Corach Rambler (10-1) came through to land the Grade Three Ultima Handicap Chase on the opening day of the 2022 Cheltenham Festival.
Grand National-winning trainer Lucinda Russell added to Britain's victories of Constitution Hill and Edwardstone as last year's crushing 23-5 defeat to Irish-trained runners looks like a distant memory.
Scottish-based handler Russell is no stranger to Cheltenham Festival winners and Fox, who rode Russell's Aintree hero One For Arthur in 2017, provided her with another.
Fox came late on the eight-year-old to squeeze through his rivals and land a two-and-a-half length success from long-time leader Gericault Roque (9-1). Oscar Elite (22-1) was a head back in third, with Tea Clipper (12-1) a further eight lengths adrift in fourth. Our Power (11-1) was head away in fifth.
Fox had been patient on Corach Rambler and was only ahead of Belargus in the early stages of the 3m1f contest.
But they made steady progress at the business end to challenge the two leaders, Gericault Roque and Oscar Elite, at the final fence.
And Corach Rambler went past them comfortably to score on the run-in.
A delighted Russell said: "It means so much. Driving here I said to Scu (partner and former National Hunt champion jockey Peter Scudamore) 'if we had loads of horses running at the Festival, it wouldn't matter so much', but we're so invested in the two that are here.
"Scu does everything with this horse and it's not just having a winner at Cheltenham, which means a lot, but it's about the horse and the owners, a lot of whom haven't had a horse before. It's amazing.
"He worked quite well with Ahoy Senor the other day. Most horses couldn't lay a finger on him, but this horse got quite close to him.
"I didn't want him to go to Ascot last time, Scu did. He said afterwards he would have been first or second and would have gone up 5lb, so maybe it was a good thing that he unseated."
This race has been a guide to the Grand National in the past with several horses running in both and Aintree could be the aim for Corach Rambler next year.
Russell added: "He could be an Aintree horse next year, definitely.
"Because of the false starts we were at the back and I was stood with the owners and said to one of them 'we'll need a vintage Derek Fox ride' and we got one.
"It's funny, it suits the horse as he loves coming through horses. He's a bit quirky but that was lovely, we knew he'd come up the hill as he'd won here before.
"I've said before, Scu rides him all the time and they suit each other as they are both quirky. I want them to do two canters and he'll head off and canter on the grass. It's great, well done Derek."
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Several horses lined-up in the Ultima who also hold entries in the Randox Grand National at Aintree Racecourse on April 9. But it was the Gordon Elliott-trained Death Duty who came nearest to victory, finishing sixth under Jack Kennedy.
Other Aintree entrants were Lostintranslation (eighth), Noble Yeats (ninth) and Discordantly (who was pulled up).
Certainly the connections of Death Duty, Lostintranslation and Noble Yeats, who all have a chance of making the cut for the world's greatest steeplechase, will feel their efforts were good preparation for Aintree.
