D'Air to dream that he could be champion at Cheltenham

It's rarely wise to get excited by impressive victories achieved at long odds-on by horses taking on lesser opposition.

Most of the top dozen in the betting for the Stan James Champion Hurdle would have made short work of the task that Buveur D'Air faced in the Contenders Hurdle at Sandown, particularly as Fighting Fifth Hurdle winner Irving clearly did not give his running.

Yet it was hard not to be taken with the manner in which he did it – and impossible to gauge how much he had to spare as he was scarcely asked a question by Barry Geraghty.