All eyes on champion hurdle

RACING Punchestown news:The ACCBank Champion Hurdle at Punchestown on April 27th is shaping up to be one of the races of the season after Willie Mullins and Noel Meade threw their hats into the ring.

Already confirmed as possibles are Hardy Eustace and Brave Inca, Cheltenham hero Sublimity and Macs Joy, who was a late withdrawal from the Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle.

And now Supreme Novices' Hurdle winner Ebaziyan, Champion Hurdle faller Iktitaf, Christmas Hurdle winner Jazz Messenger and the mercurial Harchibald could be aimed at the €200,000 contest.

"It is a serious consideration at this time - I thought he merited an entry - and you don't know what's going to happen between now and Punchestown," said Mullins of Ebaziyan.

"On the evidence of his Cheltenham run he has the class to play a part in the top races. I'd imagine he'll probably run in the two-mile novice hurdle, but we'll see. I was very impressed with Ebaziyan at Cheltenham and he has come out of the race well. He is starting to show some of the talent we thought he had when we bought him.

"The fast pace that day suited him really well and his Flat experience came into use when he had to battle between the two horses after the last. We thought a fair bit of him last year but he got injured, so we put him away, and he was slow to come to hand this season after having so much time off. He's only had three runs over hurdles and is a nice horse to look forward to."

Meade admits no one will ever know what would have happened in the Champion Hurdle had Iktitaf not come to grief at the third-last flight. "Iktitaf is in great form. He got a little bruise on a hind leg when he fell but he's over it and there has been no hold up with him," he said.

"He won't run before Punchestown - he'll go straight there and we'll be hoping that the ground will be good for him. He seems to be a lot better on better ground.

"There was a lot of racing to do when he fell at Cheltenham, but at the same time there was no reason to believe that he wasn't going to be concerned in the finish. Barry (Geraghty) certainly thought he was going very well."

Meade also confirmed Harchibald is over the setback that forced him to miss Cheltenham and that Jazz Messenger, who had originally been targeted at Japan's biggest jumping race, has now been re-routed to Punchestown. "Hopefully Harchibald will be okay for the race," added Meade. "We missed Cheltenham with him but he seems to be going along the right way at the moment, so hopefully we'll be able to get him there in one piece.

"Jazz Messenger was intended for Japan but we were a little bit unhappy with him when he worked last week - he just wasn't 100 per cent right. Quite possibly, the ACCBank Champion Hurdle might be his main target now."

Other interesting entries include Accordion Etoile, Afsoun, Detroit City, Newmill and Pedrobob.