Yet there were still two Grade Ones yielding plenty of Cheltenham Festival clues for eagle-eyed followers.

The ante-post Champion Hurdle market has seen more than its share of swings in recent weeks, but none of the shortest-priced fancies were out in the bewleyshotels.com December Festival Hurdle.

That said, Leopardstown’s two-mile feature saw dual Champion Hardy Eustace make a quick return to action, while Jazz Messenger was among four other top-flight scorers on show.

Honours went to Al Eile, who followed his second to Harchibald in the “Fighting Fifth” with a taking one-length victory over Hardy Eustace.

Trainer John Queally said: “He has been up with all of the good horses since he was a three-year-old, and a lot of them don’t train on but he is the exception to the rule.

“He is the real deal this year and everything was right for him. The ground was amazingly nice.

“I will discuss the Champion Hurdle with the owner and an entry will be foremost on our minds, but we need to sit down and talk about it.

“Before then he could go for the Totesport Trophy – although he would have top weight.”

Bookmaker reaction was mixed to Al Eile’s win, with Stan James biggest about his chances in the Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle at 25-1.

Coral cut him to 20-1, while Ladbrokes go 16-1 and Paddy Power just 14s.

Dessie Hughes was pleased with the effort of Hardy Eustace and has yet to make his mind up as to which Cheltenham race the team will target.

He said: “I am delighted with him but the inside track is a little sharp for him and would have suited the winner better.

“The AIG (at Leopardstown on January 27) might come a bit quick for him so he might to Gowran for the Red Mills, but the two or three-mile option for Cheltenham is still open to him.”

Last season’s County Hurdle winner Pedrobob earned himself a 14-1 quote for the Arkle after getting off the mark over fences in an eventful heat.

The Bewleys Hotel Manchester Beginners Chase lost some of its gloss when long-time absentee Nicanor was pulled out with sore shins and the highly-regarded Big Zeb fell at the first.

Pedrobob had still to shake off the useful Wins Now when that one bowed out at the last but owner Barry Connell was delighted with the success.

Connell said: “The plan is to now come back here for the Arkle in three weeks’ time and then go to Cheltenham for the Arkle.”

Newbury played host to some cracking action the other side of the Irish Sea, with Souffleur taking the biggest prize of the day.

The Ballymore Properties Challow Novices’ Hurdle traditionally sees some of the brightest prospects go head to head and Peter Bowen’s ace regained the winning thread in some style, seeing off Elusive Dream by six lengths.

“I only gave five grand for him and he was quite a good Flat horse,” said Bowen.

“He’ll probably run in the Cheltenham novice – he’s young enough but I think he’ll have one more run before then.”

Souffleur is 10-1 with William Hill and 14s with Coral for the Ballymore Properties Novices’ Hurdle at the Festival.

Moon Over Miami, Dear Villez and Triumph Hurdle hope Celestial Halo all won plenty of friends with victories at the Berkshire course – although it was Khyber Kim who arguably showed the greatest promise.

Nicky Henderson’s charge had been off the track for over a year with injury problems but showed himself a potential National Hunt star when outpointing the useful Theatre Girl and Helens Vision.

“We were going to run him at Kempton on Boxing Day last year but he came back after work with a split pastern, so here we are about 369 days later,” said the master of Seven Barrows.

“He was very good and I’d say he’ll have one more run before the Supreme.”

Plenty of class on show, too, at Musselburgh, where Kalahari King had Ferdy Murphy in raptures after sluicing up in the two-mile totesport.com Introductory Hurdle.

The ex-French six-year-old is another with the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle on his agenda after travelling well for Graham Lee and easing away to beat Luna Landing by six lengths without being asked a serious question.

Murphy said: “He is a proper horse. He was brilliant schooling from day one.

“Graham loved him from the start and he said the horse is a machine. He would know, he has ridden some good ones.”

The other talking point of the weekend came at Haydock on Sunday, where Gold Cup third Turpin Green made very hard weather of accounting for his two rivals in the Edward Hanmer Graduation Chase.

Trainer Nicky Richards plans to give him one more run before another crack at the big one.