Pied Piper to fly solo for Elliott in WKD Hurdle as Fil Dor withdrawn

Friday: 2.05 Down Royal
WKD Hurdle (Grade 2) | 2m1f | 4yo+ | ITV4/TG4/RTV

A third win in the last four runnings of this Grade 2 prize looks firmly on the cards for Gordon Elliott, but can Pied Piper follow in the footsteps of previous winners Macs Joy, Feathard Lady, Voler La Vedette, Jezki and Melon?

There was nothing to separate Pied Piper and another Elliott-trained runner in Fil Dor on ratings, both holding marks of 147, and both had equal weights in this contest. But, only one of them will run.

Pied Piper will fly the flag for Elliott, with Fil Dor taken out on Friday morning owing to a change in the ground.

Something in Pied Piper's favour is the benefit of recent race fitness.

A smooth comeback win over old rival Knight Salute in the Masterson Holdings Hurdle at Cheltenham 13 days ago saw him cut to 14-1 (from 20-1) for the Unibet Champion Hurdle.

Fil Dor: withdrawn from the WKD Hurdle on Friday morningCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

Aside from Pied Piper, there does not appear to be much depth to what is now a four-runner race.

Gaelic Arc, one of two representatives for John Ryan, looks next best but needs massive improvement. Stablemate Bonarc, who was well placed to earn Grade 2 black type in this race last year, will be trying to achieve the same again, while the field is completed by the 112-rated David Garrick.

'As it stands we're 95 per cent likely to run Pied Piper'

Owners Caldwell Construction hold the key to this contest with Pied Piper, and their racing manager Joey Logan said on Thursday he was "95 per cent likely" to go it alone for connections anyway before Fil Dor was withdrawn.

Logan said: "We'll probably only run one of them. A decision on that will be made in the morning with a view to the weather. If it continued to rain we probably would be running Fil Dor, but the way it's shaped up means Pied Piper will probably run.

"Fil Dor would prefer softer ground more so than Pied Piper, and there's an option for him to go to Naas on November 12 in the Grade 3 Fishery Lane Hurdle. Plans could change between now and the morning, but as it stands we're 95 per cent likely to run Pied Piper."

Logan added: "We had thought about going chasing with Fil Dor, but he did a nice bit of work lately and has gotten strong. We might try him in a hurdle, and if not we can decide to go on chasing with him."

David Garrick, representing the joint-training operation of Eddie and Patrick Harty, can earn €1,500 by simply completing the course, with four runners declared, and he could do even better if the race cuts up.

Patrick Harty said: "His owner Fearghal Eastwood doesn't live too far from Down Royal and has a table at the track on Friday for family so it's nice to have a runner for him on the day. It's a small field on what should be beautiful ground so we hope the horse enjoys himself."

Conditions were described as soft, soft to heavy in places on the hurdle/bumper course at Down Royal on Thursday.

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