EBAZIYAN will return to the scene of his finest hour for a crack at the Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle following his return to winning form under Ruby Walsh at Leopardstown yesterday.

A total of 29 horses stand their ground at the latest forfeit stage for the Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle, the feature race of the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival.

Won In The Dark is unlikely to take up his entry in the Red Mills Trial Hurdle at Gowran on Sunday.

WILLIE Mullins’ pair of Cousin Vinny and Hurricane Fly are the headline-grabbing names among 112 entries, released yesterday, for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle – the opening event of the Cheltenham Festival.

JUMBO Rio was given a 33/1 quote by Cashmans for the JCB Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham after making a winning start to his hurdling career at Punchestown yesterday.

INDIAN SPRING, who is certainly not for the faint-hearted, is the nap choice in the Metal Man Novice Hurdle at Tramore this afternoon.

Willie Mullins has highlighted Hurricane Fly has a horse to follow this season and believes he should be capable of making his mark in some of the calendar’s top novice hurdles.

Davy Condon has been confirmed as the new stable jockey to trainer Nicky Richards.

A brilliant tactical ride by Barry Geraghty saw Nicky Henderson’s Punjabi decisively land the ACC Bank Champion Hurdle at Punchestown yesterday.

Sublimity and Harchibald clash in the ACCBank Champion Hurdle at Punchestown on Friday – but Sizing Europe will not be there.

Blazing Bailey features among the 17 horses still in the Ladbrokes.com World Series Hurdle at Punchestown on Thursday.

IF I live to be a hundred, I don’t think I will ever quite get my head around the phenomenon known as Cheltenham.

HENRY DE BROMHEAD is set to hand Sizing Europe an imminent away-day as he plots a path to Cheltenham for a tilt at the Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle.

Henry de Bromhead feels he has stable star Sizing Europe as ready as possible for his first major test in Sunday’s AIG Europe Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown.

SUBLIMITY will miss the AIG Europe Champion Hurdle because of the prospect of testing conditions at Leopardstown on Sunday.

PADDY POWER and Cashmans have both promoted Sizing Europe to favouritism for Sunday’s AIG Europe Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown, after yesterday’s forfeit and supplementary stage.

Ebaziyan, winner of last season’s Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, has been handed top-weight of 11st 12lb for the totesport Trophy at Newbury on February 9.

Willie Mullins believes Ebaziyan could still challenge for major hurdling honours this season.

Ebaziyan got back in the winning grove at Punchestown by taking the Ollie Finn Supporting Go Racing In Kildare Hurdle at Punchestown.

Ebaziyan won his first race since scoring at the Cheltenham Festival last year when taking the Ollie Finn Supporting Go Racing In Kildare Hurdle at Punchestown.

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Sweet Kiln will face eight rivals as she bids to continue the Bowe family's amazing record in Sunday's Hatton's Grace Hurdle at Fairyhouse.

SWEET Kiln will bid to boost the Bowe family’s domination of the Ballymore Properties Hatton’s Grace Hurdle at Fairyhouse on Sunday.

AITMATOV can continue the terrific recent run of Noel Meade and Paul Carberry in the Grade 3 Anglo Irish Bank Hurdle at Down Royal this afternoon.

DON’T know about you, but here’s one who was greatly disappointed with Kauto Star at Aintree on Sunday.

Clopf justified favouritism in the vcbet.com Hurdle at Punchestown yesterday, but had to work ever so hard under Barry Geraghty to land the wagers, writes Pat Keane.

JOHN OXX’S once-raced Alarazi gets the vote to take the Group Three 2000 Guineas Trial Stakes at Leopardstown this afternoon.

DANCING HERO can give trainer Tom Foley a change of luck in the Great Oak Maiden Hurdle at Gowran Park this evening.

Aran Concerto could restore his lofty reputation in the €110,000 Land Rover Champion Novice Hurdle at Punchestown on April 27.

AIDAN O’BRIEN, yet to get off the mark for the season, could team up with Seamus Heffernan for a treble at Limerick today.

THE ACCBank Champion Hurdle at Punchestown on April 27 is shaping up to be one of the races of the season after Willie Mullins and Noel Meade threw their hats into the ring.

Ebaziyan’s smooth success in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham looks to have earned him the chance to prove his mettle against the elite two-milers next season.

Ferdy Murphy is hoping Joes Edge makes the cut in the John Smith’s Grand National after getting up in the shadow of the post to win the William Hill Trophy Handicap Chase on the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival.

EBAZIYAN got the Irish off to a flying start in the Anglo Irish Bank Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham yesterday, but the grey’s success was met by an almost deathly silence as he crossed the line, giving rider, Davy Condon, a first Festival winner.

Bookmakers were purring following day one of the Cheltenham Festival after several well-backed favourites were turned over.

Ebaziyan and Davy Condon ran out surprise 40-1 winners of the Anglo Irish Bank Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, the opening race of the 2007 Cheltenham Festival.

AMARETTO ROSE’S main obstacle ahead of the Anglo Irish Bank Supreme Novices’ Hurdle could be her lack of match practice, according to handler Nicky Henderson.

Nicky Henderson’s Amaretto Rose will face 21 rivals in the Anglo Irish Bank Supreme Novices’ Hurdle.

JOHN MURPHY is set to take the wraps off Cheltenham hero Newmill in the Grade 2 Byrne Group Tied Cottage Chase at Punchestown tomorrow.

JESSICA Harrington’s Mercuric was the business in the ring for the opening Irish Stallion Farms’ EBF Beginners Chase at Thurles yesterday, finding 9-4 favourite from 3-1.

MOORE’S LAW, absent for 78 days, outclassed his rivals in the Blackwater Hurdle at Cork yesterday.

HAZARIYA could be set for a tilt at the Darley Irish Oaks on July 17 following an impressive success at Gowran Park yesterday.

MICHAEL KINANE is a very welcome attraction at the Kingdom this week and the maestro is fancied to keep his legion of followers in good spirits by landing a double at Killarney tonight.