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Charles Byrnes has given Blazing Khal the go-ahead for the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle at Cheltenham on Saturday.
The seven-year-old won the second grade novice prize at Prestbury Park in the autumn of 2021, but missed the rest of the season with injury and ended up not returning for 14 months.
An impressive comeback in the Boyne Hurdle in Navan in mid-February catapulted Blazing Khal to the head of the Stayers’ Hurdle market, but Byrnes later revealed that the stable star had returned with “a few bits of nicks” that needed treatment.
However, when the preparation is clearly not good, Byrnes confirmed Blazing Khal will take a chance in the race handler County Limerick won with Solwhit 10 years ago.
He said there: “He worked at the Curragh earlier this week. We decided to take him back there today as we felt it would be counter-productive.
“But I had a talk with the owner this morning and we decided to open him up.”
Blazing Khal is set to lead a small team but select five Festival runners for Byrnes along with Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle contender Byker, Coral Cup hopeful Run For Oscar, Pertemps Final favorite Shoot First and Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Hurdle runner Grozni.
“I brought five and it looks like a good team,” added the coach. “Preparations for everything else have gone well.
“The soft ground will be uncomfortable Run For Oscar more than them, I will say, but I will say it will not be too bad.”
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