Irish Champion Awaits Veteran Furze Gallant 12-year-old The French Furze is on target to take his chance in the AIG Europe Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown on January 29. The Jim Ennis-owned frontrunner defied his age to win a valuable event at Cheltenham on New Year´s Day, beating the highly-rated Mighty Man, and trainer Nicky Richards told At The Races it was no surprise to him. 'Nothing surprises me with that horse because he is a very game and consistent sort. I suppose one or two of the jockeys let him slip away and they couldn´t get back at him,' he said. 'He ran a fantastic race at Cheltenham but then he´s run some fantastic races all his life, so nothing he does surprises me anymore. 'At the moment the plan is the AIG Champion Hurdle as the race is starting to thin out slightly.'(C) PA Sport
