Champion Hurdle 2013

bigfow said:
Almost 2 sec slower than the supreme
Click to expand...

looked like they really stepped on it from the top of the hill in the CH...thats why HF got dropped for a bit possibly..they probably went a bit early trying to get the sting out of HF and Grandouet..they didn't really need to do that after the early pace.
 
Godo to see another stat bashed and fair play to the horse> there is something nice about horses regaining top status, but greatest since istabraq? What 3 lengths to the admirable but hardly earth shattering CF?

Did it well enough in the end but thats about it

Oh for Darlan....
 
He was on talksport earlier. Called it a bonkers offer. To put it in context, Hills are expecting to take 50 million over the four days.
 
Colin Phillips said:
How was Grandouet going when he went?

I'm assuming the horse was Ok, saw a couple running loose.
Click to expand...
Looked like he was going best of those in front of the Fly but a very long way from home Colin.....need to watch it again. I had a lay in at 3.3 and stood to win a small fortune win or lose if he hit it so I'm a sick as a pig.......everybody say Awe !!!!! poor Fist :lol:
 
What makes HF great is that he's probably not at his best around Cheltenham but has still won two Champion Hurdles

Darlan, much missed...but never got the chance to prove that his Cheltenham form was better than defeat to the limited Cinders And Ashes
 
They said on Timeform radio he fine........they also said there's betting for next years race anyone got a link or know where? Just want to have look
 
Cracking contest - though Rock On Ruby had a really hard race, and it wouldn't surprise if he's never the same again.
 
Grandouet was going by far the easiest at the time but had been a wee bit keen earlier on. It's my fault he got beat. I was counting my winnings just as he took off. At least he got up and cantered home.

I expected Grandouet to beat ROR by three or four lengths so it will be fascinating if he ever gets to take on HF again.

We said beforehand it was the strongest Champion Hurdle for many years, with three previous good winners. Hurricane Fly was brilliant from the home turn today but the fact he couldn't go the mid-race pace must have had his heavy hitters clenching their buttocks.

I suspect they were slowing a fair bit from the home turn, having pushed on so strongly in the middle part of the race.

Hopefully EC1 will enlighten us.
 
No evidence in my eyes that hf is less effective round chelenham just a little less effective in better races

Chronic. Fwiw I think that no one horse has really stood out since istabraq.

Grandouet was going well but how canm anyone be certain he would have finished strongly ?
 
Last edited:
Hamm said:
He was very good. Comfortably the best Champion Hurdler since Istabraq.

Even though I had Hurricane Fly in every e/w double for the week, I had also backed Grandouet e/w and thought he was going extremely well before he fell and to avoid controversy I will say I thought he would finish in the first 2!

Well done to the Hurricane Fly fanclub, he has some record now.
Click to expand...

In my unsophisticated reckoning he equaled Istabraqs best rating 176.
The braq did have more up his sleeve though.

Good positive ride from Fehily too.
 
clivex said:
No evidence in my eyes that hf is less effective round chelenham just a little less effective in better races

Chronic. Fwiw I think that no one horse has really stood out since istabraq. Remains the same for me.

Grandouet was going well but how canm anyone be certain he would have finished strongly ?
Click to expand...

No-one said he would have finished strongly, but about he was going at the time.

His International form gives every reason to hope he would have been involved in the finish.

He didn't stand up, so it's only all conjecture and the winner was very good.
 
Henderson said on RUK that Grandouet will go to Punchestown. Suggestion that Rock On Ruby will go there too to take on the Hurricane. Fehily reckons ROR ran a better race than last year.

That should be interesting
 
If you listened to Graham Cunningham on C4 about the way the race was run compared to the Supreme, he summed it up perfectly. Just because times are quicker in one race doesn't mean to say the horses are better. Its just the way the race is run and sectional times are far more revealing.
 
jinnyj said:
If you listened to Graham Cunningham on C4 about the way the race was run compared to the Supreme, he summed it up perfectly. Just because times are quicker in one race doesn't mean to say the horses are better. Its just the way the race is run and sectional times are far more revealing.
Click to expand...

i think to be fair that when two races have similar early sectionals that a difference of 4 seconds is massive

i'm just working on the sectionals timed from when they jump the first hurdle..they will be more reflective than the overall times because the official times suffer from being started from when the tape rises..which isn't always reflective of a true measure of race time

If the CH had been slow early i would agree with Graham..and yes they did step on at the top of the hill..but for the CH to be 4 seconds slower than a similar early paced supreme is an immense difference
 
jinnyj said:
If you listened to Graham Cunningham on C4 about the way the race was run compared to the Supreme, he summed it up perfectly. Just because times are quicker in one race doesn't mean to say the horses are better. Its just the way the race is run and sectional times are far more revealing.
Click to expand...

Aye well, if you listen to Graham Cunningham, he's an expert on everything, isn't he?:lol:
Swap the pace for the 2 races, and you'd probably have a different result in both.
 
clivex said:
No evidence in my eyes that hf is less effective round chelenham just a little less effective in better races

Chronic. Fwiw I think that no one horse has really stood out since istabraq.

Grandouet was going well but how canm anyone be certain he would have finished strongly ?
Click to expand...
Any good judge could tell he was traveling as he normally does I don't think any one could question that. I don't think you need to be a genius to work out what would have happened if Grandouet had stood up. Most race fans pretty much know these horses indside out.

Here's my take fwiw

Of those in front Grandouet had Zarkandar and Caountryside Flame in his pocket but Rock On Ruby looked to still be travelling well.

Knowing the horse and the way Barry rides him he wouldn't have made any sudden moves and would have sat in behind Rock On Ruby and would still be still cantering as they approached the second last. All sounds good but the only problem Rock on Ruby failed to inject real pace into the race at that point.

If he had injected a good bit more pace I'm pretty sure Grandoeut would have had no problem going with him without coming out of his comfort zone and then they might have got Hurricane Fly in a bit of bother.


However Rock On Ruby never and Barry most certainly wouldn't have even attempted to so it's pretty safe to say h he would have still been behind Rock on Ruby and by that time Hurricane Fly was right back in the race which he would have been, the way things panned out, even if Grandouet had stood up.

Barry may well have been able to go with Hurricane Fly at that point but looking at the way Hurricane Fly finished his race and the way the race panned out I sincerely doubt if Grandouet would have beat him.

For me the race was Hurricane Fly's the minute they jumped the 3rd last and nothing in front could quicken up except for Grandouet and he wouldn't have wanted to if he had stood up.

If ROR HF and Grando meet up again in Ireland it will be very interesting but that's another day.

In the meantime I've already backed next years CH winner :) Far West 25/1 a price also on offer with Bet365 which won't be there after Friday. imvho
 
Back
Top