Champion Hurdle 2013

Ardross said:
I missed the race and I am very glad of it . Sound like he was coming to win easily - horribly reminiscent of Golden Cygnet all those years ago .
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Watched it in a betting shop. He looked brimming with vitality today. Did everything beautifully until coming to take them at the last. Stomach churning to fleetingly see him go into spasm after hitting the deck. The loss of a big formative talent.
 
gus said:
I've shown some. "A truly horrible thing to witness" and "entitled to be distressed". But if I see an untrue and tired cliche I reserve the right to point it out.
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Jonjo sums it up well in Chris Cooks piece from tomorrows Guardian posted earlier but in the circumstances perhaps we can forgive NH a cliche.
 
No suggestion of jockey error from what I could see. Was coming to challenge, upsides at the last, stepped at it a bit, landed on his head. Awful looking fall but nothing AP should have done differently in my opinion.
 
BennyB said:
No suggestion of jockey error from what I could see. Was coming to challenge, upsides at the last, stepped at it a bit, landed on his head. Awful looking fall but nothing AP should have done differently in my opinion.
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That sounds fair enough...they had said he asked for a big one when there seemed little need to do so. Will watch it when i have the stomach to...
 
AP seemed keen to be in behind possibly due to a strong head wind I am not sure. However he pulled out in plenty of time before the last and didn't ask for an especially long I thought.
 
Watched it there now - Poor horse.....no jockey fault whatsoever. It's amazing how different some people view the same race. From their descriptions I expected to see Darlan pulling a large train coming to the last. Both thought he was going to win 5 or 6 lengths eased down. AP was starting to niggle and ROR was responding. The race was just about to get interesting IMHO.

RIP Darlan
 
I wasn't at home yesterday so I just saw the race minutes ago and feared the worse. Now I know he's gone I'm gutted and know the connection will be too.

R.I.P Darlan
 
gus said:
I've shown some. "A truly horrible thing to witness" and "entitled to be distressed". But if I see an untrue and tired cliche I reserve the right to point it out.
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Of course you have the right to say anything you like but your understanding of people is questionable and your timing stinks.

I don't care how smart someone is you can't put into words what you feel at a time like this when this sort of thing happens. One minute your proudly saddling up a horse who you have been attached to for however long next minute he dies right in front of your eyes.

Do you think anyone so close to any animal can think straight when that happens...especially if like him horses have been your life since you were a kid. Nicky Henderson was apparently in tears and what he said does not mean what you make it out to mean....we all know any horse can die good bad or indifferent. What Nicky was saying in his own way is he adored that horse and asking himself why did it have to be him......NOT only the good ones die.

I don't who suggested AP asked for a big one when he didn't need to because that's garbage. Rock on Ruby is one tough cookie and AP knows that better than anyone as he took forever to pass him on Binocular when he looked like he would hack up. He's obviously wanted to try and land running and get a couple of lengths up on him and give him no chance of fighting back. Unfortunately Darlan as he had done before put down on him.

AP was doing his job to the best of his ability and he was totally blameless.
 
Getting back to the racing to come Hurricane Fly is now 2/1 with everything else shortening up a point or 2 bar Coutryside Flame who was firmly put in his place. I know John Quinn says he a spring horse but he was beaten a bit too far to be giving him any chance of reversing form with Rock On Ruby.

The front 4 Hurricane Fly, Grandouet, Zarkandar and Rock on Ruby look to have it between them. Binocular I just can't see him finishing in front of Hurricane Fly which he'd have to do to win it. Cinders and Ashes could bounce back to form at anytime and surely would have a good chance if he could.

The unknown is Cotton Mill there simply isn't any real way of judging how good he might be if you ignore Aintree. He may well have been over the top like so many that do the two meetings.. He certainly doesn't lack speed as he had everything hard at it 3 out in the Neptune bar Simonsig and his trainer very seldom gets things wrong.

I suppose the drop down in trip to 2 miles must be a concern and might only due to the lack of decent 2m4f races that OW doesn't go for, but I suppose it also depends on what Denis O'Reagan had to say after he ran out in the Neptune. If they thought he was just a stayer they'd surely have gone the World Hurdle route?

The way I look at it is why would you back him to win the Champion Hurdle? If he really is as good as John Ferguson obviously thinks he is then the 12/1 for the Betfair could be a gift.
 
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Gutted - moreso because he was about to show he truly was a worthy CH favourite.
Rock On Ruby might come on for the run, and for a stronger pace, but it appeared for all the world he was out of his league yesterday and, even should he win a 2nd CH (unlikely. imo), it will always be a case of what might have been, for Darlan.
It's a cruel game, sometimes.
 
Tanlic said:
Getting back to the racing to come Hurricane Fly is now 2/1 with everything else shortening up a point or 2 bar Coutryside Flame who was firmly put in his place. I know John Quinn says he a spring horse but he was beaten a bit too far to be giving him any chance of reversing form with Rock On Ruby.
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Countrywide Flame could run very well in a CH given a lead and a strong pace. He was staying on very nicely on the run-in yesterday.
 
