3.10 Chanelle Pharma Irish Champion Hurdle (Grade 1) 2m

Pied Piper: Smart juvenile hurdler last term, beating Vauban first time up but held by that rival in two starts after. He wasn’t far away from him though and started this season well with two wins in comparatively lowly contests. Well beaten here behind State Man in the Matheson but that run looked too bad to be true and he was found clinically abnormal after the race.

State Man: Way too good for mark of 141 in County Hurdle before securing Punchestown Grade 1 last April to set himself up for Champion Hurdle campaign. Two Grade 1s out of two so far, but has looked solid if not spectacular, with four-length wins over stablemates Sharjah and Vauban. This will be just his eighth ever start, so he could well improve and he has proven his ability to handle a tactical affair, which this is likely to be.

Takarengo: Useful sort, but at a much lower level than this and rating of 116 means he has a mountain to climb if indeed he does run (declared today in three-mile handicap hurdle).

Vauban: Defeated by Pied Piper on juvenile hurdle debut last season (arguably unlucky) but didn’t look back after completing the Grade 1 treble that started with a win at this festival. Only made his comeback in the Matheson Hurdle at Christmas but put up a highly encouraging run when second to stablemate State Man. Has bundles of scope to improve now so not inconceivable he can make up a four-length gap.

Zanahiyr: Deserved a lot of credit for exploits last season as a four-year-old turning five, finishing second in three Grade 1s, third in the Champion Hurdle and unlucky to fall at the last in Aintree Hurdle. Connections opted to try him up in trip this term but reverts to two miles again after two poor runs - seventh to Home By The Lee in Navan and pulled up behind the same horse over three miles here at Christmas. Those efforts unlikely to be solely down to the trip so he has a bit to prove now.

Honeysuckle: Four-and-a-half-year unbeaten run came to an end in Hatton’s Grace but on various rating systems and on the clock, she was close enough to the standard of all other three previous wins in the race and the form has been helped by the winner Teahupoo, Ashdale Bob (fourth) and Echoes In Rain (second last flight faller) since. Likely better ground should suit so she cannot be written off in bid for fourth win in this race.

Conclusion

Honeysuckle can regain the winning thread. It seems just as likely that she could improve from her first run than regress, but even if she runs to a similar standard, she has to go very close with her allowance. Two of her best performances have come over this course and distance.