THE Kroongraaf gelding Chantilly Bojangles returns to defend his Thorntons Recycling small hunter title in Ring 1 on Wednesday afternoon.

Paul O’Shaughnessy and Lynn Turley’s dark bay gelding is one of 16 entries due to come before Robin Sharp and Matthew Ainsworth in the four and five-year-old class where last year the 23-strong entry resulted in a divide.

Chantilly Bojangles will renew his rivalry with Jane Bradbury’s Diamond Design mare Gardenia and Evan Henry’s Cain (by Adam IV), who finished second and fourth in their division 12 months ago.

Jennifer and Karyn Kennedy’s Cashelbay Prince grey Earl Of Grenane, winner of division two in 2015, has also been entered again, as has Elizabeth and Pat Ahern’s Breeda Mountain grey EPA Sonny Bill who took blue in that second division.

The seven four-year-olds listed included the Young Carrabawn gelding As You Like It whose owners, Ivan and James Ryan, had the class winner in 2014 and 2011, produced by their father Kieran.

Among the 13 entries in the six-year-old and upwards section is Mike Lewis’s Murphys Irish Diamond gelding Carnsdale Irish Times, surprise winner of the hunter championship at Balmoral in May.

Also catalogued are Jill Casey’s chesnut mare Rubys Pleasure, who won a very strong small hunter class at Tattersalls, the 2014 winner Castlemyles Killkea Castle, a Powhatan gelding owned by Youghal’s Avril Riordan, and Rufina Shiel Mullen’s home-bred Irish Draught mare Madame Stella (by Crannagh Hero) who was second here last August.