Champ and Paisley Park are set to resume their rivalry in Ascot’s Howden Lengthy Stroll Hurdle on Saturday, dwell on Sky Sports activities Racing.
The pair have dominated the 3m 0.5f Grade One contest lately, profitable 4 of the final 5 runnings, with Paisley Park claiming his third victory within the race final 12 months when it was staged at Kempton on Boxing Day after Ascot was deserted earlier than Christmas.
The Nicky Henderson-trained Champ completed third final 12 months after profitable the race in 2021 when his fellow 11-year-old Paisley Park, who additionally triumphed for Emma Lavelle in 2018 and 2020, was third.
The pair have crossed paths 5 instances in all beforehand, with the rating standing at 3-2 to Paisley Park of their head-to-head file.
Champ was final seen ending a well-held fifth behind Sire Du Berlais at Aintree within the spring however is reported to be in good coronary heart forward of his belated return to the monitor.
“He’s a great old horse, Nicky is happy with him and the plan is, all being well, to go there,” mentioned proprietor JP McManus’ racing supervisor Frank Berry.
“He runs well fresh so you would hope he would run well. He enjoys Ascot and has run some good races around there and Nicky is happy with him at the minute.”
Final 12 months’s runner-up Goshen can also be among the many remaining 10 entries on the five-day stage, with the ante-post betting headed by Champ forward of Crambo, who leads the youthful brigade after ending third behind Slate Lane at Haydock for Fergal O’Brien final trip.
Dan Skelton’s West Balboa, a formidable winner at Aintree on his first outing of the marketing campaign, and Jeremy Scott’s steady star Dashel Drasher, who edged out Paisley Park in Newbury’s Lengthy Distance Hurdle firstly of the month, are additionally nonetheless entered, together with Paul Nicholls’ Blueking D’Oroux, who gained the Coral Hurdle over half a mile shorter at Ascot final time.
In addition to Goshen, Gary Moore may run Botox Has, the winner of the bet365 Hurdle at Wetherby final month, whereas Crimson Danger may additionally characterize Nicholls, with Nigel Twiston-Davies’ Gowel Highway the opposite potential runner.
Watch all of the motion from the Christmas Racing Weekend at Ascot on Friday and Saturday dwell on Sky Sports activities Racing, with the Lengthy Stroll Hurdle due off at 2.25pm on Saturday.