Solwhit for Champion Hurdle

With the Cheltenham Festival starting tomorrow all final declarations for the races were due today. The Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle Challenge Trophy, which takes place at 3.20pm is one of the big races on the day and Solwhit has now been described as a “definite runner” by trainer Charles Byrnes and is one of 12 horses declared for the race.

The multiple Grade 1 winner’s participation in the race had been in doubt after he scoped dirty last week, but, after giving him the all-clear to run on Saturday, Byrnes confirmed plans. “He arrived over at Cheltenham around 5am and travelled over well but, given what has happened, we naturally wouldn’t be as confident as we were,” Byrnes told racingpost.com on Sunday afternoon.

“That said, we wouldn’t be here unless Solwhit was in top form.He seems very well in himself and he never appeared to be as sick as such, but he’ll be monitored and at the moment he’s a definite runner.”

Solwhit will have his work cut out for him if he is to go toe to toe with Irish raider Go Native, who is in line for a £1million bonus from betting exchange WBX, having won the Fighting Fifth Hurdle and Williamhill.com Christmas Hurdle. As it stands, Go Native is now only eight hurdles away from winning the biggest bonus in National Hunt racing so there will be a huge amount of interest in the race.

Solwhit will also have to contend with Binocular, Punjabi and Kyber Kim, all of whom could romp home on the day. Interestingly enough, Binocular has had some fitness concerns so may not be worth the 7/1 odds he has been given by Paddy Power Bookmakers and in saying that, Solwhit is still second favourite, to Go Native, on 11/2 which, again, may be reaching given that he hasn’t been 100% in the last week!