Hisaabaat© Photo Healy Racing
Dermot Weld's dual Grade 1 winner Hisaabaat and Willie Mullins' Rattan are joint top-weights for the Boylesports.com Hurdle at Leopardstown on January 26.
They head 48 entries for the race and Mullins has six possibles, with Abbey Lane (10st 7lbs) possibly the pick of his sextet having gone very close at Fairyhouse recently after a break of nearly two years from the racecourse.
Last year's winner, Citizenship (10st 9lbs), is likely to try and become the first horse since Redundant Pal in 1990 and 1991 to win the race in successive years while the runner-up in 2012, Leah Claire (10st 5lbs), is another intended runner.
The Tom Mullins trained King Of Queens (11st 5lbs) is likely to be a leading fancy having won his last two races in good style while Inis Meain was a much improved performer on the flat last year and Denis Hogan's charge is likely to prove popular with punters off just 10st 3lbs.
The Martin Brassil trained Worldor (10st 4lbs) is another interesting contender having won twice at Naas this season while Gordon Elliott has four to choose from with last season's smart juvenile, Shadow Catcher (11st 2lbs) and the prolific winner Discoteca (10st 13lbs), both likely to figure prominently.
Tony Martin sent out Xenophon to take this race in 2003 and he could be represented by Thomas Edison (11st 1lb) or the promising Ted Veale (10st 13lbs) while as a jockey Charlie Swan proved successful on Grinkov in 2001 and he has entered Hit The Headlines (10st 4lbs).
Noel Meade's only success in this long established contest came with Glencloud in 1993 and he will be hoping that either Il Fenomeno (11st 2lbs), recent Navan winner Blissful Moment (10st 1lbs) or the four year old Hartside (8st 9lbs) can give him a second success while the most successful trainer in the history of the race is six-time winner Arthur Moore who has Gentleman Duke (9st 11lbs) is his sole entry.
The two feature races sponsored by Boylesports at the meeting, as in 2012, carry huge potential bonuses for the winner of each race.
If the winner of the Boylesports.com Hurdle goes on to land any race at the 2013 Cheltenham Festival (excluding the charity race), Boylesports will pay winning connections a bonus of €100,000.
If the winner of the Boylesports.com - Bet On Your Mobile Novice Steeplechase goes on to land any one of the Arkle Chase, Jewson Novices' Chase or RSA Chase at Cheltenham, winning connections will receive a bonus of €50,000 from Boylesports.
Last year, Sir Des Champs won a high-class and thrilling Boylesports.com Novice Chase and went on to land the €50,000 by winning the 'Jewson'.
