Exciting mare Luccia stamped her class on the Listed Virgin Bet Daily Extra Places Novices' Hurdle at Exeter.
There has been plenty of hype surrounding the Nicky Henderson trained novice and the 8/13 favourite didn't let her supporters down in running out a hugely impressive winner of the two mile contest.
It may not have been the deepest renewal with her main market rival seemingly running below form but Luccia cruised into the lead under Nico de Boinville and soon opened up a commanding advantage.
A blunder at the last caused an intake of breath but that was the only scare for De Boinville and connections as Luccia finished 11 lengths clear of 40/1 shot Palace Boy to take her career record to a perfect four from four.
Bookmakers reacted by cutting Luccia for the Jack de Bromhead Mares Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in March with the ante-post favourite hardening to a general 7/4 from 5/2.
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"She's good isn't she?" Henderson responded when interviewed by Racing TV.
"She's been amazing because she had two bumpers last year, then we seriously nearly lost her.....she had an extraordinary incident and she was as close to being put down as you'll ever see.
"She's come back. We didn't know if she would come back at all and if she'd be able to jump, it was a hind end injury. We were a bit brave, we started her in a Listed race and she won that really well and then she had a dirty scope like one or two of them over the winter.
"This was the perfect race, the perfect timing just to get one more run into her. It looked competitive, as though it was going to be a good test but it didn't faze her at all. She jumps well. We do a lot of extra schooling with her in the indoor school; Nico loves going around there on her. It just helps her technique a little bit rather than just hurdling, she's learned to jump properly and she does jump very well, she was just untidy at the last, she was very quick and economical all the way round.
"I've got to say I was impressed."
Henderson was then asked whether the performance had given him cause to rethink her Festival target with the Sky Bet Supreme Novices' Hurdle a potential alternative.
"I would say the Mares personally but that's what my jockey says (she's good enough to take on the boys). We've got four weeks to discuss it."
Luccia is 8/1 with Sky Bet for the Cheltenham Festival curtain raiser, non-runner no bet.
Henderson and De Boinville enjoyed a treble on the card with The Carpenter (7/4) on the mark in the Virgin Bet British Stallion Studs EBF ‘National Hunt’ Novices’ Hurdle, while Walking On Air (15/8 favourite) proved too good in the Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle.
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