---
title: "Festival options aplenty for Jezki"
canonical: "https://readhorseracing.com/2017/02/16/festival-options-aplenty-jezki/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Daniel Archer"
section: "News"
published: "2017-02-16T09:45:45Z"
modified: "2017-02-16T09:46:06Z"
---

# Festival options aplenty for Jezki

As the Champion Hurdle field continues to be blighted by injuries to some of its most established contenders, one horse who seems to have been overlooked in the ante-post market is Jessica Harrington’s Jezki, the 2014 winner of the race.

The nine-year-old son of Milan had been off the track since April 2015 when making a winning reappearance at Navan last month in a two-mile hurdle race, in which under Barry Geraghty, the 11/8 favourite firmly put the race to bed with an authoritative length and three-quarters success.

With Faugheen and Annie Power falling by the wayside, Harrington’s gelding looks to have an outstanding of emulating Hurricane Fly by regaining his Champion Hurdle crown.

However, a decision as to whether Jezki will line-up in the two-mile championship race will be made following his run at Gowran Park in the Red Mills Trial Hurdle later this month over two-miles.

![Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images Sport](https://media.readhorseracing.com/readhorseracing/2017/02/634902172.jpg)

This is due to the possibility of running the gelding in the Sun Bets Stayers’ Hurdle over three miles in large part due to the strength in depth of owner J P McManus’ provisional team which has been entered in the Champion Hurdle.

McManus, Ireland’s Champion Jumps owner also has ante-post favourite Buveur D’Air, trained by Nicky Henderson and Alan King’s Yanworth as possibilities for the contest, leaving Jezki as a general 12/1 shot for the Champion Hurdle and 6/1 for the Stayers’ Hurdle, for which McManus also owns Unowhatimeanharry, the favourite for the three-mile Grade One contest.

Harrington remarking on Jezki’s comback victory, commented: It was an ideal race for him rather than chucking him in at the deep end in the Irish Champion Hurdle and he did it without much fuss and he’s now going to the Red Mills at Gowran Park on Saturday week and then we’ll decide on the Champion or Stayers’.”

Harrington’s team are in good form at present with Sizing John winning the Irish Gold Cup on Sunday, whilst Our Duke was an excellent second in the Grade One Flogas Novice Chase on the same card at Leopardstown.