Leopardstown December Festival Hurdle Preview

Tony McCoy was full of praise for reigning champion hurdler Brave Inca after the eight-year-old's victory in the Hatton's Grace at Fairyhouse earlier this month and his mount is bound to make a bold bid to follow-up last year's victory in the bewleyshotels.com December Festival Hurdle in the 2006 renewal at Leopardstown on December 29.However, classy though Brave Incas is, I cannot see him being able to live with the progressive five-year-old Iktitaf, who is taken to justify favoritism at 11/10 with bet365. Noel Meade's charge outpointed both Asian Maze and Brave Inca in the Morgiana Hurdle at Punchestown last month and I can see no reason whatsoever why he shouldn't repeat the dose once again.Interestingly, Iktitaf's background is similar to that of Istabraq, the brilliant multiple Champion Hurdler. Indeed, like that legendary gelding, Iktitaf was bred at Hamdan Al Maktoum's Shadwell Stud and begun his racing career on the level with John Gosden. It would be premature to predict that he'll emulate Istabraq's incredible achievements, but he is young and there are few better hurdlers about at present.The son of Alhaarth, who landed the Irish Cesarewitch on the Flat in October, was robbed of his chance to make an impact on the Cheltenham Festival due to an injury, but he incontrovertibly proved that he was one of the season's leading novices when slamming the very smart Straw Bear by seven lengths at the Punchestown Festival in April. This term he has done everything asked of him, winning all three starts over timber, and with the testing conditions in his favour at Leopardstown he'll take some beating.Asian Maze was most disappointing in the Hatton's Grace. Sent off the 4-7 favourite, she was quickly put in her place when challenged at the third-last and she'll need to leave that performance well behind if she's to have any chance in this Grade 1. But, even if she was at the top of her game, I'd be surprised if she was to master the two-mile specialists, Iktitaf and Brave Inca, as she is a much more potent force over two and a half miles and upwards.Al Eile was generally disappointing last season and there's little reason to suspect that he'll be good enough to trouble the principals, while Iktitaf's stablemate Jazz Messenger has a good deal to find, a remark which most certainly applies to Silent Oscar, who is punching way above his weight at this level.Verdict - 5pts Iktitaf @ 11/10 (bet365)See our list of free bets for Leopardstown here