Thursday 28 January 2016 12:13, UK
Camping Ground would only run in the Stan James Champion Hurdle in preference to the World Hurdle if the ground was heavy, according to trainer Robert Walford.
Walford's stable star burst on to the scene with a devastating display in the Relkeel Hurdle at Cheltenham on New Year's Day over two and a half miles.
He had last year's World Hurdle winner Cole Harden and Triumph Hurdle runner-up Top Notch well in arrears and became all the rage for the World Hurdle.
Those claims will be put on the line this weekend in the galliardhomes.com Cleeve Hurdle against current favourite Thistlecrack, who won the Long Walk Hurdle on the bridle, but there have been calls in some quarters for Camping Ground to step down in trip at the Cheltenham Festival.
"We're going on Saturday expecting to go very well and I believe he'd go very well in a World Hurdle," Walford told At The Races.
"He's entered in the Champion Hurdle as well but unless it is heavy I couldn't see him running in that.
"He has definitely improved from last year to this - he's a stronger horse.
"How much more improvement there is, I don't know, but he probably wouldn't need to improve too much more."
Camping Ground is an 8/1 chance in Sky Bet's non-runner no-bet market for the World Hurdle.
