Supreme favourite Mydaddypaddy among Formby entries

The unbeaten Mydaddypaddy heads 12 entries for the William Hill Formby Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree on Boxing Day.

Dan Skelton’s charge has a bumper victory and two hurdle wins to his name from three starts, most recently taking a Haydock introductory hurdle by a comfortable seven lengths in early December.

He now steps up to Grade One level, with among those set to take him on  Nicky Henderson’s Act Of Innocence.

The five-year-old won his hurdling debut at Newbury in good style last month, and joins Harry Fry’s Idaho Sun in coming into the contest in winning form.

Fry’s runner, sixth in the Champion Bumper, has won both hurdle starts so far and came home 11 lengths ahead when last seen at Bangor.

Chris Gordon’s Diamond Hunter is another promising name in the line up as he too brings a flawless hurdling record to the table, and has the distinction of striking at Graded level already having won the Grade Two Newton Novices Hurdle at Haydock last time out.

David Killahena and Graeme McPherson’s Destination Dubai, Andrew Martin’s Glance At Midnight, Nigel and Willy Twiston-Davies’ Spectacularsunrise and Ben Pauling’s Starmount also have entries.

Gordon Elliott’s Skylight Hustle is the Irish raider, with Neil King’s Storming George, Patrick Neville’s The Last Cloud and Jessica Bedi’s Wahraan completing the field.