On reflection that's very possible Gus. tbh with the events that took place, for some reason I thought he was beaten much further than that. Funnily enough he was beaten the exact same distance by Hisaabaat in Ireland and turned that form on its head beating him 3 lengths in March.

That other major factor John Quinn points out is the ground reckoning he's a much better horse on good.

I can't say I remember a build up quite like this one it's hard to be ultra confident about any single horse. The bookies prices seem to indicate Hurricane Fly will win but they'd be happy to lay him all day at 2/1 considering he may well have been beaten by Go Native which would indicate he may have gone backwards and all he's done since is looked good beating nothing in 2 farcical races.
 
Tanlic said:
On reflection that's very possible Gus. tbh with the events that took place, for some reason I thought he was beaten much further than that. Funnily enough he was beaten the exact same distance by Hisaabaat in Ireland and turned that form on its head beating him 3 lengths in March.

That other major factor John Quinn points out is the ground reckoning he's a much better horse on good.

I can't say I remember a build up quite like this one it's hard to be ultra confident about any single horse. The bookies prices seem to indicate Hurricane Fly will win but they'd be happy to lay him all day at 2/1 considering he may well have been beaten by Go Native which would indicate he may have gone backwards and all he's done since is looked good beating nothing in 2 farcical races.
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Its a race to be brave in. Hurricane Fly is gone.
 
Agree with On The Bridle. Thought Darlan was the most likely winner but far from certain. In fact, it was just becoming interesting. McCoy cant be blamed but the fact that the horse fell when pressure was being applied points to a flaw in the now irrelevant champion hurdle prospects. Think Rock on Ruby enhanced his quite a share yesterday. A real shame that Darlan couldnt walk away from it.
 
I wasn't a big fan of Darlan but I could put my hand on my heart and say he'd definitely have won but whether he'd have won the Champion Hurdle is an entirely different matter. Seconds before he fell he pulled a length out the bag to go level with Rock On Ruby who wasn't stopping but was about to be passed. He'd have probably have won by a length or so but would that have been enough to say he'd have beat him in the Champion Hurdle?. That we will never know for sure but reading what Harry Fry had to say it seems clear why he ran him when we know from last season he can win after a long lay off.

All things being equal had Darlan stood up and my estimate of 1 or 2 lengths is correct he'd have been promoted to fav. If we are to believe Harry Fry, I don't see any reason not to, then he'd have had a great chance of reversing the form at Cheltenham yet he's still available at 7/1 which I find surprising.

It's weird how we all watched him take the race by the scruff of the neck last season and win going away yet we still refuse to believe he was an outstanding winner of the race.

Even at his very best I'd have to now question if Hurricane Fly can actually reverse the form at his age. he's going to have to trun the clock back 2 years and then some to do it IMO and that's a big ask.

I'm still convinced Grandouet and Rock On Ruby will be the two fighting this out at the finish
 
Tanlic said:
The way I look at it is why would you back him to win the Champion Hurdle? If he really is as good as John Ferguson obviously thinks he is then the 12/1 for the Betfair could be a gift.
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Probably not such a gift with O'Regan probably not riding and the ground softer than ideal.
 
Countrywide Flame was outpaced two out - O'Regan sat up and CF drifted back - but in the last 200 yards he made up a lot of that ground. He's no forlorn hope.

Every pundit seems to be banking on good ground come Festival time. This is not guaranteed.
 
I doubt even the biggest critic of JP would begrudge My tent or Yours winning on Saturday .

I doubt Darlan's fall had anything to do with being asked for anything - he fell on the bit in the Betfair hurdle and by the sounds of it the fall yesterday was very similar .

Also when a horse of such potential dies there will always be the " Golden Cygnet " question - would the actual winner have won had the departed horse been there .

His death and Alverton's at Aintree are the two memories that put me off NH racing for a long time when I was a kid .
 
Thinking that Darlan should be in Golden Cygnet bracket in lost potential is hugely overstating the sad horse's ability.

Second in a Supreme behind Cinders and Ashes ahead of Trifolium and Montbazon. His best days may have been ahead of him but winning a slowly run Christmas Hurdle was his best.

Has a champion hurdler ever fallen twice prior to winning?
 
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It's sadly academic now, Hawk Wing, but surely his latest run would have been his best?.
Let's not forget he was travelling all over Rock On Ruby, and was a horse that invariably 'found' at the end of his races. Found at the end of the Supreme too, though had too much to do after being outpaced turning in.
Write him down if you wish but, from where I'm sitting, he'd never been bottomed in any of his races, and - given the pace, and profiles of the contenders on Monday - looked very unlikely to be so then.
 
HawkWing said:
Thinking that Darlan should be in Golden Cygnet bracket in lost potential is hugely overstating the sad horse's ability.

Second in a Supreme behind Cinders and Ashes ahead of Trifolium and Montbazon. His best days may have been ahead of him but winning a slowly run Christmas Hurdle was his best.
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I think so often it is all about the moment and finding a story. Clearly in terms of ability there is little comparison with a horse who won a Supreme by 15 lengths on the bridle and ended his career cantering upsides top class hurdlers from what most people accept was a golden era.
 
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