YANWORTH heads a small but select list of six entries for the 32Red Christmas Hurdle at Kempton on Boxing Day.

Alan King’s exciting six-year-old, second in last season’s Neptune Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham, is going down the two-mile route after making a winning reappearance over two and a half miles at Ascot last month.

His owner J P McManus is also represented by My Tent Or Yours, who took this prize in 2013.

The Nicky Henderson-trained 10-year-old was runner-up to The New One in the International Hurdle at Cheltenham on his latest start.

The New One, whose novice-chasing career has been put on hold by trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies, will bid to make it third time lucky in this race having taken second prize in 2013 and 2015.

Willie Mullins, who has won the last two renewals with Faugheen, relies on the talented mare Vroum Vroum Mag.

Dan Skelton’s Ch’Tibello, who had My Tent Or Yours back in second place when successful at Haydock, is also in the line-up.

The Richard Harper-trained Gray Wolf River completes the sextet.

l Messire Des Obeaux remains on course to make his next start in the Betfred Challow Hurdle at Newbury on New Year’s Eve.

Trainer Alan King is to pitch the four-year-old into the Grade One contest as he bids to make it three from three for the season.

After claiming a handicap on his seasonal return at Bangor last month, the Simon Munir and Isaac Souede-owned gelding took a step up in class in his stride on his most recent start when defeating Champion Bumper winner Ballyandy in a Grade Two at Sandown.

King said: “Messire Des Obeaux worked well on Friday and the Challow is the plan at the moment.

“I think we will go there because in the other novice races he will have to carry a penalty and obviously the Challow is a Grade One so he won’t have to.

“Provided we are happy with him at the time, that is where he will go.”

The Barbury Castle handler confirmed that Sceau Royal, who is also owned by Munir and Soeude, is having a short break after he failed to figure in last month’s Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle having previously landed the Elite Hurdle at Wincanton.

King added: “Sceau Royal is fine but he is having a little holiday at the moment. I suppose he will come back for something like the Kingwell Hurdle in February.”

l Oliver Sherwood is to swerve an outing in the Lexus Chase at Leopardstown next week with 2015 Grand National winner Many Clouds.

The nine-year-old was on course for a shot at the Grade One prize on December 28 having made a winning seasonal return in a Listed contest at Aintree earlier this month.

Those plans have now been shelved with the Lambourn handler deciding not to take his stable star over to Ireland over fears of encountering testing conditions.

Sherwood said: “There is nothing wrong with Many Clouds. If it was genuine decent ground we would have seriously thought about it but I don’t want to leave the season behind in one race and the possibility of heavy ground has changed my mind.

“His trach washes were not 100 per cent. They were 99.9 per cent but when you are taking on the Irish boys in their back garden you need to be 100 per cent. He is not the best of travellers but that is not a reason why you wouldn’t go.

“He will either go for the Peter Marsh at Haydock, Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham or Denman Chase at Newbury.

“He will probably take the same route as last season which is the Cotswold, then Kelso and then on to Aintree but you have got to have the other races as an insurance policy for the weather.

“The main aim is Aintree in April.”