Eustace Sweet On Orcadian

James Eustace believes his Anglo Irish Bank Supreme Novices' Hurdle entry Orcadian is overpriced for the curtain-raiser of next weeks Cheltenham Festival.

A Group Three winner on the level, he will be one of the highest-rated horses in the field on Tuesday but only has one run over obstacles to his name.

That was a hard-fought success over the unheralded Ken's Dream on February 17, but Eustace believes he goes there with a live chance.

'I was hoping to get another run in to him and in an ideal world we would have been going there with two runs under his belt ? and preferably two wins of course!' said Eustace.

'We really wanted him to have his first run a bit earlier but he had a slight problem which just held him up a bit.

'I would have liked him to run again but when I looked at the available races they were either too soon after Market Rasen or too near to Cheltenham.

'He's always been a clean-winded horse though and his run at Market Rasen was his first for a long time. Fitness wasn't the issue it was just a case of experience.

'The recent rain will help his chance as well. He won his Group Three on the Flat when it was heavy. The only ground he wouldn't really want would be holding. That seems to pull him about a bit.

'I'm very excited about running him. I've always held a dual licence and trained one or two hurdlers but nothing that has been good enough to go to Cheltenham. He is the best hurdler I've trained by a long way.

'I think that if he had had another run and won again there is no way he would be 33-1.

'He's certainly the best horse from the Flat running in the race and he also doesn't mind making the running. We hope he runs a big race.'

The Jeff Smith-owned gelding is one of 33 confirmations for the two-mile contest at the five-day stage, with leading fancies Sweet Wake, Noland, Quatre Heures and Straw Bear all standing their ground.

? PA Sport