Eustace On Target For Champion

Connections of Hardy Eustace are looking forward to seeing the nine-year-old in the AIG Europe Champion Hurdle on Sunday.

The gelding was just touched off in a triple photo finish by Macs Joy and Brave Inca in the Leopardstown feature 12 months ago before going on to lift the Smurfit Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham for the second successive year.

'He´s grand I am looking forward to running him,' said trainer Dessie Hughes. 'He´s on schedule for Sunday and I´m very happy with him. He´ll do a piece of work on Wednesday.'

In his first race since Cheltenham last March, Hardy Eustace made a pleasing reappearance with an easy victory in a three-horse affair at Punchestown on New Year´s Eve.

'His last race would have put him right although it was easy as he doesn´t take a lot of work,' Hughes went on.

'He´s done a couple of bits of work since that race which would have put him right and I should say he´ll be nearly 100 per cent for Sunday.

'If the forecast is right, I think the weather is going to be reasonably good for the week and it´s possible we´ll have a little bit better ground for Sunday than last year when it was very heavy.

'If it´s a bit better than that I would say he´d give a great account of himself.'

Hardy Eustace is 3-1 favourite with the leading bookmakers to complete a hat-trick of Champion Hurdle victories at Cheltenham on March 14.

(C) PA Sport