A fantastic race to gets proceedings underway , and can’t envisage defeat for the brilliant Dunguib who looks a real monster with more gears and acceleratiIon than a Ferrari.
He’s the best novice I have ever seen and I think he will win this on the bridle.
He showed a devastating turn of foot when winning last year's Champion Bumper and is yet to break sweat in winning all his four starts over the obstacles.
The gelding looked a monster last time out in the Grade 1 Deloitte Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown where he toyed with the opposition and showed a breathtaking change of gears.
After being held up and making a few sloppy jumps he was eased to the outside by Brian O'Connell and went past his rivals as if they were standing still.
That win marked him out as a novice head and shoulders above anything else, and if connections would have gone for the Champion itself instead of this he would more than likely have started favourite.
That speaks volumes for the horse, and altough many have been quick to crab his jumping I think he could uproot every flight today and still win.
I feel that the stronger pace will actually see him jump better, and the roof will be raised if, and when, he hits the front swinging on the bridle.
The obvious one to chase him home is Jonjo O'Neill's Get Me Out Of Here, unbeaten over hurdles also and an impressive winner of the totesport Trophy Hurdle at Newbury. He looks impossible to keep out of the frame.
The best outsider could be Willie Mullins' highly thought of Blackstairmountain, a useful bumper horse who showed a good turn of foot to score on his hurdling debut and is open to bags of improvement.
