Smurfit Champion Hurdle - Analysis

This years's £300,000 Smurfit Champion Hurdle has attracted 35 entries, with a dozen entries from Ireland and two French-trained horses engaged. The last two winners - Hardy Eustace (2004) and Rooster Booster (2003) are entered again. The pair finished first and second in last year's hurdling championship with the Dessie Hughes-trained Hardy Eustace going on to confirm his superiority by also defeating Rooster Booster in the Emo Oil Champion Hurdle at Punchestown.

On his two most recent starts, Hardy Eustace has finished third to the brilliant mare Solerina at Navan and third to Jessica Harrington's Macs Joy in the Grade One December Festival Hurdle at Leopardstown on December 29, when Solerina ran disappointingly.

Rooster Booster has managed only one success since his Smurfit Champion Hurdle victory of 2003, at Haydock last season, but has run numerous good races in defeat, most recently when second to Harchibald in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton on Boxing Day when he gallantly tried to make all the running.

Harchibald's win at Kempton and his earlier smooth success in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle means that he is currently ante-post favourite. Noel Meade's charge also defeated fellow Irish contender Back In Front, the 2003 Letheby & Christopher Supreme Novices' Hurdle victor, at Punchestown in November. Back In Front was subsequently successful in the totesport Bula Hurdle at Cheltenham on December 11 when he proved four lengths too strong for Inglis Drever, with Westender in third, Rooster Booster fourth and The French Furze fifth.

Solerina has scored an amazing 15 successes for the Bowe family, with four wins having come at Grade One level. Her one previous visit to Cheltenham saw her finish fourth to Iris's Gift in the 2004 Ladbrokes World Hurdle.

The remaining Irish-trained contenders include the Paul Nolan-trained Accordion Etoile, winner of the Greatwood Handicap Hurdle at Cheltenham on November 14, Al Eile, a decent juvenile hurdler last season, Dermot Weld's Ansar, victorious in the Galway Plate in July, 2004 Letheby & Christopher Supreme Novices' Hurdle scorer Brave Inca, recent Pierse Handicap Hurdle victor Essex, Power Elite, a fairly useful juvenile last season for Noel Meade and Georges Girl, runner-up in the AIG Europe Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown a year ago.

Martin Pipe is seeking his third Smurfit Champion Hurdle success and has the largest number of entries with five possibles engaged. These include the amazing novice Marcel, who has scored nine times already this season including on his latest start in the Grade One Tolworth Hurdle at Sandown.

Pipe could also field Westender, runner-up to Rooster Booster in 2003 and victorious on his latest start at Cheltenham on New Year's Day, last season's Scottish Champion Hurdle victor Copeland, the 2002 Coral Cup victor Ilnamar and Tamarinbleu, who recently made a winning seasonal reappearance in the competitive Ladbroke Handicap Hurdle at Sandown.

Paul Nicholls is still seeking his first Smurfit Champion Hurdle victory and has three entries to choose from including Rigmarole, who was successful twice at Cheltenham last season in the Greatwood Handicap Hurdle and totesport Bula Hurdle but has largely disappointed since. The smart juvenile Cerium, triumphant in the Grade Two Jets UK Juvenile Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham on November 13, and Perouse, third behind Harchibald and Rooster Booster on his latest start in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton on Boxing Day, have also been entered by Nicholls.

Nicky Henderson sent out the great See You Then to three consecutive victories in 1985, 1986 and 1987 and looks set to rely on Landing Light this time around. The 10-year-old won the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton in 2001 and finished fifth behind Hors La Loi III in the 2002 Smurfit Champion Hurdle but he has not raced since winning the Cesarewitch on the Flat at Newmarket in October, 2003.

The two entries from France are headed by Foreman, trained by Thierry Doumen and owned by J P McManus. The seven-year-old won last season's AIG Europe Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown before finishing fourth to Hardy Eustace in the Smurfit Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham. His sole start this season came in a novice chase at Newbury on December 29, when he finished runner-up to Kauto Star.

Also engaged from France is the Francois Rohaut-trained Sign Of The Wolf, a Group Three winner on the Flat but yet to start over hurdles.

Kent-based former teacher-turned property magnate Fergus Wilson has four entries, all trained by Michael Scudamore and all also engaged in the totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Solarius was last seen out when taking a claiming hurdle at Cagnes-Sur-Mer on Christmas Day when with French handler Richard Chotard while Wilson's team is completed by Astonville, Present Bleu and Turnium. Present Bleu was actually a Grade One winner in France in 2002 although his form has tailed off since then while Astonville was well beaten behind Westender last time at Cheltenham and Turnium's form in France was of a low grade.

Other interesting contenders include Intersky Falcon, fifth and third in the latest two renewals of the Smurfit Champion Hurdle and twice successful in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton, and Self Defense, who has good form to his name both on the Flat and over hurdles, most recently when runner-up to Tamarinbleu in the Ladbroke Handicap Hurdle at Sandown. Royal Shakespeare was a very useful novice last season, scoring in Grade Two company at Aintree and running Brave Inca to a short-head in a Grade One contest at Punchestown. He made a good seasonal reappearance when third to Harchibald in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle.

Completing the entries are Compton Bolter, trained by Gerard Butler and unraced over hurdles but a seven-time Listed winner on the Flat, and Amanda Perrett's Big Moment, a Listed scorer on the Flat in 2004 and a decent hurdler on his day, as he showed when fifth in last season's Royal & SunAlliance Novices' Hurdle.