Champion Hurdle 2010

[Posts: 1387Joined: 20 Oct 2008, 05:28Location: Kildare]

Hurricane Fly NAP!

If we're talking about the Gold Cup already, we might as well get the ball rolling on this one.

Punjabi - Defending champion. Admirable tough horse who is in the right yard, but will a few of the younger brigade improve past him?

Celestial Halo - Narrowly denied in the last renewal. Will relish the way the race is run but even as a 6yo, has he missed his chance?

Binocular - Classy animal who looks awesome around Aintree and Ascot but does he get up the hill at Cheltenham?

Solwhit - Impressive Aintree winner and then took the scalp of Punjabi at Punchestown in heavy ground. Will he be quick enough?

Hurricane Fly - As good a novice as we've seen for many a long year. Will he handle Cheltenham and being a Montjeu, will his temperament hold up?

Go Native - Good form over c&d and a pleasing recent reappearance. Well held on form by HF though.

Zaynar, Walkon, Quevega, Muirhead, Ebadiyan, Mourad, Jumbo Rio, Ashkazar.......... Any other potential improvers out there?

Let the debate begin!

[Posts: 4631Joined: 21 Dec 2003, 15:21Location: St. Helens]

Will connections be tempted to run Rendon's Grace after he stuffs Jumbo Rio in November? Could be interesting - my dark horse over on Talking Horses was annihilated yesterday on ground he hated so maybe JP McManus will move Temple Lord to the UK sooner rather than later.

[Posts: 531Joined: 16 Jun 2009, 00:36]

Hurricane Fly i backed.Any news when he have 1st race of the season.

[Posts: 2658Joined: 08 Apr 2009, 03:03]

Being a Binocular fan hopefully at Aintree in April

[Posts: 2658Joined: 08 Apr 2009, 03:03]

Binocular - Classy animal who looks awesome around Aintree and Ascot but does he get up the hill at Cheltenham?
Let the debate begin!

I'm confused what do you mean does he get up the hill?

I take it you haven't managed to see the 2009 race yet

[Posts: 1387Joined: 20 Oct 2008, 05:28Location: Kildare]

Binocular - Classy animal who looks awesome around Aintree and Ascot but does he get up the hill at Cheltenham?
Let the debate begin!

I'm confused what do you mean does he get up the hill?

I take it you haven't managed to see the 2009 race yet

Put it this way then, the horse he slaughters at both Ascot and Aintree (Celestial Halo) is the same horse he's in behind at Cheltenham. Does the track play to Binocular's undoubted strengths? I'm not so sure.

[Posts: 3681Joined: 21 Oct 2008, 00:37]

I am sticking with Celestial Halo at 14/1,for the Champion hurdle,he will be single figures come the day as connections now know just what he is capable of at his favourite course.I can see a very light campaign geared towards March,but will Ruby be riding him in the big one?

[Posts: 4631Joined: 21 Dec 2003, 15:21Location: St. Helens]

Willie Mullins said last season that Hurricane Fly is Paul Townend's ride so provided that's the case and Quevega goes in the World Hurdle he doesn't really have anything else to ride. I think he'll be on CH in the Champion TAPK

[Posts: 2658Joined: 08 Apr 2009, 03:03]

Binocular - Classy animal who looks awesome around Aintree and Ascot but does he get up the hill at Cheltenham?
Let the debate begin!

I'm confused what do you mean does he get up the hill?

I take it you haven't managed to see the 2009 race yet

Put it this way then, the horse he slaughters at both Ascot and Aintree (Celestial Halo) is the same horse he's in behind at Cheltenham. Does the track play to Binocular's undoubted strengths? I'm not so sure.

We would have to assume Celestial Halo (Ascot)wasn't off a yard, went there short of a gallop, needed the run or whatever one would want to call it. Add that to the pace they went the fact Binocular was ridden a bit differently and you get the result we got.

