Undisputed champion Buveur D'Air head and shoulders above Cheltenham rivals

What we want from our champions is class, swagger and performances that leave us tingling. That was exactly what Buveur D'Air produced with his scintillating Fighting Fifth Hurdle victory.

It was the manner of his win that left you believing only an act of God can prevent him from winning a third Unibet Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in March. His jumping, bar the last, was electric as he travelled all over Samcro. And that speed he showed, whoosh.

The journey back from Newcastle was likely to have been a more difficult one for the connections of Samcro and Summerville Boy, who produced a dull performance.