Defending champion Teahupoo will lead a strong Gordon Elliott squad into battle for the Bar One Racing Hatton’s Grace Hurdle next month.

The six-year-old became the first horse to lower the colours of Honeysuckle when landing the Fairyhouse Grade One 12 months ago and went on to run a mighty race in the Stayers’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in March.

He had to settle for third on that occasion behind stablemate Sire Du Berlais, but Elliott predicts further improvement this term which could make him one of the leading players in the staying hurdling division.

He said: “He’s in great form, he’s doing really well. He will be in the Hatton’s Grace and Leopardstown (at Christmas) as well.

“If he improved five or six pounds from last year, which with age you would like to think he would have, he would have to be in the mix with all those stayers.

“Even last year he was in the mix and was unlucky in the Stayers’ Hurdle, he ran a great race.”

Elliott holds seven entries for the December 3 event and poised to make his return is stable stalwart and reigning Stayers’ Hurdle champion Sire Du Berlais.

The evergreen 11-year-old got his hands on his third Cheltenham Festival victory when edging out Dashel Drasher for a shock 33-1 success in March and proved that was no fluke when repeating the dose with further Grade One glory at Aintree the following month.

“He’s the horse of a lifetime,” said Elliott. “He’s so unimpressive at home, even to look at, he doesn’t do a stroke.

“He’s not getting any younger, but he’s a great horse and we’re lucky to have him.

“It’s hard to get him fit, it takes a couple of runs to get him fit, he’s so laid back.”

Also in line for an appearance in the two-and-a-half-mile contest is Irish Point, who was a Grade One scorer at the distance at Aintree in the spring.

He made a winning return in the Bottlegreen Hurdle at Down Royal recently and Elliott believes he has the potential to campaign over a variety of distances.

“He’s probably a hard horse to place,” continued Elliott. “He’s in the Hatton’s Grace and I wouldn’t be shocked if I went there with him.

“He could (go over three miles), but I just don’t know if I want to go three miles with him at the moment.

“He’s a good horse, but might just be stuck between a rock and a hard place. He might not have the pace for the really good two-mile races and I think he will stay three miles, but it’s whether I want to be doing it at this stage of his career or not, he’s only a young horse.”

Meanwhile, the Cullentra House handler is already looking ahead to March with Gigginstown’s Brighterdaysahead, who made it two from two over timber when claiming a Grade Three at Down Royal and will be pointed at the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.

“If you asked me now, I would say it will be one more run then Cheltenham,” said Elliott.

“She’s had two runs now. She’s got a big engine and she’s looked good.

“She’s not keen, she’s just green. If you look at her in Down Royal, it was like her first run – Thurles was no race. But I was happy with her and how she hit the line.”

He also has high hopes for the owners’ Croke Park who having won the Grade Three Monksfield Novice Hurdle at Navan on Sunday, could be given the chance to enhance his fine recent record in the Lawlor’s of Naas Novice Hurdle early in the new year.

Elliott added: “He was good, he’s a big horse. He had a few niggly problems last year and I would imagine I would go to Naas now for the Lawlor’s.

“He’s a three-mile chaser (in the making) and when he got there he wasn’t doing anything, he was a bit babyish.”