Epatante leads Champion Hurdle hopefuls as Mullins eyes up UK raid

DEFENDING champion Epatante (2/1 favourite) heads 27 entries for this year’s Champion Hurdle, but Nicky Henderson’s mare will face stiff Irish competition for Cheltenham’s two-mile showpiece.

Epatante dazzled when landing the Fighting Fifth on her seasonal return, but a surprise defeat to Evan Williams’ Silver Streak (9/1) in the Christmas Hurdle has left her looking vulnerable with last year’s second Sharjah (7/1) hot in pursuit.

Willie Mullins’ eight-year-old fended off Henry de Bromhead’s Aspire Tower (12/1) to land a Matheson Hurdle hat-trick and leads the 12-strong Irish challenge in March with De Bromhead also debating whether Mares’ Hurdle heroine Honeysuckle (7/1) will opt for a tasty clash with Epatante.

Supreme second Abacadabras (14/1) will get his chance for Gordon Elliott and Mullins may also saddle Saint Roi (10/1) while dual winner Buveur D’Air (20/1) still holds an entry for Henderson despite being off the track over a year with injury.

Mullins also has back-to-back victories in his sights when saddling Grangee in Saturday’s Listed mares’ bumper at Market Rasen having scored with his only runner at the Lincolnshire track 12 months ago through Panic Attack.

Meanwhile, the Irish point-topoint season is cancelled with immediate effect as updated Government guidelines deemed that it should not be included in the category of professional and elite sports permitted to continue behind closed doors.