Punjabi is a top priced 11-1 to retain his Champion Hurdle crown after a facile success in the opener at Kempton today.
Many bookmakers had the audacity to cut Nicky Henderson's charge to as low as 8-1 for the Champion after the 1-6 favourite duly beat a modest bunch rated 19lb and more his inferior.
In truth the race, which was specially staged after the abandonment of last week's Kingwell Hurdle was nothing more than a "Punjabi schooling session".
All went exactly to plan for the seven-year-old, who tracked Border Castle into the straight before being sent to the head of affairs by Barry Geraghty and cruising home to win by 12 lengths without breaking sweat.
Henderson, who saw his other Champion Hurdle hope Zaynar overturned at 1-14 at Kelso last week, was obviously delighted and relieved that things had gone according to plan.
He said:"He has had a thoroughly nice time and while I know it may not be everyone's cup of tea watching 1-6 favourites, we know that they can get beat at 1-14!
"This will have helped him and put him right. He jumped and quickened nicely and will have got the adrenaline from racing.
"It would have been nice to win the Kingwell and lots and lots of money but I am just as happy to win this as he needed to get it done.
"This puts this fellow slap bang in there and he is heading to Cheltenham after an easy win as opposed to last year when he was beaten at Wincanton."
