DETROIT CITY remains at the head of the Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle market after producing the sort of gritty display which is fast becoming his trademark in the Agfa UK Hurdle at Sandown. The grey has not looked back since landing last year's JCB Triumph Hurdle, winning a Cesarewitch on the Flat and returning to Cheltenham to claim the Greatwood Hurdle as well as lowering Hardy Eustace's colours in the Boylesports International.

His odds for the blue riband have shortened all season and he was trimmed further last weekend when Hardy Eustace nailed Brave Inca and Macs Joy in the AIG Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown.

The culmination of those events saw him sent off the 13 favourite under Richard Johnson to beat his five rivals and he eased into the lead, jumping the first flight in the back straight. His usual quick jumping was on display for most of the way home before he ploughed through the top of the final obstacle when pursued by market rival Straw Bear.

His error barely cost him any momentum, however, and he found plenty on the run-in to hold Straw Bear by a length and three-quarters, with the pair pulling six lengths clear. Coral, Ladbrokes and Stan James left Detroit City as the 5-2 favourite for the Champion Hurdle, while William Hill are also unchanged at 9-4.

His owner Terry Warner landed the Champion Hurdle in 2003 with Rooster Booster, who trod a similar path to his present star, and Warner is bullish of further glory come March 13. He said, "He is hard to pass and has now won eight on the bounce.

He won at this meeting last year and hasn't been beaten since. He would have won nine if you include the charity race he won too.

"I thought he would win, but you can never be confident as an owner. Something can always go wrong - I said before that the hurdles were the biggest danger and so it proved with the mistake at the last. Hardy Eustace winning last weekend can only have been good for us. He has been very good today. I think he will win the Champion Hurdle."

Winning trainer Philip Hobbs added, "I suppose he was more workmanlike than impressive, but he has never been that impressive winning in the past and he has had to do it the hard way. There was no pace early on, which wouldn't have helped us either. He jumped well except for the mistake at the last, but that was over with very quickly and it didn't stop him.

"I was worried he might fall, but he survived and the mistake won't have done him any harm. We gave him a break after the Bula (Boylesports International) and Richard said he would have needed the run. This won't have reduced his Champion Hurdle chance, anyway, and it couldn't have gone better.

All the Irish horses are very good, but they are getting older and he is only five so should still be improving. He's favourite for the Champion Hurdle and so he should be."

Johnson added, "They weren't really going quick enough in the back straight so I let him go on and he jumped very well. But up the Sandown hill in that ground it's hard for a horse to pull away and he was probably idling a little bit. He half hit his knee at the top of the last hurdle, but I always knew if they came upsides me that he would find more - he definitely only gives you as much as he is asked. He's very professional like that. The mistake didn't feel that bad and it certainly didn't stop him.

He's won, that's the main thing, and we can look forward to Cheltenham now. I wouldn't swap him for the world, that's for sure."

Coral left Straw Bear unchanged at 14-1 for the Champion Hurdle, although Ladbrokes went 8-1, after Nick Gifford's charge bounced back from his poor display at Kempton over Christmas.

The trainer said, "I was very pleased with him. I hoped the Kempton run was a one-off and this has proved it was. It was a big ask to beat Detroit City, but he will come on for this."