Racing: Cheltenham Champion Hurdle favourite Detroit City survived a last-flight blunder to stretch his winning run over timber to seven with a determined success in the Agfa UK Hurdle.
Detroit City took up the running early on under Richard Johnson and jumped well in the main bar his heart-stopping moment at the final obstacle, which gave Straw Bear a serious chance of an upset.
But the grey, returned the 1-3 market leader, was soon back on an even keel and picked up again for a cosy one-and-three-quarter-length success over Straw Bear.
Johnson said: "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 it (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.
"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."
Winning trainer Philip Hobbs said: "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 just for a second that he might fall, but he survived and the mistake won't have done him any harm at all.
"We gave him a break after the Bula 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 any 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." PA