2.10 2m. 179yds. 24 Declared. McCoy Contractors County Handicap Hurdle (Premier Handicap) (GBB Race) (Class 1 ) of £100,000.00 5-y-o plus
1st - €56,270.00 2nd - €21,200.00 3rd - €10,610.00 4th - €5,300.00 5th - €2,660.00 6th - €1,330.00 7th - €660.00 8th - €340.00
Formscan - Sharjah, who finished runner-up in both the 2020 and 2021 Champion Hurdles, is a fascinating contender making his first handicap start since winning the 2018 Galway Hurdle, while Hunters Yarn and Winter Fog are other interesting players from the Willie Mullins stable. Filey Bay is equipped with a first-time tongue-tie after finding Aucunrisque a length too good in the Betfair Hurdle and he could reverse that form, but GIN COCO shades the verdict. An exposed seven-year-old with a nice weight on his back, he has been kept fresh for this assignment following a cracking runner-up effort in the Greatwood here in November and still looks nicely treated off a mark of 135. Pembroke drops in trip and could make his presence felt, while Path D'oroux is another to note following his convincing novice hurdle success at Navan in January.