HEARTBREAK City is the clear 3/1 favourite for the €100,000 Coral.ie Hurdle at Leopardstown on Sunday week, January 22nd.

The Tony Martin-trained Melbourne Cup winner has not raced over hurdles since winning a minor event at the Galway Festival last summer. Since then he has won the Ebor Handicap at York and come within a whisker of winning Australia’s greatest race.

He is set to carry just 10st in the Leopardstown race, the weights for which were published this week. Martin previously won this race with the Mick Fitzgerald-ridden Xenophon in 2003 and others among his possible runners include Pyromaniac (20/1) on 10st 12lbs, Golden Spear (12/1) who has 9st 13lbs and Tudor City (16/1) on 9st 11lbs.

Martin commented: “Heartbreak City came out of his impressive performance in the Melbourne Cup well and this race is the most likely hurdle target for his next run, all going well.”

Willie Mullins is bidding for his fourth success in this race and he can choose from a team that includes Renneti (16/1), who has been allotted top-weight of 11st 10lbs.

Thomas Hobson (20/1) was third in the Grade 1 Tattersalls Ireland Champion Novice Hurdle at the Punchestown Festival in April and is set to carry 11st 4lbs while Allblak Des Places (16/1), runner-up in the Grade 1 Gain Spring Juvenile Hurdle at Leopardstown last February has 11st 1lb.

Chasing his first success in this race, Gordon Elliott has made five entries with Tombstone (16/1), fourth in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival last March, the highest-rated of the quintet on 11st 8lbs. Mick Jazz (12/1) and Desoto County (16/1) have been allotted 10st 9lbs and 10st 8lbs respectively, while recent Leopardstown and Cork runner-up Veinard (14/1) is a little further down the weights on 9st 12lbs.

The €100,000 Coral.ie Leopardstown Handicap Chase on the same card has attracted 40 entries and Willie Mullins is responsible for 11 of them, headed by his JLT Novices’ Chase winner Black Hercules who has been given 11st 6lbs.

Another Mullins contender at the top end of the handicap is the Punchestown Festival winner Pleasant Company on 10st 12lbs.

This is the second year of sponsorship for Coral and they are once again offering a €100,000 bonus for the connections of any horse that wins both the Coral.ie Hurdle and the Coral Cup in 2017.

Pat Keogh, CEO Leopardstown commented: “The Coral.ie hurdle is always one of the most competitive races of the year and this renewal will be no exception. The Coral.ie Leopardstown Handicap Steeplechase is another race with a proud history; Arkle won it three times. This day continues to provide some of the best sporting action you will see all year – last year the day went viral when Ruby Walsh stirred Killultagh Vic to victory in one of the most incredible riding performances ever seen in the Coral.ie Novice Chase.”