Olly Murphy brewing up a storm with leading hurdler after Aintree victory

It is unlikely to last for long, but a British-based horse now sits at the head of this season's leading hurdle performers after Brewin'upastorm (162) posted a career-best RPR when running out a decisive winner of Aintree's Betway Hurdle.

Already a Grade 2 winner, courtesy of success in Fontwell's National Spirit Hurdle, he didn't jump with much fluency when finishing an underwhelming fifth in the Grade 1 Aintree Hurdle in April, but was much slicker on Saturday and a return for another crack at that valuable spring prize looks the logical long-term objective.

The 2020 Stayers' Hurdle winner Lisnagar Oscar (146) finished a fair third on his return to action over an inadequate trip and is probably still capable of running to a figure in excess of his current official rating of 154.

In the absence of Goshen, Sceau Royal (160) looked to face a fairly straightforward task in Wincanton's Grade 2 Elite Hurdle and duly landed a comfortable victory, his third in the race.

While it is unusual for a horse approaching the veteran stage to be improving, he has nudged his hurdle RPR up by a couple of pounds this season, although not to a level that suggests he is capable of winning at the highest level at this discipline.

Possibly of more long-term interest was the performance of the Gordon Elliott-trained Teahupoo (149+), who took the scalps of Quilixios (141) and Jeff Kidder (133) in the Grade 3 Fishery Lane Hurdle at Naas.

With neither of the previous Grade 1 winners running up to scratch, the nuts and bolts of the form probably doesn't add up to that much, but Teahupoo has now won four of his five starts and remains open to plenty of improvement.

Teahupoo: took the eye when winning at NaasCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

Half an hour later Grade 3 Poplar Square Chase winner Captain Guinness (154+) became the latest horse to frank the form of last season's Arkle.