Crack Away Jack impressed as a juvenile last season

Champion Hurdle hope Crack Away Jack is back in light work ahead of his tilt at the Cheltenham Festival event in March.

The five-year-old, trained by Emma Lavelle at Wildhern, Hampshire, has been given a break after three tough races before Christmas.

But Lavelle told BBC Radio Solent: "He is starting some light work now. It's much better for him to be arriving at Cheltenham on an upward curve."

Crack Away Jack is generally 12/1 for the race, behind favourite Binocular.

Elsewhere, Lavelle is delighted with the progress of her other likely Cheltenham contenders.

"Chariot Charger is a very nice horse who has won his last two races," she said.

"He'll have one more run ideally, before going for the Albert Bartlett Novice Hurdle over three miles.

"He would go there with a realistic chance, as he is a fast-improving horse.

"Amole Mio ran well at Ascot recently, and he'll be entered for the Fred Winter, which is the race Crack Away Jack won last year."

"My father Richard's horse, King's Forest, will be aimed at the two-mile novice hurdle.

"And for Kangaroo Court we'll be looking at the two-mile five furlong novice. He doesn't handle soft ground though, which is what he got when finishing second at Ascot the other day.

"We've got other options as well, including Pause And Claus, and Talenti, so it's looking good at the moment."

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