RICHARD JOHNSON and Philip Hobbs teamed up to lift Cheltenham's £200,000 boylesports. com International with Detroit City. Johnson elected to set a steady gallop throughout the first half of the contest on the Terry Warner-owned 4-6 favourite before quickening it steadily from the fourth-last flight.

After Hardy Eustace appeared to have been beaten off before the last, the dual Champion Hurdle hero found a second wind and flew up the hill. Detroit City had won his race by that point, however, and hung on to record a pleasing length victory.

Detroit City was none too fluent over some of his hurdles but warmed to his task as the tempo quickened, with Johnson looking around momentarily before the pair turned into the home straight. Hardy Eustace quickly drew alongside on the sprint to the last but Detroit City found an impressive burst of speed to quicken two or three lengths ahead on the approach. He met the last in his stride and looked set to clear away to another ready success before the Dessie Hughes-trained runner staged a late rally.

Despite the Irish raider staying on well up the Prestbury Park incline, Detroit City always looked to be holding the runner-up and stuck on well to take his unbeaten run to six over timber. Crow Wood, a 33-1 shot, grabbed third, 10 lengths behind the front two, but never threw down a meaningful challenge.

VC Bet were among the bookmakers most impressed with the winner, cutting him to 21, from 7-2, for Champion Hurdle glory next March.

Johnson said afterwards:

"The sun was actually quite bad up the straight . . . the first two hurdles he jumped did just unnerve him a little bit and he didn't jump the first two up the back very well.

But once he got up the hill he really got into gear and he's a pleasure to ride, he's so honest. He keeps finding a bit more. For a big horse he really lengthens his stride and when he really opens up he definitely keeps giving you a bit more all the time. Hopefully he can be very good. He's just a fantastic horse to ride.

He keeps improving."

Hobbs added: "It was always likely to be a falsely run race and I think it probably was. He was a bit sloppy early on but I suppose he doesn't really have that much experience. A few of those hurdles early on, he wasn't very slick at, but he's probably still learning and hopefully he's still improving. I really don't know what the next target would be but I suppose part of the program would probably be a race at Sandown in early February [Agfa Hurdle, 3 February].

We'll have to see if he runs before that."

Hughes was far from downcast and said: "We'll see in March as he was beaten a length giving away 4lb and it was a messy race. He really doesn't like this ground and it was the same tacky ground at Aintree which is what he really doesn't need. We're going to run him in the AIG [Champion Hurdle] in January.

Of Crow Wood, Alyson Deniel, representing trainer John Quinn, said: "The boss is chuffed to bits and he's proved a few people wrong.

He's run up to his mark and the ground wouldn't have been ideal so the boss said there was nothing wrong with that performance at all."