News Elgin added to Champion Hurdle field at Cheltenham Festival

Elgin added to Champion Hurdle field at Cheltenham Festival

racing

Elgin has been supplemented for the Unibet Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham on Tuesday.

Alan King's six-year-old has enjoyed an excellent season thus far, landing a competitive handicap at Ascot, the Greatwood Hurdle at Cheltenham and the Kingwell Hurdle at Wincanton from five starts.

Connections confirmed after his latest triumph that a shot at Champion Hurdle glory was under serious consideration and he was added to the 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.

"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. 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."