LAST year’s winner Buveur D’Air heads a field of 23 entries for the Unibet Champion Hurdle. Nicky Henderson’s seven-year-old, unbeaten since reverting to hurdles around this time last season, is generally a 4/6 shot to make it back-to-back wins in the race.

However, the betting landscape could change should Faugheen (5/1), the 2015 champion, redeem himself in the Irish Champion Hurdle at the Dublin Racing Festival at the beginning of next month. The 10-year-old pulled up when last seen in the Ryanair Hurdle but with nothing physical coming to light, he looks set to be given another chance to mark himself a serious contender at Leopardstown.