Looking at two particualr points during the Champion Hurdle when Binocular was going better than Celestial Halo I think he could have beaten him and Punjabi. Tony took a pull before the second last of course we know the reason why. However had he kicked two out like he did at Ascot I think the race would have been over there and hen which brings me to the second point. If you watch Binocular at the last he doesn't exactly jump it running and it isn't until they hit the steepest part of the hill does he start to make any ground......then he makes up the deficit and in another 50 yards would have won.

So the very thing Nicky and Tony were afraid of was his undoing in the end but not the way they expected.

If Binocular proved anything that day he proved he stays every yard of the course, has stamina and is not all about speed. In fact I think it's exagerated about how much toe he has and he's definitely no Nijinsky. He jumps superbly and has such a high cruising speed he travels past horses rather than sprints away from them.

I think that makes it a difficult decision on how they should ride him next year. They'll surely have realised if they ride him the same way he could find himself in exactly the same position but Hurricane Fly who although untested at Cheltenham or in that class, appears to have more acceleration than he does..if both were still going well and it became a sprint from the last you'd have to think off the bridle he's lose out

altrnatively they could increase the pace while in cruise control and try and poach a lead coming down the hill to dispose of the likes of Celestial Halo before the last, not after. If he can do that he might just be able to take the sting out of Hurricane Fly's tail and outstay him up the hill.

However all that may not matter as Nicky has taken great care not to overdo it with Binocular. He had only 2 serious races last season and a hack round and I think we’ll see the benefits of that this time round.

I’m banking on Nicky’s judgment and skill as a trainer and think he’ll be a much stronger horse than he was last season.

If he is I doubt if anything will get him off the bridle this season let alone beat him and that includes Hurricane fly and/or the Cheltenham Hill.

[Posts: 115Joined: 25 Jan 2008, 10:17]

To me, if Hurricane Fly is to win the CH, he'll have to do improve a fair bit on what he's already done. A lot of his form ties in the supreme novices which I dont see as being any sort of benchmark to what might happen in this years CH. What he has done he's done impressively but would like to see him do it against the top dogs before I start backing him as favourite for the race.

I would like to think the Triumph Hurdle would be more of a guide. Ebidayan @ 50's will do for me at this point.... I thought he was just getting into top gear when he ran out last year, until then I was convinced he would be fighting out the finish as he stays better than most who did(Wasnt getting done for speed like I thought might happen during some stage of the race either).

There we have it, a 50/1 stonker to kick off the first day.... May we all bath in champagne!

[Posts: 4631Joined: 21 Dec 2003, 15:21Location: St. Helens]

Andrew - his Quevega form leaves him with about 6lbs to find with Punjabi and Solwhit on Punchestown form, that's if you work on the assumption that The Hurricane is the same horse he was 18 months go and that Quevega didn't improve from 4 to 5.

[Posts: 3681Joined: 21 Oct 2008, 00:37]

Willie Mullins said last season that Hurricane Fly is Paul Townend's ride so provided that's the case and Quevega goes in the World Hurdle he doesn't really have anything else to ride. I think he'll be on CH in the Champion TAPK

I think so too Irish,particularly as Ruby knows if he could ride last years race again, he would have won!Trouble is though,Ruby wants to win the Champion hurdle more than any other race now,so if the Hurricane is that good,dont you think Ruby will get the ride if he wanted it, being very well connected to connections!Or perhaps he knows already who is the better horse for Cheltenham!!

[Posts: 4631Joined: 21 Dec 2003, 15:21Location: St. Helens]

I reckon Ruby will ride Celestial Halo as he's the runner-up from last year - like I say I don't think he'll have much choice since his only ride will be CH.

[Posts: 2091Joined: 12 Mar 2008, 23:07Location: Taunton Somerset]

Hurricane Fly i backed.Any news when he have 1st race of the season.

I read somewhere that it will be in December.

[Posts: 2448Joined: 02 Jul 2007, 17:14Location: Edinburgh]

.....which will make it either the Hattons Grace at Fairyhouse (usually either late November or early December), or - much more likely, imo - the December Festival Hurdle at Leopardstown.

Shame he won't be re-appearing in the Maplewood.