Novice Hurdlers 21/22

Surprised no mention on here of Constitution Hill, who for me put up the best UK novice performance seen this season at Sandown

Loved the way he went about it & absolutely kicked Might I out the way. He’s well found in the Supreme market so will not be steaming in for that, but will take a good one to beat him. Guessing it will be Kempton on Boxing Day next.
 
Perpetual said:
Surprised no mention on here of Constitution Hill, who for me put up the best UK novice performance seen this season at Sandown

Loved the way he went about it & absolutely kicked Might I out the way. He’s well found in the Supreme market so will not be steaming in for that, but will take a good one to beat him. Guessing it will be Kempton on Boxing Day next.
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Simon Rowlands gave CH a big mensh in his Sectional Spotlight item at the ATR site. I can let him go for now at just 4/1 and wait until I get the chance to assess the form for myself before going in. From memory, Altior had achieved more and was a bigger price at the same stage.
 
Altior definitely was DO (am sure he was 20/1 after his Chepstow maiden and still 6 or 7 after Kempton) but think it’s more the way bookmakers act now as everything seem shorter!
 
Desert Orchid said:
From memory, Altior had achieved more and was a bigger price at the same stage.
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Not really. He was no more than workmanlike when he beat Maputo at the November meeting.

Perpetual said:
Altior definitely was DO (am sure he was 20/1 after his Chepstow maiden and still 6 or 7 after Kempton) but think it’s more the way bookmakers act now as everything seem shorter!
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The layers were terrified of Min and the whole Douvan/Vautour vibe.
 
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I noticed on Episode 5 of the road to Cheltenham Ruby and Lydia gave a quick metion to Constitution Hill but much to my surprise never made any comparison between him and Jonbon.

I have no idea when Episode 6 comes out but is it they are playing safe to see how Jonbon runs on Friday?
 
Grasshopper said:
Potentially decent test for Jonbon on Friday, with I Like To Movie It, Colonel Mustard and Knappers Hill all entered.
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With 28 grand to the winner they might allow "I like to move it" to try and give Jonbon 5 lbs but it looks a huge ask.

Col Mustard has been thrown in by the trainer in the hope a few of these doesn't run and he can pick up some good place money

PN's horse would be stepping up in class but he's going for a 6 timer very

Hard to knock him other than to say PN has kept him wrapped up in cotton wool having won his only 2 hurdle races at huge odds on.

I certainly wouldn't give opposing Jonbon a second thought............if he is odds against I will be asking my local bookie if he will lay me a trurkey to 4 chickens:)
 
Perpetual said:
Surprised no mention on here of Constitution Hill, who for me put up the best UK novice performance seen this season at Sandown

Loved the way he went about it & absolutely kicked Might I out the way. He’s well found in the Supreme market so will not be steaming in for that, but will take a good one to beat him. Guessing it will be Kempton on Boxing Day next.
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I loved the way Might I kicked the others out of the way and he looked odds on until CH went woosh and passed him like a tree.

Nicky reckoned he was well short of a gallop when he went there and surprised him but he's won like he has an engine like Sea Bird.

If that is what he can do when he's as fat as a Ayrshire cow god knows what he's capable of when fully would up.

The only thing that's holding up his price is Jonbon being a brother to douvan and costing JP a small fortune.

If that bubble was to burst on Friday CH will be evens in a flash
 
Field as expected but 4/7 Jonbon?

very short for a horse with only one win unders his belt.

At the same time I Like To Move It looks huge at 9/1
 
smooth from Jonbon

seems to be basically him vs whatever the irish bring over when the tapes go up to start the festival
 
smooth from Jonbon

seems to be basically him vs whatever the irish bring over when the tapes go up to start the festival
 
Strange race but it says a lot for Jonbon who did it the hard way and easily. How good a race it was is another question that we will find out the answer to in time
 
Run him in the Champion Hurdle

If he's not going to have a 2nd season hurdling why not?

Nicky's not going to win it with Epatante
 
No chance of that. Quickest way to end a young horses career.

More chance of one of them heading to the Ballymore.

