Eustace new favourite for Champion

Hardy Eustace is the new 3-1 favourite with totesport for the Smurfit Champion Hurdle.

Dessie Hughes’ runner, winner of the Cheltenham Festival event last year, has been promoted to the head of the betting following the disappointing performance of former favourite Harchibald in a racecourse gallop at Navan yesterday.

Harchibald has been pushed out to 5-1 for the championship event, with Back In Front the clear 7-2 second favourite from 4-1.

Totesport spokesman Damian Walker said: “Harchibald has been friendless in the market for some time now and we have hardly laid a bet on him in the past four weeks prior to Saturday’s disappointing gallop.

“By contrast, Hardy Eustace was well supported on Friday. And there seems to be plenty of confidence behind Back in Front.”

Hardy Eustace leapt up the order after finishing third in the Irish Champion Hurdle, putting a lacklustre run behind him in the process.

The eight-year-old has since run out an easy winner of the Grade Two Red Mills Trial Hurdle, and big-race jockey Conor O’Dwyer has issued an upbeat bulletin.

“Dessie seems very happy with him. I haven’t sat on him since but he couldn’t do any more than he did in the Red Mills,” he told At The Races.

“He jumped well, travelled well even on ground he wouldn’t have been completely at home on, and we are very happy with him.”

Although Harchibald has drifted in the betting, trainer Noel Meade has not discounted running in the race.

“We will just have to see how he progresses now. I don’t think I will be doing any long pieces of work with him but we will see how he goes and I might give him a little breeze later in the week,” he said.

“I wouldn’t rule him out of Cheltenham yet, though.”

The Co Meath handler was left “stunned” after Harchibald’s performance at Navan and although he gave the gelding a thorough check-up when he returned to the yard, no excuses have come to light.

“He seems fine. He came back after the work and we scoped him and checked him over and everything seemed OK,” said Meade.

“We haven’t taken any blood yet, but we will do that tomorrow too.”

The six-year-old had been due to work at Leopardstown today but with heavy ground at the track, Meade opted to reroute to his local course.

Harchibald worked over a mile and three-quarters under Peter Kavanagh and although the ground was testing, Meade does not want to blame the conditions.

“It’s a mystery why he should work as badly as he did. We were very, very happy with him going into the work yesterday but we were stunned by the way he worked,” he went on.

“He had his regular work rider up and he said the ground was bad, but I wouldn’t put that down as a factor. We know he probably is better on good ground, but I wouldn’t have thought it would make him work as bad as that.”

Harchibald may have disappointed in his work, but Paul Nolan was delighted with the way Accordion Etoile went yesterday.

The gelding is as big as 14-1 with William Hill for the race after finishing behind some of the principal contenders in the Irish Champion Hurdle.

However, that race was on unsuitably testing ground and the six-year-old is reported to be in top form.

“We thought he went very well yesterday,” he said. “He worked exceptionally - he really does seem to be improving again and we were very pleased with what we saw.

“He worked over a mile and a half with his usual partner and he definitely seemed to account for him better than he normally does, even better than he did before he went to Cheltenham last time.

“Everything is on course for Cheltenham, touch wood, and I really do wish it was in two days’ time.”

Accordion Etoile has raced only three times this season, finishing second to Solerina – with Harchibald even further back – on his seasonal bow before claiming the Greatwood Handicap Hurdle at Cheltenham in November.

Nolan’s charge was made favourite for the hurdling crown after that Prestbury Park win but the subsequent efforts of the likes of Back In Front, Harchibald and Hardy Eustace have seen his odds lengthen.

However, Nolan is convinced that if the ground is on the better side at Cheltenham, his horse will have decent claims.

“This is the time when you start double-checking everything and hopefully we can get him there in one piece. I think he will have a good each-way chance, as long as the ground isn’t soft,” he added.

“I think it looks a bit more competitive than the betting would suggest and people are taking him on that last run at Leopardstown, but I hope he will leave that well behind.

“We know he can’t beat those horses on soft ground, but as long as there’s no ‘soft’ in the ground at Cheltenham, he should have a chance.”

Smurfit Champion Hurdle, totesport bet: 3-1 Hardy Eustace, 7-2 Back In Front, 5-1 Harchibald, 8-1 Brave Inca, Essex, Macs Joy, 12-1 Accordion Etoile, 16-1 Inglis Drever, Rooster Booster, 33-1 Self Defense, 40-1 Al Eile, 50-1 Intersky Falcon, Power Elite, Westender, 66-1 bar.