Champion Hurdle 2015

Agree. The only chance he maybe has would be suicidal early fractions and hope the race falls apart.
 
TNO is still the best English hurdler at 2m - easy pickings to be had before Christmas, just as there were this season. However, Mullins can't keep all his hurdlers in Ireland not racing each other, so may send more over here next season.
 
He's not going to get away with picking up the trials Faugheen doesn't run in next season...not if Peace and Co trains on.

He was racing against trees all season and took all day to beat them..peace and Co will eat him alive next year I reckon

NJH has also 2 others who will be stepping up and he's be looking to try and win a trial with at least one of them.

Changed days guy and too late for The New One these young horses will prove to be much better than him next season IMO
 
Len Madeiros said:
TNO is still the best English hurdler at 2m - easy pickings to be had before Christmas, just as there were this season. However, Mullins can't keep all his hurdlers in Ireland not racing each other, so may send more over here next season.
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TNO had a very easy campaign last term avoiding Faugheen at Xmas.

twisty knew
 
I think he's got a physical problem. I was hoping the reason he jumped to the right at Haydock was due to the appalling ground. But at Cheltenham they fitter a pricker on him (a nasty little device which sits on the inside of the bit with sharp bristles and dissuades the horse from hanging that way). Why would you do that unless you knew he was going to hang that way? And if a horse is hanging, then he is doing so to get away from pain - most probably leg related. I would be scanning every part of him if he was mine as he may well have a more serious injury brewing.
 
I suspect he'll test the water against Peace and Co as early as possible and then decide whether he steps him up in trip.

My brains a bit fried from a week of Guinness and I can't think if there's anything else to take out of the Festival from this side of the Irish sea for 2 mile hurdles. Top Notch, Hargan, Qualando and Aux Petit Soins are the only ones that spring to mind but I presume the latter will go over fences.
 
TNO managed to see off last season's UK crop of juveniles and novices. I don't see this year's as any better, and would definitely back him to see off this season's for next season.
 
jinnyj said:
I think he's got a physical problem. I was hoping the reason he jumped to the right at Haydock was due to the appalling ground. But at Cheltenham they fitter a pricker on him (a nasty little device which sits on the inside of the bit with sharp bristles and dissuades the horse from hanging that way). Why would you do that unless you knew he was going to hang that way? And if a horse is hanging, then he is doing so to get away from pain - most probably leg related. I would be scanning every part of him if he was mine as he may well have a more serious injury brewing.
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It is odd and you could be right because if you remember he used to hang left in his earlier days..either way he's going to find things tougher next season if he stays at 2 miles.
 
According to the quotes the next day, they thought TNO didn't fire but didn't know why. If nothing comes to light they'll probably have a similar campaign to this season although I'd agree that a run in the Relkeel Hurdle might be worth looking at. They're all only running for place money if Faugheen stays fit and well anyway.
 
Len Madeiros said:
TNO managed to see off last season's UK crop of juveniles and novices. I don't see this year's as any better, and would definitely back him to see off this season's for next season.
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Best novices I have seen this season are miles better than last Irish horses aside but even they will be outdone by Douvan IMO

Douvan
Peace and Co
Minella Rocco
L'Ami Serge
Hargam
Top Notch
Windsor Park
Glingerburn

There's an abundance of top class novices there, last season was pathetic in comparison in England......The New One best leave the building now along with Elvis :lol:
 
tiggers1972 said:
They already know he stays 2 1/2 miles so running him in the Relkeel would be pointless.
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If they're aiming him at the CH, the Relkeel is less taxing than the International albeit worth £50k less. To be honest, you couldn't blame them for running to exactly the same program as last season because they picked up 4 races and £190k on the way through this time plus £10k in the CH. Cole Harden won a total of £205k in prize money this season including the World Hurdle (£170k) so the staying route isn't that attractive financially.
 
tiggers1972 said:
They already know he stays 2 1/2 miles so running him in the Relkeel would be pointless.
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And further!!! If you watch him in the Neptune, like in Jezki's Champion Hurdle, he falls to the back of the leading group when they quicken the pace and is the last to get going.......Then he just stays on better than the rest and runs way from them when they hit the rising ground.

Every time I watch him he looks to me more of stayer than he does a 2 mile hurdler.....he continuously get left flat footed then picks up late on.

In this years Champion Hurdle it was all about speed..Faugheen having turned it onto a sprint but setting off at a crawl and he was the first horse beaten.

Total waste of time going again because the Champion Hurdle looks to be even more about speed next year than it was this year with these novices all looking to have bags of toe.
 
Me too and while I agree with Archie's calculation's let not forget you have to win to collect and I doubt if he'll do that if staying at 2 miles.

Poor Rock on Ruby missed the WH but still picked up 40k over longer trips in 2 races and would have been 210K had he won the WH.

The New One could win more going the WH route as he runs more often the ROR seems to.
 
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Just to throw another element into the conversation here. NTD's horses ALL ran shockingly bad at the festival. I fully appreciate that 2m is not optimum trip for TNO, but I think the yard is/was also in rank form and should be factored in to one's thinking.

Corgy - Beaten 20 Lengths
Splash of Ginge - Beaten 50 Lengths
Sybarite - Beaten 60 Lengths
Double Ross - Beaten 50 Lengths
Blaklion - Pulled up (Would have been 100 Lengths!)
Astracad - beaten 26 Lengths

Appreciate a lot of these were outsiders anyway, but they all ran shockers!
Defiantly a case to be made for the yard being bang OUT of form imo....
 
Double Handful said:
Just to throw another element into the conversation here. NTD's horses ALL ran shockingly bad at the festival. I fully appreciate that 2m is not optimum trip for TNO, but I think the yard is/was also in rank form and should be factored in to one's thinking.

Corgy - Beaten 20 Lengths
Splash of Ginge - Beaten 50 Lengths
Sybarite - Beaten 60 Lengths
Double Ross - Beaten 50 Lengths
Blaklion - Pulled up (Would have been 100 Lengths!)
Astracad - beaten 26 Lengths

Appreciate a lot of these were outsiders anyway, but they all ran shockers!
Defiantly a case to be made for the yard being bang OUT of form imo....
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Very good point DH, they had a terrible week.
 
He would be a 9yr old lining up in the Arkle Len. I do think they should stick down the hurdles route.
 
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