Champion Hurdle 2014

From Racing UK;

My Tent Or Yours confirmed his well-being ahead of the Stan James Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham with a pleasing workout at Seven Barrows.

Nicky Henderson said the dual Grade One winner has now recovered from a wound in the sole of a foot which had led to a slight concern over his participation in the big race on the opening day of the Festival.

My Tent Or Yours, winner of the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle and the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton this winter, will again flex his muscles in a spin on Friday, although the champion trainer has repeatedly stressed all of his significant work for Cheltenham was completed some time ago.

Henderson said on Thursday: "He's 100 per cent fine and he cantered this morning.

"He'll work again tomorrow and he's absolutely fine.

"In terms of how he is, he's where he was last week and the week before that."

My Tent Or Yours warmed up for the Champion Hurdle with a jumpers' bumper victory at Kempton last month and is as big as 5-1 for Cheltenham glory.
 
Desert Orchid said:
I'd be asking would TNO or MTOY be good enough to get close to Grandouet or ROR.
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Is this a serious Question? Would TNO be good enough to get close to ROR?

20th October 2013 - 4:25 Kempton - Class 1 2m Hurdle - TNO absolutely hammered ROR by 10 lengths.

"held up in 3rd until chased leader before 5th, shaken up and jumped into lead 2 out, ridden and readily quickened clear between last 2, eased towards finish, impressive"
 
Double Handful said:
Is this a serious Question? Would TNO be good enough to get close to ROR?

20th October 2013 - 4:25 Kempton - Class 1 2m Hurdle - TNO absolutely hammered ROR by 10 lengths.

"held up in 3rd until chased leader before 5th, shaken up and jumped into lead 2 out, ridden and readily quickened clear between last 2, eased towards finish, impressive"
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would sooner be using the formline with zarkandar, given it's more solid and grandouet could never get the better of him despite many attempts.

think either formline puts TNO ahead of grandouet but roughly on a similar level to the principals in the champion hurdle.

still think his jumping at speed could be what hinders him.
 
ROR's best runs have been on good ground in the Spring, his worst on heavy winter ground. He has probably regressed too...so on the evidence yes

probably get a better idea when he goes chasing next year:D
 
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JamesRB said:
would sooner be using the formline with zarkandar, given it's more solid and grandouet could never get the better of him despite many attempts.

think either formline puts TNO ahead of grandouet but roughly on a similar level to the principals in the champion hurdle.

still think his jumping at speed could be what hinders him.
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No formline with Zarkandar is solid this year. Last year's Zarkandar would have beaten MR easily at Wincanton. The horse is running 7-10lb below his best . Ruby plainly expected him to give Annie Power a much harder race on New year's day .
 
Double Handful said:
Is this a serious Question? Would TNO be good enough to get close to ROR?

20th October 2013 - 4:25 Kempton - Class 1 2m Hurdle - TNO absolutely hammered ROR by 10 lengths.

"held up in 3rd until chased leader before 5th, shaken up and jumped into lead 2 out, ridden and readily quickened clear between last 2, eased towards finish, impressive"
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That form line is irrelevant.

I'm talking ROR's best Cheltenham form.
 
Maxbet said:
ROR's best runs have been on good ground in the Spring, his worst on heavy winter ground. He has probably regressed too...
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Desert Orchid said:
That form line is irrelevant.

I'm talking ROR's best Cheltenham form.
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TNO is better on good Spring ground too. Absolutely no doubt! It was also TNO first run of the season. So The circumstances & conditions were exactly the same for both. People have argued That ROR was not fit, first run etc.... It was the exact same for TNO......... While not an accurate good Spring ground comparison - it's certainly NOT 'irrelevant'.

I put it to you like this - ROR was remaining hurdling. That race was his first for his prep run up to another tilt at the Champion hurdle.

The ROR team got a glimpse of what sort of a monster engine TNO was rocking under the Hood! Coupled with the acceleration & turn of foot he showed on the heavy ground. Fry and Fehily were thinking..... S**t... that's heavy ground.... We'll not see this lad for dirt on better ground.

And they ran a mile.... No thanks. That's Enough! Novice chasing it is......
 
Double Handful said:
TNO is better on good Spring ground too. Absolutely no doubt! It was also TNO first run of the season. So The circumstances & conditions were exactly the same for both. People have argued That ROR was not fit, first run etc.... It was the exact same for TNO......... While not an accurate good Spring ground comparison - it's certainly NOT 'irrelevant'.

I put it to you like this - ROR was remaining hurdling. That race was his first for his prep run up to another tilt at the Champion hurdle.

The ROR team got a glimpse of what sort of a monster engine TNO was rocking under the Hood! Coupled with the acceleration & turn of foot he showed on the heavy ground. Fry and Fehily were thinking..... S**t... that's heavy ground.... We'll not see this lad for dirt on better ground.

And they ran a mile.... No thanks. That's Enough! Novice chasing it is......
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And then when MTOY beat TNO @ Kempton they said "just as well we're going chasing, there's one even better than the lad who beat us 10L, One who was more than able to live with that devestating turn of foot TNO showed us and still pick him off when it mattered".

;) ;)
 
Needed TNO mistake at the last. Flat track also a big Factor that day imo.
TNO is going to gobble them all up the hill..........

McCoy will be asking Danny Mullins for a lend of his oars, after he's finished paddling up and down on the spot!

Bring it on. Can't wait !!!!!!!
 
