Greatwood Hurdle: Nemean Lion ready to roar again

L’Eau Du Sud and Nemean Lion are Coral’s joint-market leaders at 7/1 in the Greatwood Hurdle betting odds for Sunday’s race at Cheltenham.

Nemean Lion backed up some smart novice hurdles form with a win in the Welsh Champion Hurdle at Ffos Las on his reappearance.

That victory means the six-year-old will have to carry top-weight at Prestbury Park but although trainer Kerry Lee is not one for bullish predictions, she has been delighted with her charge since his return to action last month.

Lee said: “He’s been amazing, really good. I think he had a harder run than we first thought (at Ffos Las), but he has bounced back well and I’ve been really happy with his work the last week and fingers crossed he can continue to improve and progress.

“I will never say I’m confident and we always go with hope rather than confidence. The Kelso form is there to be respected, but there is lots of other good horses in the race with decent form as well themselves.

“It’s a hot race and there is no way you can go into it with any confidence and expectation, we’ll just go there, give it a crack and hope for the best.”

Nemean Lion is one of 18 confirmed for Sunday’s contest, with Dan Skelton’s recent Ascot winner Knickerbockerglory (pictured below) and Nicky Henderson’s Luccia among those towards the head of the Greatwood Hurdle betting.

They are both 8/1 along with Irish raider Onlyamatteroftime, with the seven-year-old set to make his first start for Willie Mullins, while last year’s runner-up Gin Coco is the same price.