Leopardstown today released the preliminary entries for the Toshiba Irish Champion Hurdle and theFrank Ward Solicitors Arkle Novice Chase which are both set to be run at Leopardstown this Sunday 24th January
Solwhit heads the bookmakers’ lists for the Toshiba Irish Champion Hurdle. The Charles Byrnes-trained gelding, winner of the Grade 1 Rabobank Champion Hurdle at Punchestown in April, when he got the better of a rare tussle with Punjabi, won the Grade 1 Morgiana Hurdle at Punchestown on his debut this season, and looked most impressive when showing a fine turn of foot to beat Sublimity on the December Festival Hurdle at Leopardstown Golf Centre December Festival over Sunday’s course and distance on his latest start.
Sublimity and Punjabi both hold entries in Sunday’s race – although the latter has an alternative engagement in the Champion Hurdle Trial at Haydock on Saturday – as does Celestial Halo, who finished second, just a neck behind Punjabi, in the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham last March. The Paul Nicholls-trained gelding, well behind Solwhit in the Aintree Hurdle in April, won the Elite Hurdle at Wincanton on his debut this season, but was beaten by Khyber Kim on his latest start in the Boylesports International Hurdle at Cheltenham last month. He will be bidding to bounce back on Sunday.
Other interesting entries include John Queally’s stalwart Al Eile, winner of the December Festival Hurdle in 2007, the five-year-old Torphichen, from the Edward O’Grady yard, and the Noel Meade-trained Donnas Palm, who still has to prove that he is up to this grade, but who has won all three of his races over hurdles to date this season, including the Grade 2 Tara Hurdle at Navan on his latest start.
The other Grade 1 race on the card, the Frank Ward Solicitors Arkle Novice Chase, has attracted just eight entries at this stage, but it lacks nothing in terms of quality. British raider Take The Breeze is set to take his chance. The Paul Nicholls-trained gelding has won all three of his starts over fences to date, all three really impressively, the latest by a distance on heavy ground at Newbury at the end of last month. He is a hugely exciting prospect.
Heading the home defence is the Colm Murphy-trained Zaarito, a top bumper horse a couple of seasons ago, just beaten by current Arkle favourite Captain Cee Bee in a beginners’ chase at Naas on his penultimate start and an impressive winner of a good beginners’ chase at Leopardstown over Christmas, and Sports Line, a really exciting front-runner from the Willie Mullins yard who was an impressive winner of his beginners’ chase at Navan on his only start to date over fences.
Tom Burke General Manager at Leopardstown said: - "I am delighted with the entries for both the Toshiba Irish Champion Hurdle and the Frank Ward Solicitors Arkle Novice Chase with all the major contenders still involved ahead of Sunday’s contests. The ground conditions are currently‘Heavy’ with some rain forecast for tonight and again on Thursday. Otherwise it will mainly dry up to and including Sunday."
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