Last four Champion Hurdle winners could reoppose in March
Ante-post favourite Binocular is still one of the contenders and is part of a strong hand for Nicky Henderson, with stablemates Afsoun, Punjabi, Sentry Duty and Aigle D’Or also entered.
Willie Mullins’ smart novice Hurricane Fly is still a possible at this stage, while the likes of Jered, Harchibald and Catch Me could also make the journey across from Ireland on March 10.
Last year’s runner-up Osana has not been seen this season but could bid to go one better, while Blue Bajan, Silent Oscar, Sizing Europe and Donald McCain’s mare Whiteoak are also on the list.
The hurdling crown is one of the few races to have eluded Paul Nicholls, who this year looks set to rely on Celestial Halo and Rippling Ring.
Rippling Ring and Celestial Halo run in the colours of leading National Hunt owner Andy Stewart, who is looking forward to being doubly represented in a championship event.
“We have entered both Celestial Halo and Rippling Ring in the Champion Hurdle and the plan at the moment is for both of them to run,” said Stewart.
“We thought that Celestial Halo had to do the donkey work in the Boylesports.com International last time and set the race up for Binocular so we hope that Rippling Ring can set a strong pace at The Festival.
“Celestial Halo led from start to finish in the JCB Triumph Hurdle and he needs to go at a good gallop because he’s probably a two-and-a-half-miler around Cheltenham and a three-miler elsewhere.
“He won’t run in the Irish Champion Hurdle, but he could make an appearance in the totepool Contenders Hurdle at Sandown on January 31.
“Binocular looks the one to beat. It would be quite nice for (owner) JP McManus because when we beat Franchoek in the Triumph Hurdle, he was the first person to congratulate me.
“I thought that Rippling Ring was going to win at the top of the hill in the Supreme Novices’ last season but he was tapped for toe in the closing stages.
“He has been entered to run at Ascot on Saturday, but he will only take his chance if the ground is very fast and he might go to Newbury for the totesport Trophy on February 7.”
Meanwhile Howard Johnson has given Inglis Drever the thumbs-up to return to light work following a successful X-ray on the hock injury he sustained in the Long Distance Hurdle at Newbury in November.
While a final decision on whether he will return to the racecourse is still some way off, Johnson is happy to start the 10-year-old back on the road to a possible return.
The three-time World Hurdle winner was on Tuesday given an entry in this year’s renewal of the staying championship and Johnson is keeping his fingers crossed he can keep his star turn in one piece.
“The scan was very good and it has completely healed it so it’s great news. We did a proper X-ray and there is nothing showing up,” said Johnson.
“I’m going to put a set of shoes on him and we will just start walking him out for a fortnight.
“He won’t be doing anything else other than going in a straight line – not on bumpy roads or anything like that – and we will just take it steady.
“If everything is fine we might give him a little canter in a fortnight to three weeks’ time, to see how it is.”
“The vet took the fluid off the hock and all he got off it was 10 millimetres, which is nothing really.
“I told the vet to put a long-lasting cortisone injection into it and he has done that.
“We’ve nothing to lose if we just go slowly with him and we can make a decision on Cheltenham later on.”
