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Mag bids for repeat in Annie Power's absence

Vroum Vroum MagVroum Vroum Mag
© Photo Healy Racing

Last year's winner Vroum Vroum Mag spearheads Willie Mullins' assault on the Betdaq Punchestown Champion Hurdle on Friday.

Mullins is responsible for five of the 12 horses declared at the 48-hour final declaration stage, with County Hurdle scorer Arctic Fire, Diakali, Ivan Grozny and Wicklow Brave joining the 2016 heroine.

Annie Power has been taken out and she now looks like making her eagerly-awaited final racecourse appearance on Saturday in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Mares Champion Hurdle as she is in foal to Camelot.

She could well face Apple's Jade in that race as the Gordon Elliott-trained five-year-old was the only other withdrawal from the Champion Hurdle entry.

Elliott gives Labaik another chance after the Supreme Novices' Hurdle winner refused to set off with the rest of the field in the Champion Novice Hurdle on Tuesday. The County Meath handler also saddles Tombstone.

Henry de Bromhead is double-handed with Petit Mouchoir and Identity Thief, while Colin Kidd's Rashaan completes the home defence.

Nicky Henderson is responsible for the two UK runners, My Tent Or Yours and Brain Power.

Finian's Oscar bids to continue the fine run of the Colin Tizzard team when he puts his 100 per cent record on the line in the Tattersalls Ireland Champion Novice Hurdle.

The exciting five-year-old missed Cheltenham but had no trouble taking his unbeaten run over hurdles to four at Aintree.

He takes on Gordon Elliott's Death Duty, who blotted his copybook when unseating his rider in the Albert Bartlett at Cheltenham. Elliott also has Runfordave.

Mullins looks to Bacardys, Bleu Berry, Kemboy and Let's Dance, while Warren Greatrex's The Nipper is the sole British runner in a 10-strong line-up.