Hardy Eustace is the one to beat again (Getty Images).

By Carl Llewellyn

I think that Hardy Eustace is a worthy favourite for the Smurfit Champion Hurdle.

Connections have left the blinkers off all season and he is clearly a better horse with them on.

The ground has come right for him and he has been in great form this campaign - and with the headgear back on he can probably improve another five or seven pounds.

That should be enough to enable him to win back-to-back Champion Hurdles.

I think the plan will be to get out in front again as it worked last year.

There seems no reason to change a winning strategy so expect him to do the same thing.

Macs Joy and Brave Inca look the main dangers as they and Hardy Eustace have all been finishing very close together in their trials.

I just think that back at Cheltenham - Festival form is very important - Hardy Eustace can beat the pair of them.

Back In Front was an impressive winner of the Bula Hurdle at the track in December.

It was not a particularly high-class field and he has got to come on a little bit to match Hardy Eustace.

Harchibald won the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton.

He travels extremely well during his races and I am not sure that off a very fast pace he will be able to travel that easily and get up the final hill.

He beat Rooster Booster well enough at Kempton but the latter had to make his own running and that does not suit him.

So Harchibald's win possibly looked more impressive than it actually was.

Essex is a young, improving horse but the big worry is his age - he is a five-year-old and no horse that age has won the race for a very long time.

I don't think that he will be strong enough or mature enough to win a Champion Hurdle.

Accordion Etoile looks a high-class performer and the recent reports about him have been very good.

I just think he is another who must improve to beat the favourite though.

It will be the first time for a while that Rooster Booster will have a race run to suit.

I don't think he is getting any worse I just believe the opposition could be getting better. He could finish in the first three though.