Purple Set For Festival Challenge Evan Williams is likely to send Deep Purple to Cheltenham without another run.The seven-year-old won his first five races over hurdles, including a Grade Two at Ascot, before finishing second to Breedsbreeze in the Grade One Tolworth Hurdle at Sandown last month.Those smart performances have earned him quotes as low as 12-1 for the Anglo Irish Bank Supreme Novices' Hurdle at the Festival."He's won his Grade Two and he's just got beat in his Grade One. We are fortunate to have him," said Williams."If we can have a bit of luck, we can grab that Grade One hurdle somewhere in his life ? touch wood it will be at the Cheltenham Festival as he is very well in himself."I think we could be better off going straight to Cheltenham."He goes well after a break. He's run plenty and there are some very nice places to go after Cheltenham."We don't want to be running him on soft ground again like we did at Sandown. He wants good ground and I'm sure the spring will bring him on again," the Llancarfan trainer told At The Races.(C) PA Sport
