/ Editor / 27 February 2007 / Leave a comment Free £25 Bet

Detroit City and Fair Along have both pleased trainer Philip Hobbs in a workout at Exeter racecourse designed to help put the finishing touches on their respective Cheltehnam Festival preparations.

The former is currently ante-post favourite for the 2m Champion Hurdle, while Fair Along occupies the same position at the head of the market in the Arkle Trophy over the same trip.

"It was very good indeed, Detroit City worked in front with Fair Along and the pair of them went equally well. There would have been heavy patches after the meeting on Sunday, but it was just soft ground really and they got through it OK," reported Hobbs.

Detroit City, who, according to the Minehead trainer "needed the run" when comfortably beating Straw Bear at Sandown earlier this month, is priced at 3.85 at the top of the Betfair Champion Hurdle win market.

Straw Bear has since franked the Sandown form in emphatic style by winning Wincanton's Kingwell Hurdle and now stands at 10 to get his revenge over Detroit City for trainer Nick Gifford, and his high-profile owner, J P McManus.

Fair Along leads the market at 4.0 for the Arkle Trophy, with My Way de Solzen (8.2) and Jonjo O'Neill's Don't Push It (8.4), who is also owned by J P McManus, closely matched in trading for the right to occupy the position of second favourite.