There can be little doubt that I Like To Move It looked extremely pleasing to the eye as he drew clear of a horse that had previously appeared suited to similar conditions in November.
It would be easy to conclude that this performance would be good enough to count him as being in the mix behind the obvious winner and runner-up for the 2023 Champion Hurdle.
I think it is also fair to assume that he will be even better suited by the Cheltenham course, plus a softer surface than the one he competed on here.

Although he is unlikely to match the standards of Constitution Hill and State Man in March, he is certainly worth his place in the line-up and has as much chance as any of those likely to be following the two favourites home.

Knappers Hill: a spring campaign to look forward to

Knappers Hill's jumping was an issue in his first few runs, but is now a real strength. He was certainly fast and fluent over his obstacles here and I hope to see him continue to progress providing he continues to impress in the jumping department.

He is well suited to a sound surface, and he has every chance of picking up another good prize in the spring.
His Elite Hurdle form might be as good a guide as there is to gauge the quality of the Kingwell Hurdle form, when had he led all the way before beating Sceau Royal with something to spare.
If we chose to judge the winner here on a comparison between those two races then I Like To Move It would come out 10 or 12 lengths better than Sceau Royal.
I don't particularly trust simple collateral form lines like this as much as most, but nevertheless, it is a good starting point from which to begin judging the quality of this race.

First Street: more of a stamina test required

Prior to the race I was not sure which of the front three in the market, if any, would be suited to the conditions. Therefore, I do not feel in a hurry to mark First Street down for this performance on a speed track on quick ground.
His Gerry Fielden win was earned on a galloping track, and he was immediately stepped up to two and a half miles for his subsequent race.
My best guess is that we will see him perform better when he is faced with a stiffer test of stamina than the one provided at Wincanton.

Global Citizen: Grand Annual next

I think we can draw a line through Global Citizen's last-of-four finishing position as his trainer stated pre-race that this was his prep run for his Cheltenham Festival target, the Grand Annual, which is the race he won last year.
He managed to lead all the way in the 2022 renewal despite that race being run on unsuitably heavy ground.
He may be a little higher in the handicap this time around, but with the ground unlikely to be as testing as it was in 2022, it will be much more in his favour.