Arch Fire over the odds in Grand National Hurdle 2016

Arch Fire can keep his connections’ hopes of a $300,000 bonus alive in a switch back to hurdles at Sandown.

The winner of the Australian Hurdle at Sandown in May, Arch Fire will run in the Grand National Hurdle on Sunday.

Victory in the 3900m race would give him the second leg in his bid for the bonus on offer for any horse that wins three feature races during the jumping season.

If successful on Sunday, Arch Fire would need to win the Grand National Steeplechase at Ballarat on August 21 to claim the rich prize.

After his Australian Hurdle success, trainer Robert Smerdon switched Arch Fire to the bigger jumps.

But after running third in the Thackeray Steeplechase at Warrnambool on July 10, Arch Fire lost his rider in the Mosstrooper Steeplechase two weeks later.

Smerdon says Arch Fire may be a better hurdler after those two runs and has switched him back to the smaller jumps on Sunday.

Arch Fire is on the third line of betting at $6.50 behind the Darren Weir-trained stablemates Gingerboy at $2.80 and Zanteco at $3.80.

Article from JustHorseRacing.com.au

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