A brilliant race is in prospect for Friday's feature Rabobank Champion Hurdle in which the Willie Mullins-trained Hurricane Fly is set to bid for a third success in the race and a fourth consecutive victory at the Punchestown Festival.
But it will be no walkover. Overturn, runner-up in the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham, is engaged as is the Paul Nicholls-trained Zarkandar, who finished fifth at Cheltenham when suffering his only defeat over hurdles.
Trainer Noel Meade revealed today that three-time Grade 1 winner Go Native, who has not raced since going off favourite in the 2010 Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham, could make his eagerly-awaited comeback at Punchestown.
“He is getting there nicely and if he was going to run, the Rabobank Champion Hurdle would be the only race he could run in,” said Meade. “We are happy with what has happened so far with him, everything has been going well so there is a good possibility we will have him ready to run, but how competitive he is going to be I'm not sure.
“It's fabulous to have him back and hopefully he will stay right, but it's when you start putting the final touches to them you begin to worry. It has been a catalogue of disasters since the 2010 Champion Hurdle. It all happened in that race but his injury didn't appear to be that much at the time and we didn't think it was going to take this long to get him back.
“He has been off a long time so it's a big ask and he will have to do a few crucial pieces of work in the next couple of weeks.”
Also pencilled in for the Rabobank Champion Hurdle is the Dermot Weld-trained Unaccompanied, a mare who captured the Grade 1 Istabraq Festival Hurdle at Leopardstown after Christmas.
“The Rabobank Champion Hurdle is a possibility for Unaccompanied, we will see what the ground is like nearer the time but it is definitely a possibility,” said Weld. “She is also entered in the Alleged Stakes (on the Flat) at the Curragh - a race she won last year beating St Nicholas Abbey.
“She has been in great form since her last run in the Irish Champion Hurdle. The ground was exceptionally heavy there - they had 36 millimetres of rain before the race and that wouldn't have suited her at all.
“We would be hoping for nice ground at Punchestown because she is a stakes filly on the Flat over 10 furlongs and she also just got beaten in a Triumph Hurdle last year which turned out to be a vintage renewal.”
