The biggest field since Make A Stand won in 1997, and a race in which there was always going to be stacks of pace, with at least five runners who normally make the running or else help force it, as well as Hardy Eustace, who is not a habitual front runner in Ireland but had been allowed to dictate his own pace in fields of a very different make-up when winning the last two Champion Hurdles.

Although there were several complete no-hopers, the line-up featured five of last year's first seven home and looked tremendously strong, albeit with only one home-trained runner in the first half-dozen in the betting.

And the race more than lived up to expectations, with three of last year's protagonists dominating from three out and finishing nicely clear of another solid yardstick, in a time more than four seconds faster than that taken by Noland in the Supreme Novices'. Although there is plenty of historical evidence to suggest that there is precious little between the three principals and the absent Harchibald, we may in years to come even look back on this as another golden age of hurdling, not far short of the Night Nurse/Sea Pigeon era.

Nothing tried to take on the speedy German challenger Fiepes Shuffle for the early lead, and he set the anticipated strong pace.

Although last year's very close third BRAVE INCA was able to layup in a handy position, he is notoriously lazy, and seldom makes it look easy. This time he was just niggled at for a moment passing the stands, then pushed along at the third, and getting reminders after the fourth. He held his place though, and when they started down the hill he was going well, more or less disputing it with Hardy Eustace. They were pretty much stride for stride down the hill and still upsides one another two out, but Brave Inca started to assert himself as they straightened up, only to face another serious challenger in the stalking Macs Joy, who had travelled well.

Though Macs Joy looked a big danger at the last and got to within a length early on the run-in, in the last 100 yards Brave Inca was always gamely holding him by the same sort of margin.

Brave Inca and Tony McCoy are clearly made for one another, and this tremendously gutsy performance made it five wins in six races. He is more likely to go to Punchestown than Aintree, then barring accidents they will be the ones to beat again in 12 months' time.

Macs Joy, fifth last year, has had a less arduous campaign this time and stepped up on that form. He did nothing wrong and confirmed himself a really high-class two-miler, but the fact remains he has met Brave Inca six times now since the 2005 Champion Hurdle and he has come off worst every time except when Brave Inca fell at Aintree. He may now go to Aintree.

Al Eile, who had won in deep mud at Haydock, was chasing the principals starting down the hill, but he was under pressure before the third last and was never going well enough to seriously trouble the three principals. This was nevertheless an improvement on last year's seventh.

Arcalis, so impressive in the novice here a year ago but pulled up in Al Eile's Haydock race, could have done without the morning drizzle, and his jumping let him down a bit too, as he hit the fifth and also the last, although he was well held at the time of the latter. His stable is still under a bit of a cloud, but he still did best of the British and will surely be capable of better on drier ground this spring.

There was a gap back to Briareus, who had a stiff task and was unable to adopt his normal forcing tactics. He was well back starting down the hill, but he stayed on and was far from disgraced. He is made for chasing, and connections surely won't spend another season over hurdles with him.

Kawagino, a ‘speed' horse and a handicap winner off just 108 at Wincanton last week, was only just touched off for sixth after being hampered by the fall of Penzance at the last, and he excelled himself on a track that wouldn't have played to his strengths. The one-time Coventry third will pay for this so will be having another go at fences next season.

Penzance was a couple of lengths ahead of Kawagino when coming down and, though well held, was in the process of performing better than last year's big Triumph rival Faasel and Admiral the other five-year-olds in the field. The last of their age to win was See You Then in 1985, and plenty of horses with stronger credentials have tried in the meantime.

Faasel's stable-mate The French Furze, who usually frontruns, stayed on from a poor position to finish ninth, ahead of Royal Shakespeare, who was badly hampered by the fall of Asian Maze, as were Champion Hurdle stalwart Intersky Falcon, who lost all chance, and Leo's Luckyman, who had no chance in any case. [GD]

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