Henderson holds Champion aces

A total of 29 horses stand their ground at the latest forfeit stage for the Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle, the feature race of the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival.

Binocular, Punjabi and Sentry Duty give Nicky Henderson a very strong hand, while there are four former winners still engaged in the shape of Hardy Eustace (2004 and 2005), Brave Inca (2006), Sublimity (2007) and Katchit (2008).