Events » Sports » Kingwell to offer serious Champion Hurdle clues

Saturday's Grade 2 Bathwick Tyres Kingwell Hurdle at Wincanton will hopefully answer some serious questions about the wellbeing of three contenders for the championship crown at the Cheltenham 2010 next month, writes Elliot Slater.

Since he won the Champion Hurdle 11 months ago I have been very sweet on the chances of Nicky Henderson's Punjabi retaining the title. This season the Komaite gelding did nothing wrong on his debut when far from fully tuned up, shaping well until the run to the last flight when he blew up and faded into fourth behind the impressive Khyber Kim in the International Hurdle at Cheltenham. His subsequent defeat at the hands of another very good horse, Medermit, in a four-horse race on desperate ground at Haydock is best ignored.

Last year Punjabi came to the Kingwell and was a beaten favourite before going on to win the big one four weeks later. There is no doubt that Punjabi saves his best for Cheltenham and I would urge supporters not to give up faith.

Celestial Halo, who won the Grade 2 Elite Hurdle at Wincanton in November, was odds-on when subsequently beaten by Khyber Kim, and then could only finish fourth at Leopardstown last time in the Irish Champion Hurdle. He is still a very smart horse and Paul Nicholls will undoubtedly be hoping that the return to Wincanton brings out the best in his horse who lost by only a neck to Punjabi at Cheltenham last year.

With the fast improving Starluck, a short-head second to Go Native in Kempton's Grade 1 Christmas Hurdle also in the line-up, the Kingwell Hurdle promises to answer plenty of questions about three serious championship contenders.

It is possible that Starluck might just come out best on the day, but I still believe that come the Cheltenham Festival Punjabi will be at his peak and prove hard to beat in the main event.

Another horse that may well be hard to beat is last year's Champion. It is worth checking out Kauto star betting in the coming weeks as Paul Nicholls' horse looks to make it three victories in four years in the Gold Cup.