TNO, or The Can't Jump One as the couch calls him will have hit the deck by then after hitting every single obstacle at speed. He'll be dizzy.

It's called "The Champion Hurdle" for a reason. They're there to be jumped. ;)
 
Rock On Ruby has always needed a minimum of a stiff 2m to show his best, and it's no coincidence he ran his highest RPR (171) in winning the strongest run Champion Hurdle of recent times. He was also close to that figure (170) when a running-on 2nd in last year's race (hardly the sign of a horse blowing out chasing too strong a pace, btw).
His RPR for the Kempton race behind TNO was 157 - go figure!
 
reet hard said:
Rock On Ruby has always needed a minimum of a stiff 2m to show his best, and it's no coincidence he ran his highest RPR (171) in winning the strongest run Champion Hurdle of recent times. He was also close to that figure (170) when a running-on 2nd in last year's race (hardly the sign of a horse blowing out chasing too strong a pace, btw).
His RPR for the Kempton race behind TNO was 157 - go figure!
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What was TNO RPR for that race?
 
Double Handful said:
Needed TNO mistake at the last. Flat track also a big Factor that day imo.
TNO is going to gobble them all up the hill..........

McCoy will be asking Danny Mullins for a lend of his oars, after he's finished paddling up and down on the spot!

Bring it on. Can't wait !!!!!!!
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A virtual two horse race where TNO's connections did their utmost to beat MTOY, a race they rode too suit themselves and one they deemed would be against MTOY...I believe they did just that but failed, arguably because of the mistake but nevertheless got beat by a horse that had no cover at all.

You would be very much mistaken if you think that the track suited MTOY more than TNO because they have already beat him at Aintree no less, one of the sharpest Nh courses in the country.

You would be very much mistaken if you think he is faster up the hill than MTOY. TNO's Neptune was run 19 seconds below standard they go to post faster in the Champion Hurdle. They bimbled through the race with every horses head bobbing up and down like a hack canter they then sprinted up the hill four seconds behind MTOY and Champagne fever.

MTOY will cover every move slipstreaming a decent pace allowing him to relax, he'll tank through the race cruise down the hill and blitz away from The Fly up the hill.:<3::<3:
 
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Horses scrambling to beat stayers like TNO over Kempton's 2miles aren't going to blitz sh*it, let alone a horse of Hurricane Fly's calibre.
 
Kauto hit the odd last fence for a while and yes he could jump. Tno can too. The issue is overplayed as already stated here

Many thought he wouldn't be at a peak at Xmas coming so quickly after Cheltenham. Maybe he wasnt.

And where would that leave us now?

We can time the hill and sections and all the rest of it but in this race you also need one that will stick neck out and battle to the Line. There is an element of the fighter about him.

Very hard to dismiss him and frankly find it strange that some are doing so so easily
 
Having already invested in both MTOY and Hurricane Fly, at slightly bigger odds to warrant the two selections, I'd avoided watching re-runs of the Triumph lest I regret my decision(s)

Well I've just watched it back and am now slightly clinging to the fact that Mullins will be replacing Cooper because, as good as the horse was, the race does pan out as though it was tailor made for him. A perfect, evenly paced (to the eye at least) tow all the way around, with one horse to track and nothing bustling him up.

Still an extremely impressive performance but whether he'll have the change of gears in a more tactical race with an arguably inferior jockey on board is the question. Nothing significant to prove thus far that he won't - maybe out-battled LTO ?, but nothing as yet to prove he will either.
 
Am sure in Carlow tonight Mullins nitemares are of the 12 or whatever he is CCB somehow going to thwart the champ.

Desperate people will latch onto anything.

The forensics will be needed in here Tuesday
 
Maxbet said:
He got nearer because he was 1lb better off at the weights, they ran at a crawl and it turned into a straight forward sprint.

He will be 2Lb worse off which should negate any improvement and you cant get away from the fact that he capitulated in the battle on both occasions at the same length of time
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Wasn't our Conor worse off at the weights than their first meeting?
 
The New One beat what is turning out to be a pi55 poor Neptune field.

Okay, Rule The World has since won a grade 3.

He just does not have the speed to win a champion hurdle and won't get the chance to use his apparently impressive turn of foot that I'm yet to see as he'll be off the bridle coming down the hill.

Race is as tough as they come but I'll swerve TNO gladly.
 
I keep hearing this - "TNO just won't have the speed to win a CH".

I just can't be having it! He's had 13 races in total. 7 races at 2m or shorter & 6 races at 2m4f.

He's 5/7 over 2m or shorter and he's 4/6 over 2m4f. Overall 2 of those 4 defeats on soft/heavy ground.

His biggest ever defeat was to Champagne Fever by 6L in 2012 Festival Bumper over 2m. Other than that he's only ever been beaten lees than 1/2 a length.

On good spring ground he has never shown a lack of pace over 2m. Added to that the improvement in the horse over the Summer was significant. He just looks like an absolute monster this year.

I really cannot understand how people are saying TNO won't go with a strong pace. That's what he wants!! NTD has stated this many times. Even talk of a pacemaker a few months back.

TNO goes well Fresh, Loves the track, looks like perfect ground for him, he's primed for the race, the right age profile and will absolutely thrive on a true run race!

With CBB, then Jezki most likely following him, pace is almost guaranteed in the race. It's going to be electric, I see the battle commencing a fair way out and for me TNO has the perfect combination of Speed, Strength and Stamina to romp home up that hill....................
 
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