WHEN speaking about Champion Hurdlers, past, present and future, the name Altior has to be considered for the last-named category. His win in the opening Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle was at least as authoritative as Annie Power’s in the big one and this is another race which looks to represent solid form.

In terms of the stopwatch, Altior still has a little to prove, if not much. His overall time was around 1 second slower than Annie Power’s, though his sectional from three out was slightly quicker.