Cheltenham Festival – Elgin supplemented for the Champion Hurdle
Alan King has confirmed recent Kingwell Hurdle winner Elgin has been supplemented for the Unibet Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.
ALAN KING has supplemented Elgin for the Unibet Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival on Tuesday.
King's six-year-old has been in fine form this season, landing competitive handicaps at Ascot and Cheltenham in the Autumn.
On his last start, he quickened away to win the Grade 2 Kingwell Hurdle at Wincanton and it was that victory that has persuaded connections to add Elgin to the Unibet Champion Hurdle field at a cost of £20,000 at Wednesday's confirmation stage.
King told Press Association Sport: " I think he deserves to take his chance. He is rated 161 and that is higher than three of the first six last year and you can't run in a handicap now off that mark.
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"He goes in any sort of ground. If you take the favourite (Buveur D'Air) out, it is wide open after that.
"He has progressed right the way through.
"He is much more the finished article this year. I would have said he learned a lot from running in the Supreme (Novices' Hurdle) last season.
Templegate's Treble
NAP 7.10 Kempton - Gronkowski: 'His win at Newcastle last month was little more than a canter and Jamie Spencer does the driving'
NEXT BEST 3.30 Lingfield - De Medici: 'Made a big impression on debut at the track over a mile and step up to ten furlongs should not be a problem'
TREBLE 4.10 Fontwell - Master Burbidge: 'Has won his last three when Noel Fehily has been in the saddle'
"He had never been so quick and I think that made a man of him, and he did very well through the summer.
"He was scoped on Monday and that was all good and he worked well this morning."
Elgin is a 14-1 shot with Sun Bets for the Unibet Champion Hurdle.
