Nichols Canyon can sneak what is now a very competitive affair

Will Annie Power prove an able replacement for Faugheen? No, says Darren Norris.

When news emerged last week that Faugheen would be unable to defend his Champion Hurdle crown at Cheltenham, it was hard to shake the sense of deflation.

For the festival to be robbed of one of its star attractions so close to the off seems especially cruel, given it seemed all but certain Faugheen was going to turn the race into a procession.