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13 in Champion contention

Annie PowerAnnie Power
© Photo Healy Racing

As expected, ante-post favourite Annie Power has been supplemented for the Stan James Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham on Tuesday at a cost of 20,000 pounds.

In the absence of last year's one-two, Faugheen and Arctic Fire, Willie Mullins has rerouted a couple of star mares from their original targets with Vroum Vroum Mag pencilled in to line up in the OLBG Mares' Hurdle.

"Annie Power will be supplemented for the Champion Hurdle while Vroum Vroum Mag's preferred option will be the OLBG Mares' Hurdle," Mullins told OLBG.com.

As well as Annie Power, Mullins could run Nichols Canyon and Sempre Medici Identity Thief for Henry de Bromhead adds to the Irish hand.

Nicky Henderson intends to run all five of his entrants and said My Tent Or Yours is likely to be ridden by Barry Geraghty, with Mark Walsh on the fellow JP McManus-owned runner, Hargam

Owners Simon Munir and Isaac Souede will be represented by Peace And Co and Top Notch but retained jockey Daryl Jacob has yet to pledge allegiances.

Nico de Boinville is expected to get the leg-up on whichever horse Jacob does not ride.

Andrew Tinkler will partner the other Henderson contender, Sign Of A Victory who wears the same Matt and Laura Morgan colours the jockey carried to victory on Call The Cops in the Pertemps Final last year.

"Everyone is just sitting on the fence at the moment because of the weather," said Henderson, who has won the Champion Hurdle a joint-record five times.

"I'd imagine Barry will ride My Tent Or Yours, which means Mark Walsh would be on Hargam.

"Andrew Tinker will almost certainly ride Sign Of A Victory, but as for the other two, we're still not sure.

"Daryl will come and have a sit on them. Top Notch was out (Wednesday morning) and worked well. He'd love the ground (soft) to stay as it is, really.

"The softer ground wouldn't inconvenience Peace And Co too much but he still has one more piece of work to do.

"Basically, Daryl will probably leave it late until he has to decide."

The progressive Lil Rockerfeller joins the The New One who is having his third run in the race, Camping Ground and Old Guard on a list of 13.