THERE was much debate in days leading up to the Champion Hurdle as to whether the defection of VroumVroum Mag and/or the decision not to supplement Limini had weakened the feature race to an unacceptable degree.

In the end such discussions were largely forgotten by memorable races for both the Champion and the David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle, with the latter producing yet another grandstand finish as Apple’s Jade beat both the Mullins/Ricci mares in game fashion after pressing on from the pacesetting Pass The Time at the fifth.

The proximity of some of the outsiders at the line means the form can’t be overrated, but that was often the case when Quevega won, and Apple’s Jade should be considered as good as ever, displaying as she did a combination of superb jumping and gameness under pressure which marked her juvenile campaign.

None of the trio would have won the Champion Hurdle based on a conservative view of the form, but it should be remembered that the winner is only a five-year-old, and for all her trainer’s talk that this was her Gold Cup, she may well clash with Buveur D’Air in next month’s Aintree Hurdle after Nicky Henderson suggested the Champion Hurdler could be heading in that direction.

Both horses won in Liverpool last year, but it was Apple’s Jade’s stunning 41-length romp which earned rave reviews, and a match-up between Tuesday’s Cheltenham winners over two and a half miles will be enlightening.

In terms of the distraction of the mares’ race, and indeed its novice equivalent, one wag on Twitter summed it up by saying “If Dawn Run ran in races like the Dawn Run, there wouldn’t be a race named after Dawn Run.” That’s an undeniable truth, and it’s always good to see the best horses run against each other rather than be given the excuse of easier targets.

On the other hand, in order to become the best, some horses need to have the right stepping stones, and Apple’s Jade in particular benefited from this “middleweight” contest to get her career firmly back on the up.

She could be a serious heavyweight contender next year.