Burdett Road booked for Kingwell Hurdle assignment

Burdett Road will head to Wincanton for the Kingwell Hurdle after connections elected to sidestep a rematch with Constitution Hill on Cheltenham on Saturday.

Winner of the Greatwood Hurdle on his return to jumping at Cheltenham in November, James Owen’s charge took his game to another level when finishing third behind Constitution Hill and Lossiemouth in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton on Boxing Day, a run made all the better given he made a bad mistake at the last.

While the latter pair are among the entries for this weekend’s Unibet Hurdle, Owen will instead ready Burdett Road for a Grade Two assignment at Wincanton on February 15.

“Burdett Road will go to Wincanton. There was obviously the International (Unibet Hurdle) this weekend he could have run in, but we didn’t enter him and the Kingwell is the plan,” said the trainer.

“If he can’t win the Kingwell then he shouldn’t be going for the Champion Hurdle, but I know he can win the Kingwell – it’s the right race to give him a chance.

“He’s a rapidly-improving five-year-old and it will be good to see him.”

Burdett Road was beaten nine lengths in the Christmas Hurdle and would undoubtedly have finished closer to the pair in front of him but for his blunder at the final obstacle.

Owen added: “He would have been a lot closer to Lossiemouth had he jumped the last, it was a hell of a run and the handicapper put him up 10lb for it.

“I know he’s a Group horse on the Flat and a Graded horse over hurdles, whether he’s a Grade One horse we’ve still to find out, but he’s still got time on his side.”