Remember the false start in the Fred Winter when he was so keen to get going he jumped the first hurdle? He came 4th that day.
“184 days since he ran & they choose a big race at Cheltenham”
I don’t think that was an issue, two out of his four wins came after big gaps and it says “keeping on when fell” on the report today. I missed the race itself but you don’t lie up in a Coral Cup without jumping adequately, presumbly he had schooled in the interim since his last runs. FWIW Kitzbuhel jumped horribly and unseated on his last start before today.