Silver Streak charting Champion course following fine Kempton effort

Christmas Hurdle runner-up was third in Cheltenham showpiece last year.

Silver Streak is likely to head straight to Cheltenham for the Unibet Champion Hurdle after finishing second to Epatante at Christmas.

Evan Williams’ grey was third behind the ill-fated Espoir D’Allen in the championship event last March.

While he found the concession of 7lb too much to Nicky Henderson’s mare in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton, Williams has seen nothing else this season to prevent him from thinking his charge could get placed again.

“He’s come out of the race very well. We might go to Wincanton (Kingwell), but I would imagine we might just go straight to Cheltenham,” he said.

“It’s just because seeing the way the other races panned out over Christmas, apart from the horse who beat us, there’s nothing else that has sprung to prominence, so we might roll the dice and go to the Champion again.

“She (Epatante) was brilliant at Kempton, but the most intriguing thing I thought was the race in Ireland. Willie’s (Mullins) horse (Sharjah) that won is similar to the filly, a speedy type and good ground suits best.

“Cheltenham on the first day, with the water they put on, it’s a completely different race – you have to really stay.

“Unless there’s something I’m missing – while I’m not naive enough to think we’ll win it because that would be stupidity – I do think we’ve got a legitimate each-way chance.

“Horses tend to come back year after year to run well in it. I might sound stupid saying it, but I think you make a Grade One horse and our horse getting beaten is making him better, the handicapper keeps putting him up. There’s been plenty of big-price winners of the Champion Hurdle.

“I’m half-thinking to go there fresh, but the Wincanton race is there if we need to run.”

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