From what could be gauged watching Big Buck's gallop with stablemate Solar Impulse on the big screen in the rain, his trainer Paul Nicholls had every reason to think Christmas had come a few days early.

The four-time Wolrd Hurdle winner looked as good as ever before the workout as he exuded class in the preliminaries and he did not appear hard pressed to assert his superiority in the closing stages of the extended two-mile gallop.

He gave the distinct impression he was never out of second gear throughout and when Daryl Jacob squeezed him up inside the last furlong or so, the response was pretty immediate as he lengthened almost nonchalantly past his galloping companion.

There is always a question mark over horses returning from a layoff as many are never as good as they were before their setback, but it would be a surprise if Big Buck's does not prove triumphant once more.