Road To The Champion Hurdle

Binocular wasn't touched, Peddlers Cross is going to have to improve again to win a champion hurdle.
 
Yep that's certainly not in doubt. Problem is with that race you are gonna have to use Starluck as the horse to rate the race around and it looked to me like Peddlers just outstayed him in the end on tacky ground. Again a very considerate ride on Binocular and I suspect we will see the real champion on boxing day his hurdling looked very slick to me just not fit.
 
Binocular indeed looked tubby and blew up I reckon an ok pace . Fine performance by the winner but binocular murdered starluck at Cheltenham
 
Binocular jumped well so this is not the same as last year .

Also watching again this was a very steady pace .
 
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Pretty sure Peddlers will improve significantly for the run. He'll also be suited more to Cheltenham than Newbury, and also more by a stronger pace than today and a bigger field than today. Bring on Cheltenham!!!
 
Henderson's column proving as illuminating as his predeccesors. Apparently he's bigger and stronger this year and was over his optimum racing weight. Pre-race verdict? 'Preperation has gone really well....schooling has been electric'
 
Kauto said:
Yep that's certainly not in doubt. Problem is with that race you are gonna have to use Starluck as the horse to rate the race around and it looked to me like Peddlers just outstayed him in the end on tacky ground. Again a very considerate ride on Binocular and I suspect we will see the real champion on boxing day his hurdling looked very slick to me just not fit.
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Race was steadily run, not a crawl but not flat out. Peddlers did him for toe and is the better horse. Binocular also looked pretty fit to me and hurdled really well so he doesn't really have many excuses either.

I'm a huge fan of Peddler's Cross and it wouldn't surprise me if he won a champion chase or gold cup one day. He has everything.
 
Before the race I was worried a steady pace would be against PC but he beat Starluck and Binocular for speed here today. Whatever the state of Binocluars readiness you could argue thar Starluck has run his best ever race and been beaten fair and square.
 
According to henderson binocular is heavier than when he won the champion hurdle last year i take it that means he is not running at his winning weight i also think he likes really good ground .
 
Starluck is still only a 5yo and therefore entitled to have improved since the spring, so it's no surprise to see him finish in front of Binocular first time out this season. On the other hand he must have been favourite in running as they came to the last, Murphy was sitting very quietly. I was disappointed that he didn't find more.

That said I'm already in the Peddlers Cross camp and it's going to be fascinating to watch his progress. On looks you'd say he's a staying chaser rather than a hurdler, and if he was beaten to day you would have said he was done for toe in a steadily run race.
 
PC is exceptionally promising but Starluck's proximity makes it b
very clear Binocular was way below his CH form . Mellish and Hislop talked a lot of nonsense about the race .
 
Ardross said:
PC is exceptionally promising but Starluck's proximity makes it b
very clear Binocular was way below his CH form . Mellish and Hislop talked a lot of nonsense about the race .
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Why the sour grapes -the race was won an unbeaten festival winner (who I have never had a penny on).Surely the story should be Peddlers Cross rise to the top not another defeat for Binocular.
 
Absolutely.

As for Binocular he looked like he needed the race - he did first time out last year as well - and the race was run at enough of a pace to test his stamina given that he looked tired. The ground will have been dead enough for him too.
 
Race conditions didn't suit PC, flat track and not a hugely strong gallop. Sure, Binocular needed the race, and will strip fitter later in the season. I think PC ran up to a rating of 165 yesterday, and he will improve on a stiffer track and a stronger gallop, if that improvement is forthcoming he won't be a million miles away from a cherry ripe Binocular. Menorah got a rating of 162 for the Greatwood and again, I think he will improve again under desired race conditions. I see the Champion Hurdle being between the above mentioned horses.

JohnJ
 
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