 In the month preceding the 1956 Cheltenham Festival many meetings were abandoned because of frozen ground and Dutton kept Limber Hill fit by galloping him on the beach at Filey.In the Cheltenham Gold Cup on 8 March he was ridden as at Kempton by Jimmy Power and started the 11/8 favourite against ten opponents.The best of his rivals appeared to be the 1954 winner Four Ten and Halloween who had finished second, third and second again in the last three runnings of the race.