URUBANDE attempts to complete what would be a rare festival hat-trick at Punchestown today. The six-year-old, already successful at Cheltenham and Aintree, will bring his earnings for this year to over £100,000 if successful in the Stanley Cooker Champion Novice Hurdle.

Plans to send Urubande chasing next season have been altered and he will now have the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham as his main target. His cross-channel victories have shown him to be a front-runner of the highest class and if he can become a more fluent at his hurdles, he would be in with a shout next March.

Aidan O'Brien considers Urubande a much more effective performer on fast ground, so after the recent rains he will need to be at his best if he is to overcome the challenges of Go Informal, Karshi and Castlekellyleader.

Both Go-Informal and Karshi were real threats to Urubande at the last flight at Cheltenham in the Sun Alliance Novice Hurdle but the O'Brien runner, who had run greenly in the lead, ran on strongly to hold on by three-quarters of a length from Go-Informal, with Karshi the same distance back in third.

That race was over a furlong longer than today's race and so it should be tight between the trio, with possibly Karshi possibly handling the ground better than the other two, The selection, however, is Castlekellyleader, a game winner winner on fast ground at Fairyhouse and who will be much more at home over this longer trip and will handle the mud better than most.

Lord Singapore, a leading fancy for the Jameson Irish Grand National, did not appear to handle the fast ground and made his exit at the 13th. If fully recovered from that fall, he has an outstanding chance in the Heineken Gold Cup Novice Handicap Chase, judged on his second to Johnny Setaside over this course in February.

Love The Lord took advantage of the fall of Ventana Canyon to take the Power Gold Cup, but with only a 3lb penalty must have a chance. David Nicholson's Billygoat Gruff and Sister Stephanie were separated by only half a length at Towcester, while the other English challenger, River Lossie won with considerable ease at Exeter.

The Crazy Bishop was withdrawn from the Irish Grand National because of the state of the ground. He had previously run a fine race against the course specialist Opera Hat at Naas and may have the beating of Royal Mountbrowne and Love And Porter in the Sean Barrett Bloodstock Insurances Handicap Chase.

Racing on heavy ground, Noble Thyne performed like an extremely talented bumper horse when cruising home by 11 lengths. He is napped to outstay a good field for the Doncaster Sales Jack White Memorial Champion INH Flat Race.