Solwhit ‘coming on lovely’, says Byrnes

Charles Byrnes has the Leopardstown Christmas Festival as the first major target of the season for his World Hurdle hero Solwhit.

After a near two-year injury lay-off, the nine-year-old returned seemingly better than ever last season, finishing second behind Bog Warrior at Punchestown before winning at Naas, Cheltenham and Aintree.

He signed off for the campaign by finishing second in the French Champion Hurdle at Auteuil in early June, and Byrnes will not rush his stable star back to competitive action, with Leopardstown’s Woodies DIY Hurdle in late December his first significant objective.