit by winning the Coral Future Champions Juvenile Hurdle at Chepstow under a supremely confident ride by Robert Thornton.

This was arguably a more impressive win, if only because of the relative strength of the two fields. But the meeting of Starluck, Walk On and current ante-post favourite Zaynar promises to make the Triumph Hurdle one of the most competitive at the Festival.

The feature race on the card at Chepstow, the Welsh National, also went abroad, though to more familiar territory and an eminently familiar name. Add one more line to the long list of trophies won by the Dreaper family. “I’m not sure we’ve ever had a runner here before,” said Jim Dreaper. A slogging two circuits of the Welsh hills admirably suited the Irish challenger and the confident ride of Andrew Lynch. The name of the winner? Notre Pere. Allez les Bleus indeed.