Harden to aim for World defence next year Warren Greatrex is to concentrate on preparing Cole Harden for the defence of his Ladbrokes World Hurdle crown after he signed off for the season at Aintree on Saturday. Though Cole Harden had to settle for second place behind Whisper, who was winning the Silver Cross Stayers' Hurdle for the second year running, Greatrex was still pleased with the performance. "He was a little bit stiff on Sunday morning. He ran an absolute cracker," said the Upper Lambourn trainer. "I was happy with the run. No real reasons or excuses. Gavin (Sheehan) came in and felt he probably wasn't as good as he was at Cheltenham. "He probably had every right to be like that because he'd run such a great race there. Whisper had probably improved since Cheltenham. "He'll have a holiday now and we'll plot out a route next season with the main aim being to retain his title at Cheltenham."
