AS mentioned here before, it has been apparent for some time that J.P. McManus has myriad options with his juvenile hurdlers at this year’s Cheltenham Festival. You have the Fred Winter Hurdle for juveniles these days as well as the Triumph Hurdle, but you also have the option to step into open novice company and take on your elders in the Supreme, and get 8lb from them for your trouble.

It was no surprise, then, that when the entries for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle were published last week, there were 10 juveniles among them, and seven of them were under the green and gold banner.

McManus also has options now with his championship hurdlers. That Buveur D’Air switch was a bold switch, back to hurdles after he had run twice in novice chases and won both of them. But it is a move that could pay rich dividends.

The Nicky Henderson-trained gelding was fully expected to do what he did in the Contenders’ Hurdle at Sandown on Saturday, especially given that his main rival Irving probably under-performed considerably. He is rated 10lb superior to Rayvin Black, and he was receiving 4lb from him so he was fully entitled to beat him as easily as he did.

The element of his performance that was impressive, however, was his jumping. When horses have been chasing, they can be quite wasteful if and when they return to hurdles. They can jump them as if they are jumping fences, they can jump them big and lose ground.

Not Buveur D’Air though. He was slick and efficient over his hurdles, he was cat-like. As Barry Geraghty said afterwards, you’d never have known that he had been jumping fences.

At present, the switch looks like an inspired move. Buveur D’Air is now favourite in most ante-post lists for the Champion Hurdle.

J.P. McManus also has Yanworth high in the Champion Hurdle betting. A slight setback ruled him out of Sandown on Saturday, but he is apparently on track for the Kingwell Hurdle at Wincanton next Saturday.

Then there is Unowhatimeanharry, who just keeps on winning, keeps on improving, a worthy warm favourite for the Stayers’ Hurdle. And Jezki.

There has been talk of the Champion Hurlde for Jezki since he won on his comeback at Navan three weeks ago. It was great to have him back, but he really did no more than he should have been doing. (Ref. Buveur D’Air above.) He is rated 18lb superior to runner-up Renneti and 20lb superior to third-placed Tombstone, and he was getting 6lb from both of them.

While he was entitled to beat his rivals as comfortably as he did, it was still good to see him do it.

Yet, despite the Champion Hurdle talk, you have to think that the Stayers’ Hurdle is the race for Jezki. Former champion he may be, but he is nine now, and Hurricane Fly and Rooster Booster are the only nine-year-old winners of the Champion Hurdle in the last 25 years. By contrast, three nine-year-olds have won the Stayers’ Hurdle in the last decade.

Also, Hurricane Fly won the Champion Hurdle title, then lost it, then won it again. He was the first horse since Comedy Of Errors who was able to do that. But no horse has ever regained the title three years after winning it.

Also, we know that Jezki stays three miles. He beat Hurricane Fly in the World Series Hurdle at the 2015 Punchestown Festival on his only run over that trip, with Zabana and Lieutenant Colonel well beaten in third and fourth.

So J.P. could allow Buveur D’Air and Yanworth run in the Champion Hurdle, and have Unowhatimeanharry and Jezki for the Stayers’. Or he could switch Yanworth and Jezki around, run Yanworth in the Stayers’ - remember, it was all Stayers’ Hurdle talk after he won the Ascot Hurdle in November - and Jezki in the Champion.

Alternatively, he could allow Unowhatimeanharry, Yanworth and Jezki all run in the Stayers’ Hurdle and he could chance Sutton Place in the Champion along with Buveur D’Air. It would be a big step-up for Sutton Place, but he is such an exciting horse, it would be fascinating to see him in the Champion.

Really exciting last season as a novice, he was so good in winning at Naas on his seasonal debut three weeks ago that the handicapper raised him by 18lb to a mark of 158. That puts him into Champion Hurdle territory.

To put that mark into context, the five horses at the top of the ante-post betting for the Champion Hurdle have official ratings of, respectively, 155, 162, 164, 154 and 162. And the Mahler gelding has run just four times over hurdles, he still has bundles of scope for progression.These are nice dilemmas.