A mud-spattered Richard Johnson dismounts from the winner at Exeter

Planet of Sound, the 4-1 favourite, won the William Hill Gold Cup Chase at Exeter under jockey Richard Johnson.

The Philip Hobbs-trained gelding, third in last year's Arkle, held off Cornas (5-1) by three and a half lengths with Twist Magic (16-1) third. Nine ran.

Oh Crick, who won at last season's Cheltenham Festival, and Racing Post Chase winner Nacarat finished down the field in the two-mile limited handicap.

The fourth horse home was Nigel Twiston-Davies' Mahogany Blaze.

Planet Of Sound showed a willing attitude and was always travelling strongly down the outside of his rivals.

His supporters looked in trouble when Cornas and Mahogany Blaze went a couple of lengths clear between the final two obstacles, but the game seven-year-old battled back and hit the front with a fine leap at the last.

From then on Planet Of Sound's stamina kicked in and he ultimately won very tidily. William Hill priced him up at 16-1 for the Queen Mother Champion Chase next March.

Hobbs said: "I'm delighted with that. Richard thought he wants to go two and a half miles, and looking at that race he does need to go a bit further.

"I suppose the big two-and-a-half-mile handicap at Cheltenham in December might be an option, or we could have at look at the Peterborough at Huntingdon."

Meanwhile, former Grand National-winning jockey Timmy Murphy faces time on the sidelines after suffering a suspected broken collarbone following a fall later in the day.

Murphy, who had only recently returned from a long lay-off after breaking a shoulder at Newton Abbot in July, took a tumble from Dastardly Dick in the novices' chase at Exeter on Tuesday and could now be out for up to four weeks.

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