Raven's Last and Twenty Degrees have already shown some promise over hurdles, but even so this should lie between Medici and Moonstream, with the latter just preferred. Raven's Last, a former bumper and point-to-point winner, showed little on his first two starts over hurdles, but improved to finish third at Haydock last time and may be going the right way. Twenty Degrees has been running well without winning this season, but this race looks harder than those he has contested so far and he will do well to finish second for the fourth time in a row. Medici has improved with virtually every race and put up his best performance so far when accounting for nine rivals in a maiden hurdle at Taunton last month. That is good form in the context of this race, but it also means that he has to give six pounds to Moonstream here, and that may just prove too much for him. Nicky Henderson's was a winner of both his races in bumpers, and did little wrong when second to Only Vintage on his hurdling debut at Newbury. That should have brought him on nicely, and with the stable traditionally doing well over the Christmas period, Moonstream is fancied to go one better today.
