Hennessy warns rivals

Robbie Hennessy has warned rivals that Sublimity could present a stiff challenge as he attempts to reclaim his Champion Hurdle crown at Cheltenham.

The trainer was speaking after watching the eight-year-old take the Leopardstown Golf Centre December Festival Hurdle, the 2007 Hurdle winner leaving previous champions Brave Inca and Hardy Eustace trailing in his wake.

Nicky Henderson's Binocular is a short-priced favourite for this season's Champion Hurdle, but Hennessy said he believed it would be dangerous to write off his charge.

"He's come out of the race grand," said County Meath-based Hennessy, who secured his first winner as a trainer following Sublimity's success on Monday.

"He ate up on Tuesday night, had his breakfast and is out in the paddock - he's in better shape than I am!

"He travelled absolutely brilliantly and he was on the bridle right down to the last. He didn't really have a hard race.

Great price

"We will wait to see what the weather does, but I would love to go for the AIG (Toshiba Champion Hurdle) back at Leopardstown if the ground is not too testing.

"If it did come up heavy I would leave him and we would go straight back to Cheltenham.

"There isn't much else for him over here and I wouldn't bring him back across the water until the Festival.

"The way they are talking you would think it is a one-horse race with Binocular.

"But our lad has been there, done it and got up that hill so we will see - I think he's a great price at around 10-1.

"I know Nicky Henderson can't do anything wrong at the moment, but a lot can happen in 10 weeks.

"If we get a bit of good ground and everything goes well we would have to be bang there."