This is what happened when Zarkandar (28) failed to get home in desperately heavy ground over an extended two and a half miles at Cheltenham.

Zarkandar was already being niggled along at the top of the hill. As a result Annie Power (31) was able to slow right down to get home from four out 6.1 seconds slower than they did in the novice hurdle and 6.3 seconds slower than in the bumper.

Ruby Walsh allowed Zarkandar to stay close on sufferance and simply had to let out an inch or two of rein on the run in for her to cruise clear. The race was no more than an exercise gallop for the mare.

This run blows away any prospect of Zarkandar stepping up to three miles for the World Hurdle. There's no way he'd last the distance however fast the ground turned out to be. He needs fast ground or a tight track to even last two and a half miles.

In fact tight tracks do seem to be a big plus for Zarkandar. To date he's won all six times he's completed the course on tight tracks.

The run tells us nothing about Annie Power. She's still unbeaten after nine starts and would be a strong candidate for the Champion Hurdle, the Mares Hurdle or the World Hurdle at Cheltenham. I'd like to see Annie Power given another race or two before Cheltenham. Hopefully, one of the races would draw some competition that could make her extend herself enough to inform her connections what the best target would be at the Cheltenham Festival. The way she showed such pace to get the better of Defy Logic over two miles last season makes me think she's got a real chance of emulating Dawn Run by winning the Champion Hurdle.

I don't think it's entirely fanciful to think she could prove as good and versatile as Dawn Run, the all time great mare trained by Willie Mullins father. I harbour a fantasy that she could emulate Dawn Run and win the Champion Hurdle and the Gold Cup and would love to see her given her own shot at history. I'm betting the idea is not far from Willie Mullins' mind either.