Champion bid on Cornerstone agenda

Hammond hurdler must have soft ground at Cheltenham.

Cornerstone Lad will take his chance in the Unibet Champion Hurdle, providing conditions are deemed suitable.

Having won at Catterick and Wetherby in the autumn, the six-year-old provided his trainer Micky Hammond with a first Grade One success – inflicting a shock defeat on dual Champion Hurdle hero Buveur D’Air in the Fighting Fifth at Newcastle.

Cornerstone Lad’s winning run came to an end in last week’s The New One Unibet Hurdle at Haydock, but he was far from disgraced in finishing third – beaten less than a length and conceding weight to both the winner Ballyandy and runner-up Pentland Hills.

Hammond said: “He’s taken his race well, and we were delighted with him on the day. I thought it was a good performance, giving away weight to two really good horses.

“If the ground is soft enough we’ll go to Cheltenham. There aren’t many other options, to be fair.

“We’ll probably go chasing with him next season, which will be something to look forward to.”

Cornerstone Lad is a best priced 50-1 for the Champion Hurdle on March 10.

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