Harchi oozes class in champion prep

Aarchibald boosted his Champion Hurdle prospects no end with a sparkling performance to win on the all-weather surface at Dundalk last night.

Noel Meade’s mercurial nine-year-old, racing under the floodlights for only the second time, was given a superb ride by former champion Declan McDonogh in the Hanratty Oils Race over a mile and a half.

Travelling well throughout just off the pace, he fairly burst through a gap close home and responded to a couple of reminders to readily hold the late surge of Emmpat by a length and a quarter.

Harchibald was agonisingly beaten in the 2005 blue riband at Cheltenham after looking all over the winner at the final flight and was left unchanged at 7-1 for this year’s renewal by VC Bet.

But William Hill go 6-1 from 8s having seen the 7-1 they initially went soon disappear.

Meade was left delighted by what he saw.

He said: “I am thrilled with that, absolutely delighted. I couldn’t believe the way he quickened away. He just lit up when he got there.

“Hopefully he comes out of it OK and he’ll go to Cheltenham then.

“He is in great form and his weight is great. I’m just a bit worried about the ground being soft, other than that he’ll run.”