Irish dominate Champion entries

Irish-trained horses make up more than half of the 28 entries for this year’s Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.

The Irish have claimed the last three renewals of the two-mile feature with Colm Murphy’s Brave Inca taking home the prize last year while the Dessie Hughes-trained Hardy Eustace was successful in 2004 and 2005.