Hardy Eustace in fine fettle
The nine-year-old was just touched off in a triple photo finish by Macs Joy and Brave Inca in the Leopardstown feature 12 months ago and then went on to lift the Smurfit Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham for the second successive year.
“He’s grand I am looking forward to running him,” said trainer Dessie Hughes.
“He’s on schedule for Sunday and I’m very happy with him. He’ll do a piece of work on Wednesday.”
In his first race since Cheltenham last March, Hardy Eustace made a pleasing reappearance with an easy victory in a three-horse affair at Punchestown on New Year’s Eve.
“His last race would have put him right although it was easy as he doesn’t take a lot of work,” Hughes went on.
“He’s done a couple of bits of work since that race which would have put him right and I should say he’ll be nearly 100 per cent for Sunday.
“If the forecast is right, I think the weather is going to be reasonably good for the week and it’s possible we’ll have a little bit better ground for Sunday than last year when it was very heavy.
“If it’s a bit better than that I would say he’d give a great account of himself.”
Hardy Eustace is 3-1 favourite with the leading bookmakers to complete a hat-trick of Champion Hurdle victories at Cheltenham on March 14.
Meanwhile, Feathard Lady is facing a crucial week in her race against time to be fit for the Champion Hurdle.
The six-year-old strained a hind fetlock joint a fortnight ago and has been confined to her box for over a week.
Trainer Colm Murphy is still hopeful of his unbeaten charge making the Festival but he believes Feathard Lady will have to return to work this week if she is to be ready for March.
“She is an awful lot better but her recovery has been slower than we had hoped,” said Murphy.
“She is still not doing much and we hope to start riding her out this week.
“But time is our problem and if we can’t begin riding out in the next few days we might have to think again about Cheltenham.”
Feathard Lady, an impressive winner of the Christmas Hurdle at Sandown, is a 5-1 chance for the Champion Hurdle with Ladbrokes.
