Road To The Champion Hurdle

I have watched the Champion again and to be honest coming down the hill Binocular did not travell "that" strongly which he should have done after sitting off the strong pace for much of the time. I think next year we will see them give him a prep run before Cheltenham unlike this year. Was reported to badly need the gallop at Kempton (no horse prepping for the festival should be in such need of a gallop so close to the event) due to all the snow the trainer had. Punjabi had his prep but it is interesting that he was well beaten then - perhaps he too was held up with the bad weather but showed the benefit of that run today. Just a theory.
 
PRICEWISE2008 said:
Nice one dobbin, hope you filled your boots:whistle:
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I did also have him in my TTF team at my local I was in 4th position should have scored a few points today with extra points for the SP so should be top now!:D
Fingers crossed for rest of week have Masterminded, Voy Por Ustedes ,Kasbah Bliss & Kauto in team but so has everyone else. :mad:
 
Binocular sweated up quite noticeably . Has he done that before ?

He stayed perfectly well , he just did not pick up . The suggestion appeared from AP to be that he blew up and then ran on again, the first two of course ran after Christmas - maybe the lack of a prep cost him the race

I think he will leave that form well behind next year .

Thought Hardy ran an absolute blinder ( and I wondered how he would have done in last year's Champion ? ) and nice to see Katchit running on .

Osana ran a stinker but why the headgear
 
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Binocular sweats like that every time he runs Ardross. I would worry if he didnt nowadays as it appears to be just him. I remember he did it at Ascot for his hurdling debut and thought maybe he would be worse at bigger "razzmatazz" meetings but it turned out that he is always the same.

Credit to him for sticking to it when you would be forgiven for thinking that he might wilt. Credit to all involved in the finish actually, for it was a fierce race.

Punjabi appears to have "learnt" stamina during his three seasons as a hurdler, for as a young horse one would not have expected such a stamina test to have been up his street.
 
Weak edition of the race, Celestial needs longer distance and Binocular is the best horse in the field but needs flatter track and firmer going.
 
I see that Ruby received a ban for too frequent use of the whip in the Champion Hurdle.

Understandable, if not excusable, in such a tight finish for a championship race but I thought McCoy might have been guilty of the same offence judged on his efforts inside the last 100 metres.
 
Henderson now saying with hindsight that Binocular may have been more hindered by snow hold-up thatn he had thought and AP felt horse take a blow.
 
I wonder if Noel Fehily is still searching for where to put the petrol in Crack Away Jack - did he think he was on a sodding motorbike?? You just don't give the leaders 15-20l in the Champion Hurdle and expect to get to them. I can see why he wouldn't want to be up with the pace but anchoring him plum last and not moving until far too late when he scythed through the field was insanity. Ironic really that he gave it such a crap ride when he had himself jocked off Jack Doyle - I'm sure the lad would have actually given it a ride.
 
Shadow Leader said:
I wonder if Noel Fehily is still searching for where to put the petrol in Crack Away Jack - did he think he was on a sodding motorbike?? You just don't give the leaders 15-20l in the Champion Hurdle and expect to get to them. I can see why he wouldn't want to be up with the pace but anchoring him plum last and not moving until far too late when he scythed through the field was insanity. Ironic really that he gave it such a crap ride when he had himself jocked off Jack Doyle - I'm sure the lad would have actually given it a ride.
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Think the horse was greatly flattered by how the race turned out.
 
I just love it when a horse is underrated by almost everyone. I always thought that Punjabi (who was not given enough credit for finishing third last year when just five) would finish first or second (to Binocular) and apart from Voy Por Ustedes he was my biggest bet of the week at odds of 33/1, 25/1 and unbelievably on the day 16/1 (without Binocular).
Binocular was sweating a fair bit in the prelims and under the circumstances ran a great race. The first four home look quite decent to me (great run in fourth from Crack Away Jack) with the previous winners all soundly beaten. A much better race than many are giving credit. If no outstanding horse emerged, at least three very good ones did.
 
I didn't like the visual aspect of it tbh Steve

it didn't look like a CH..more like the stayers

I do think Celestial has run well against the pace though..how he kept going I don't know..there is a decent race for this one somewhere

this is normally my fav race at the festival..but the finish just didn't look right

not taking owt away from the winner..coz celestial never gave up..and was a tough cookie to pass
 
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