Tuesday reaction: 'Monkfish could turn into the Irish bandwagon horse'

Sharjah has to be taken seriously now especially if the ground dries up

The headlines coming out of the Matheson Hurdle will be the disappointing efforts of Saint Roi and Abacadabras and the confused look to the Unibet Champion Hurdle following Epatante's defeat at Kempton on Saturday. All of which does Sharjah and Patrick Mullins a major disservice.

The official description of soft on the hurdles course means that these were easier conditions than for either of Sharjah's previous two wins in this Christmas highlight and it has to be a plus for him that he seems a little less ground dependent than in previous seasons.

He ran a fine race at Cheltenham to be second behind Epatante and looks at least an each-way player in a year where no horse has yet stamped their authority on the two-mile hurdling division.