Champion Hurdle Racing Tips

The £370,000 Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle is the highlight of the first day of The Festival and the 2010 renewal has attracted 34 initial entries, of which a record 21 are trained in Ireland.

Defending his crown in the hurdling showpiece is Punjabi, who won by a neck from Celestial Halo in 2009 with Binocular a head back in third. Punjabi and Binocular form two thirds of the formidable trio entered by Nicky Henderson, with last year’s JCB Triumph Hurdle victor Zaynar another possible starter for Seven Barrows. If the Smufit Kappa Champion Hurdle were to go to a Henderson-trained runner in 2010, it would make him the joint most successful trainer ever in the contest with five victories, alongside Peter Easterby.

Heading the 21 Irish-trained entries is Go Native, last year’s Supreme Novices’ Hurdle hero who is unbeaten on his last two outings in Grade One company, with victories in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle and the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton. Go

Native’s trainer Noel Meade could also be represented by Donnas Palm, successful on his last three starts in lesser company and Muirhead, who chased home the Oliver Bradytrained Ebadiyan in a Listed contest at Naas yesterday.

Solwhit has won four of his last five starts, all of which have come in Grade One company, with his most recent triumph coming in the December Festival Hurdle at Leopardstown on December 29, when he had the 2007 Champion Hurdle victor Sublimity in second and Hurricane Fly, a leading novice last season, back in third. The mare Voler La Vedette has landed five of her last six starts and had Go Native behind her when winning at Down Royal in November. She represents the Colm Murphy stable, successful with Brave Inca in 2006. Another possible female starter is Quevega, successful in the Grade Two David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle at The Festival last season.

Probably the most intriguing entry is Dunguib. An outstanding winner of the Weatherbys Champion Bumper at The Festival in 2009, the seven-year-old has recorded three effortless victories over hurdles this season. If he were to line up, he would be aiming to become the first novice to succeed since Alderbrook in 1995. However, connections have stated that his more likely target at The Festival is the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle.

One horse who seems totally at home around Cheltenham is Khyber Kim. The eight-year-old, trained by Nigel Twiston-Davies, came with a tremendous run from off the pace to land the Greatwood Hurdle at The Open on November 15 and returned to Cheltenham the following month to collect the Grade Two Boylepsports.com International, when he again came with a perfectly timed challenge and had Celestial Halo, last year’s Supreme Novices’ Hurdle runner-up Medermit, Punjabi and Ebadiyan behind him.

Other interesting contenders include the 2008 Smurfit Champion Hurdle hero Katchit, who could bid to follow in the footsteps of Comedy Of Errors (1973 and 1975) by attempting to regain his crown and Starluck, last year’s JCB Triumph Hurdle fourth who went down by a short-head when a fast-finishing second behind Go Native in the Christmas Hurdle.

SMURFIT KAPPA CHAMPION HURDLE RESULTS

2009-

WINNER-PUNJABI 6-11-10 Owner-Raymond Tooth; Trainer-Nicky Henderson; Jockey-Barry Geraghty; SP-22/1

2ND-Celestial Halo 5-11-10 Owner-The Stewart Family; Trainer-Paul Nicholls; Jockey-Ruby Walsh; SP-17/2

3RD-Binocular 5-11-10 Owner-J P McManus; Trainer-Nicky Henderson; Jockey-Tony McCoy; SP-6/4 Fav

23 ran, Time-4m 0.90s; Dist- nk, hd