Native bids to be one in a million
Go Native will bid to join millionaires row by justifying favouritism in the Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.
Eleven rivals, including last year's winner Punjabi, stand in the seven-year-old's path to landing the WBX.com £1m bonus for connections, should he add the Grade One event to earlier successes this season in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle and the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton.
Trainer Noel Meade remains unusually bullish and quipped: "Go Native is my one in a million... he is at the moment, anyway! We'll give it our best shot. Cheltenham hasn't always been kind, but hopefully he can make up for the disappointments. He is in really great form and I hope he runs as well as he has earlier this season."
Meade added: "I couldn't have him any better and I've been very pleased with him. Hopefully he can succeed where Harchibald narrowly failed."
Davy Condon rode Go Native to victory at Newcastle and Kempton, but number one stable jockey Paul Carberry, who won the Supreme Novices' Hurdle on him here last season, renews the partnership. He missed both previous races when serving a 30-day ban for failing an alcohol breath test at Naas in October.
Meade said: "Paul knows him well and he doesn't do pressure. He doesn't know the meaning of the word. He's as cool as a cucumber and he'll be fine. It's a competitive race and they will go a good clip, but the quicker they go the better for us. Harchibald didn't have the speed that Go Native has."
Alan Fleming's Starluck was runner-up to Go Native in the Christmas Hurdle and showed his well-being with victory on the all-weather at Kempton two weeks ago.
"He's very well and we're nearly there now. Hopefully he'll perform as good as he can," said the Dorking trainer.
"We were really happy with his prep race at Kempton and the horse is ready so hopefully all goes well. A smallish field will suit him. It's easier to ride horses off the pace when there's a smaller field and there's sure to be plenty of pace on. We just need a bit of luck."
Press Association
