The 2001 Cheltenham Festival was postponed and then cancelled owing to an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease. Barton returned at Aintree on 7 April when he started at odds of 9/1 for the Grade I Aintree Hurdle over two and a half miles in which he was opposed by seven rivals including Best Mate and Landing Light. Racing on heavy ground, he tracked the leaders before taking the lead after the second last and drew away to win by fourteen lengths from Best Mate despite being eased down by Dobbin in the closing stages. Best Mate went on to win the next three runnings of the Cheltenham Gold Cup. At the end of April Sandown Park Racecourse staged a series of races intended as substitutes for the major races lost as a result Cheltenham's cancellation including the Grade I Championship Hurdle, a substitute for the Champion Hurdle. Barton started alongside Geos on 11/2, with the French mare Bilboa being made the 7/4 favourite. He raced just behind the leaders, but after a mistake at the second last he appeared to be outpaced and finished fourth behind Landing Light, Geos and Valiramix.