He won a one mile six furlongs handicap at Nottingham in June and was then entered in Bahrain Trophy, where he finished second.
At odds of 7/2, he went into the race as favourite and the bookmakers were proved correct, he outstayed stablemate Fair Along to win by five lengths.
With no pacemakers, he set the pace himself and despite carrying top weight won by 14 lengths; the Racing Post described it as a "stunning performance".
He returned to Cheltenham a month later for the Boylesports.com International Hurdle and won, beating Hardy Eustace by a length.
The success in a field of four failed to impress the Racing Post, who said he still had "plenty to prove" to justify being favourite for the Champion Hurdle.
Over the summer of 2007, Detroit City had a wind operation; a back problem and stomach ulcers were also treated.
Jockey Richard Johnson held his head down as he thought the horse may have broken a leg on landing, but it was later revealed that a heart problem was the cause.