[NoChanceToDance]

From RP....


by Tony Elves
.

HARCHIBALD is the 5-4 favourite with Stan James for the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton on Boxing Day as he bids put himself in line for a £1m bonus at Cheltenham in March.

The enigmatic hurdler was initially installed at 7-4 but the sponsors were soon forced to trim him to 5-4.

The eight-year-old did not perform to his best when coming back from injury last season but the spark was definitely back on his reappearance in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle when the usual exaggerated waiting tactics employed by Paul Carberry paid dividends as he cruised to a length- and-three-quarter success from Al Eile.

Trainer Noel Meade has also entered Aitmatov and Jazz Messenger for the Grade 1 event, for which 11 horses were entered yesterday, but Harchibald, who is a 10-1 chance with Bet 365 to land the Fighting Fifth, Christmas and Champion Hurdle treble, will do the honours for the stable at Kempton.

Meade said: “Harchibald is likely tobe our only runner and Paul will ride. Harchibald is in flying form and worked well on the all-weather at Dundalk on Wednesday.

“Unless something happens, that is the plan for Kempton and we'll wait until nearer the day before deciding whether Aitmatov and Jazz Messenger will both run in the Grade 1 at Leopardstown on December 29.”

Straw Bear was himself in the running for the WBX-offered bonus after winning the Fighting Fifth last year but then could finish only fourth to Jazz Messenger at Kempton, and connections have yet to decide whether he will try to improve on that position this time.
The JP McManus-owned six-year-old finished sixth to Osana in the International Hurdle at Cheltenham at the weekend and trainer Nick Gifford is happy with the way he has come out of the race.

Gifford said: “It is just an entry at this stage and I will have to talk to JP before we decide. He's been A1 since Cheltenham but we have only made a precautionary entry and he's not a definite runner.”

The race is likely to feature the reappearance of the Nicky Henderson-trained Punjabi. The Komaite gelding showed his liking for course and distance when hacking up in the Grade 2 Racing Post Adonis Juvenile Hurdle last February and ended his first season jumping with victory in a Grade 1 contest at Punchestown in April.

David Pipe has entered Acambo, who has been chasing, but again his entry is precautionary rather than definite.

Pipe said: “We will have to see, I thought we would give him an entry as sometimes the race cuts up quite a bit. He seems fine after his fall at Taunton and I haven't had time to look at the entries yet.”

Paul Nicholls plans to run Gwanako, while Willie Mullins is likely to make a decision as to whether Ebaziyan travels over for the race today as he also has the six-year-old entered in a race at Leopardstown. Blue Bajan is a very unlikely runner according to Andy Turnell.