With five to jump, thanks to a rather ordinary gallop, they were running almost four seconds slower than they went in the Pertemps Hurdle on the same card. From there they came home four and a half seconds faster than the useful handicappers. The two horses that made the final big push were the unbeaten pair More Of That and Annie Power. They rapidly pulled clear of the rest on the run-in as they duelled to the line.

More Of That (38-pace adjusted 43) just won the duel and established himself as one of the best staying hurdlers in years. He’s as good as Big Buck’s at his peak if my ratings are any guide.

Of course what distinguishes Big Buck’s from him is that the retiring champion stayed at the top for years, winning 18 times in a row while taking 10 Grade 1 contests.

It’s hard to discern any pattern in the form of an unbeaten horse. So far More Of That has proved effective over every type of course, distance and going. If he’s ever going to be vulnerable I’d say it will be in a more strongly-run three-mile race on soft ground.

The runner-up Annie Power (37-pace adjusted 42) moved really well all the way but was rather keen thanks to the rather moderate early gallop. The effort she put in to duel with the winner and pull clear of the rest was impressive, but she did falter slightly in the last 75 yards, losing for the first time in 11 starts.

I think it’s fair to say that Annie Power is the best National Hunt mare since Dawn Run. She has speed and stamina and seems capable of showing her top form in a wide variety of conditions. If the early pace had been stronger here she’d likely have settled better and had a bit more left at the finish.

Seeing that she’s built for the bigger jumps it would make sense to go chasing with Annie Power next season. As a prelude to that it would be a very interesting idea to give her a shot at the Grande Course De Haies d’Auteuil (the French Champion Hurdle) in June.

The fixed brush hurdles in that race are like baby fences and Dawn Run won it before switching to fences and taking the Cheltenham Gold Cup.