THERE appears to be a dearth of top staying hurdlers around this season. The top of the market for the Stayers’ Hurdle looks decidedly porous.

Paisley Park sits proudly on top of it, and correctly so. Emma Lavelle’s horse is the title holder and the outstanding staying hurdler of last season. His primary objective this term is apparently to retain that title, and all is reportedly well with him. After him though, there are weak pockets.

Benie Des Dieux has unfinished business in the Mares’ Hurdle and, given Willie Mullins’ Cheltenham modus operandi, despite the fact that she has won a French Champion Hurdle over three and a quarter miles in the interim, it would be surprising if her Cheltenham Festival target was anything other than the Mares’ Hurdle again.

Honeysuckle is surely going the mares’ route too, Laurina and Minella Indo make their chasing debuts today, City Island is reportedly going chasing as well, and Champ has already embarked on that route.

Penhill is reportedly well and on track for the Hatton’s Grace Hurdle, but he hasn’t run since April 2018, and he will be 10 next March, and no horse aged older than nine has won the Stayers’ Hurdle since Crimson Embers won it for the second time as an 11-year-old in 1986.

That leaves you with just If The Cap Fits, other than Paisley Park, of the obvious ones, and means that you can consider some of the less obvious ones at present. Bacardys is onea of the more obvious of the less obvious ones, he looked very good in winning the Lismullen Hurdle, and he probably would have finished third in the Stayers’ Hurdle in 2018 had he not come down at the final flight.

Even less obvious and bigger prices? Sams Profile or Not Many Left. Either could progress sufficiently this season, both six rising seven, to become genuine contenders. Or maybe Next Destination. He is risky, because he hasn’t raced since he beat Delta Work in the Irish Daily Mirror Novice Hurdle in April 2018, and because, if he is to be a Stayers’ Hurdle contender, his return to action has to be early enough so that he has time to prepare, and late enough for his chasing career to be delayed until next season.

THE form of the Champion Bumpers at Cheltenham and Punchestown just gets stronger and stronger. The first four home at Cheltenham, Envoi Allen, Blue Sari, Thyme Hill and Abacadabras, have all started off over hurdles already. Between them they have now run six times over hurdles and, collectively, they have won six times.

All four have the potential to take high rankings among the novice hurdlers this term.

The Punchestown Champion Bumper form is looking strong too. The winner Colreevy got beaten by Midnight Run at Cork on Sunday, which was admittedly disappointing, but the winner could be very good, and it may be that she needed the run.

The three horses who finished behind her at Punchestown are all Gigginstown House horses, and all three – Abacadabras (see above), Beacon Edge and Embittered – have won their maiden hurdles, while Abacadabras has also won the Grade 3 For Auction Hurdle.

Add other maiden hurdle winners Andy Dufresne and Soviet Pimpernel and Sixshooter and Midnight Run and Turnpike Trip and Elixir D’Ainay and Fury Road and Unexcepted and their ilk into the mix.