Constitution Hill is already being hailed as a chaser and he may go that route as they both can't go for the Arkle

He dare not send Jonbon that route he'd be hung drawn and quartered
 
Tanlic said:
Strange race but it says a lot for Jonbon who did it the hard way and easily. How good a race it was is another question that we will find out the answer to in time
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I have to think Jonbon will be even better in a big field and getting a lead - he’ll be hard to beat in the Supreme, I reckon.

JP usually likes a run at the Betfair Hurdle with his best novice, but Jonbon far too high-profile, and would get filleted by the handicapper.
 
Grasshopper said:
JP usually likes a run at the Betfair Hurdle with his best novice, but Jonbon far too high-profile, and would get filleted by the handicapper.
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This was going through my mind today. MTOY won the Betfair Hdle off 149 before missing out narrowly in a decent edition of the Supreme. The runner-up today was off 144 and Jonbon beat him just under three lengths cosily. There's a fair chance Jonbon will now get a rating of around 149 too. Whether he is/will be the 160+ horse MTOY turned out to be at the same stage we'll have to wait and see and it will be interesting to see if Hendo sends something else to Newbury and/or Cheltenham.
 
I don’t think there is any chance of Jonbon getting a mark of 149…..add 10lbs and that would be closer, I reckon.
 
Grasshopper said:
I don’t think there is any chance of Jonbon getting a mark of 149…..add 10lbs and that would be closer, I reckon.
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The only way I can see that happening is if the ten year standards for the Kennel Gate dictate as much. There was a 130-something animal in there today holding down the form.

2021 - My Drogo went up to 140 and look at what he beat: Full Result 2.30 Ascot | 18 December 2020 | Racing Post

2020 - Master Debonair went up to 151 for a much more duff renewal: Full Result 2.30 Ascot | 20 December 2019 | Racing Post

My money is on 149-ish but we'll find out on Tuesday.
 
Just think the handicapper is likely to add a few ‘reputation’ lbs. I don’t think he’ll be able to help himself.
 
I reckon the handicappers got a difficult job. It was hardly a true run race, but there was only one horse in it and the rest weren’t slouches. He’s living up to the billing and I don’t think we’ll ever see him run in a handicap.
 
Tanlic said:
No chance of that. Quickest way to end a young horses career.

More chance of one of them heading to the Ballymore.

Constitution Hill is already being hailed as a chaser and he may go that route as they both can't go for the Arkle

He dare not send Jonbon that route he'd be hung drawn and quartered
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Disagree

It'll be a small field in the CH and he'd only have 1 horse to beat
 
Have to agree with you there Grassy

Altior would have raced off 155 in the Schweppes and he had a group 2 novice under his belt before going to the Supreme

The opposition wasn't that great in his build up and in his last run before Cheltenham those he beat were rated in the 130's but he romped home as the form book says by 13 lengths,

Darlan beat some trees and he ran off 146 and MTOY was running in dog races when he got in off 149.

Jonbon has made a 144 rated horse look like a statue, add to that Green and Gold colours Nicky Henderson and a dozen media reports doing handstands and you'll get a 155 horse all day long.
 
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Truncheon said:
Disagree

It'll be a small field in the CH and he'd only have 1 horse to beat
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Yep and that horse is probably the best Hurdler since Istabraq.

Henderson would need to make the mad hatter look sane to go that route

Absolutely No Chance of it even entering his mind.

He has always looked after his young Hurdlers

He didn't even want to run a young Binocular in the Supreme but was ordered too

He ran Buvi in the Supreme and could have sent Altior to the Champion Hurdle but never

Epatante had already left her novice status behind before contesting in the Champion Hurdle

Lets not forget Shishkin who again was never consideredfor the Champion Hurdle

he ran two of the best horses he ever had in the supreme Spirit Son and Sprinter Sacre.

Nicky has stuck to certain ways of doing things and it would take an awful lot for him to change his ways now.

JP could order him to run Jonbon but he never did it with Istabraq and he was to smany the greatest hurdler of all time
 
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