The difference was, the US and Canada had hurdlers in the race.

One of 43 children, he was one of the world's greatest ever hurdlers.

And, as the contest has proved, champion hurdlers may find the flat hard going .

Especially so, as the high class hurdlers Cockney Lad and Theatreworld are scheduled to oppose him.

Three out of four of Britain's leading sprint hurdlers now hold the Olympic "A" standard.

There were Cheltenham hints among the novice hurdlers, however, with Pigeon Island scooting clear in the Dovecote Hurdle.

So much so that without him, the relative paucity of other top hurdlers around becomes even more obvious.

All four hurdlers have had the contest mooted by connections as their final prep for the Champion Hurdle.

I think I'll go with one of the specialist hurdlers with no recent injury problems, thank you very much.

Two useful hurdlers, Saxophone and Snow Dragon, are also scheduled to make their chasing debuts in the two-mile contest.

Hulysse Royal can come out on top in a fascinating clash of two highly promising young hurdlers at Newbury today.

LEADING hurdlers Danoli and Montelado yesterday remained on course for Cheltenham despite experiencing contrasting fortunes on their comeback at Leopardstown.

But the Pond House trainer has yet to make his mind up about Cheltenham Festival targets for his smart four-year-old hurdlers.

The Triumph Hurdle is the blue riband event for four-year-old novice hurdlers over a distance of two miles and a furlong.

That it happens to one of the best hurdlers of all time is just a tragedy, said world indoor champion Aries Merritt.

The bookmakers believe these two are the outstanding hurdlers in these islands and, as things stand, it's impossible to disagree with them.