Ashkazar on the up - Pipe

David Pipe is hoping Ashkazar will improve into a Champion Hurdle contender this season.

The juvenile hurdler made giant strides towards the end of last season, landing the Imperial Cup in impressive style before narrowly failing to follow up at the Cheltenham Festival.

The Greatwood Hurdle at Cheltenham's Open Meeting - in which stablemate Osana chased home Sizing Europe last season - looks an ideal starting point for the good-looking gelding.

"He's only four now and he's from a late-maturing family, bred by the Aga Khan," said Pipe.

"All he's done since he came here is improve. He wasn't a typical three-year-old when he came here last year.

"He's got plenty of bone, plenty of size and he will jump a fence but we might just have a bit more fun over hurdles first.

"He's working into a serious work horse, but to start with he was very laid back and didn't set the world alight but he's really come to himself.

"He's in great order and if we keep him in one piece, we should have a lot of good days.

"He's similar to what Osana was at this stage last year, he's got to improve again, he's 20-1 for the Champion but we hope he can.

"He'll tell us how he performs on the course. He'll start off in one of the big handicaps or level-weights races and we'll decide where we go after that," he told At The Races.