Straw Bear heads straight to Champion Straw Bear will go straight to the Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle without another run. Connections made the decision after the JP McManus-owned seven-year-old had a workout this morning. That means Straw Bear, a 20-1 shot for Champion honours at Cheltenham on March 11, will miss Saturday´s Bathwick Tyres Kingwell Hurdle at Wincanton. "He´s not running at Wincanton. He´s going to go straight for the Champion Hurdle," said trainer Nick Gifford. "He had a breeze this morning and I´ve spoken to Frank Berry (the owner´s racing manager) and we´ve decided we´re going straight to Cheltenham. The horse is in good form."
