Faugheen and Annie could clash

Faugheen and Annie Power could clash in the Stan James Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.

Last March Annie Power became the first mare to win the two-mile championship since Flakey Dove when she was re-routed to the Champion Hurdle after her stable companion, the 2015 winner, was ruled out through injury.

Both are entered for the Champion Hurdle again, but Faugheen has the option of going for the Sun Bets Stayer's Hurdle, while Annie Power is entered in the OLBG Mares' Hurdle and it was thought they would be kept apart at this year's Festival.

Willie Mullins, however, has not ruled out running them both in the same race.

"At this stage, I certainly wouldn't rule out the possibility of both of them running in the Champion Hurdle," Mullins told the Racing Post.

"Both of them have won the race, so what do you do? Run both of them or only one and go for another race with the other?

"We'll see how things go over the coming weeks and I'll be chatting to Rich. Hopefully all will be well with both horses and if that's the case we'll have a big decision to make.

"If we split them up and both win that would be great, but if we ran one in the Champion Hurdle and he, or she, got beaten then we'd be wondering 'what if?' and the Champion Hurdle is the big one."

Faugheen will make his long-awaited seasonal debut in Sunday's BHP Insurance Irish Champion Hurdle with Annie Power set to make her return at Punchestown in February.

"Faugheen is going well at home. He'll do another bit of work either tomorrow or on Wednesday and if that goes well, and we expect it will, we'll be looking forward to running him on Sunday," he added.

"We're looking at starting Annie Power off in a 2m4f mares' hurdle at Punchestown on February 22."