The Road To The 2012 Champion Hurdle

neo05 said:
Spirit Son is out for the season apparently
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According to Betfair Forum tonight....

From the owner today at Cheltenham:

"Spirit Son had a little setback but is back cantering again now and he'll hopefully be ready to return in late January."
 
Can someone explain to me why Oscar Whisky is running for seventeen-grand in the Relkeel today, when he would have a fantastic shot at seventy-five grand in the International?

More expert placement of his top 2m hurdlers by Henderson. :blink:
 
Grasshopper said:
Can someone explain to me why Oscar Whisky is running for seventeen-grand in the Relkeel today, when he would have a fantastic shot at seventy-five grand in the International?

More expert placement of his top 2m hurdlers by Henderson. :blink:
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It's the same path he took with Zaynar - whom many also wrongly rated as a Champion Hurdle prospect, (including yourself - IIRC).:lol:
 
Grasshopper said:
Can someone explain to me why Oscar Whisky is running for seventeen-grand in the Relkeel today, when he would have a fantastic shot at seventy-five grand in the International?

More expert placement of his top 2m hurdlers by Henderson. :blink:
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he isn't a 2 mile hurdler ..is probably why..the placing looks like a guaranteed 17k over his best trip..a no brainer for me
 
reet hard said:
It's the same path he took with Zaynar - whom many also wrongly rated as a Champion Hurdle prospect, (including yourself - IIRC).:lol:
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Had to side with something in those weak, pre-Hurricane years, reet. :lol:

I'm not saying Oscar Whisky can win a Champion Hurdle, but I am saying he could win this Bula. He is a better 2-miler than both Menorah and Overturn.
 
Grasshopper said:
Had to side with something in those weak, pre-Hurricane years, reet. :lol:

I'm not saying Oscar Whisky can win a Champion Hurdle, but I am saying he could win this Bula. He is a better 2-miler than both Menorah and Overturn.
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i'm not sure about him being better than those two at 2 miles Grass tbh

I supported OW for the CH last year..and imo he isn't a 2 miler as was demonstrated there..particularly when that race turned into more speed than stamina test. Cheltenham suits 2.5 milers sometimes when they drop back to 2m but it didn't help him
 
Btw -EC1 the owners son said Celestial Halo would join Big Bucks in the Long Walk next week-if I heard correctly he also said he wasn't too disappointed with Newcastle.
 
LUKE said:
Btw -EC1 the owners son said Celestial Halo would join Big Bucks in the Long Walk next week-if I heard correctly he also said he wasn't too disappointed with Newcastle.
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the only way to not feel bad about Newcastle would be to think he is better going right handed..which he may well be...just looked sulky at Newcastle

and no i won't back him to beat BB;)
 
Cracking race - always seems much more of a thriller than the Fighting Fifth and the Christmas Hurdles yet they are the Grade 1s and this is a Grade 2 .

Overturn ran another blinder and what a confident intelligent ride by young Derham on Brampour.
 
Grandouet did enough today to confirm to me that he is a genuine contender, though he did find a little bit less than I expected, and he will still need to improve some way to trouble an on-song Hurricane Fly.
 
Grandouet has certainly improved bundles since last year and I doubt if Zarkander would beat him again unless he has done likewise.

The most relevant things about the race were the way Granduoet travelled and when asked to quicken when forced wide he did so immediately then came straight back on the bridle.

The fact he wasn't asked to pick up until after the last may have given the impression he never quickened that much simply because he's more or less doing it from a standing start.

If you take a close look at him in the last 50 yards it's not until then he actually got into top gear.

I know Geharty says he needs to be held up which is fair enough but I doubt if he'll be able to hold him up quite as long as that in the Champion but that may not be a bad thing.

Last year Ruby actually made his move on a Hurricane Fly well before the last when Peddlar's Cross tried to slip them. It meant Hurricane Fly was aready in top gear and met the last running which you need to do to win a Champion Hurdle, if anything at all is near you.

I was immensly impressed by Grandouet and if becomes a head to head at Cheltenham from 100 yds before the last I'd back the Henderson horse to come out on top.

We know Hurricane Fly can handle the several sudden injections of pace you get in Champion Hurdles. He did so with ease but it will be a whole new world to Grandouet. So while I say he might beat Hurricane Fly in a head to head the problem is he needs to have coped with the race in the country to be in a position to use that massive stride of his and cut the Champion down.

I think he will but that's probably because I've been backing him for weeks and my Nicky Henderson rose coloured glasses are impairing my judgement somewhat.

Joking aside he's too big at 8/1 because if he travels like that in the Champion it will take some horse to beat him
 
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Tanlic said:
Last year Ruby actually made his move on a Hurricane Fly well before the last when Peddlar's Cross tried to slip them. It meant Hurricane Fly was aready in top gear and met the last running which you need to do to win a Champion Hurdle, if anything at all is near you.
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Not sure I agree with this bit, Tanlic.

Hurricane Fly came right back onto the bridle between two-out and the last when Peddlers Cross was sent on, and was going away again at the end.

I should add that my own glasses are very rose-tinted when it comes to this horse, so feel free to ignore.

Welcome to the forum. :cool:
 
Not at all

I'm a bigger fan of Hurricane Fly than you could imagine.

Can you imagine someone telling you Binocular would win the Champion Hurdle after he had run his very first race in the UK and you saying don't talk silly?

Then after he won the Champion Hurdle and that poster winning a fortune he starts a thread saying Hurricane Fly would beat him and everything else the following year?

Now this seaon the day after he fell on his backside the same poster switched camps and says Grandouet will win the Champion Hurdle.

Helluva judge that Fist isn't he;)
 
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Tanlic said:
Then after he won the Champion Hurdle and that poster winning a fortune he starts a thread saying Hurricane Fly would beat him and everything else the following year?
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I haven't frequented the site in a long time, but the only "Fist" I know was a resident at TRF, and he wouldn't usually be in the business of making such obviously fraudulent claims as those above. Not when he knows exactly when, how and by whom, Hurricane Fly was first brought to his attention.

;)
 
You and Irish gave me a hard time of it on that one We had many a battle about those 2 and as it turns out both won Champion Hurdles. I actually did start the 2010/11 Champion Hurdle thread on there saying Hurricane Fly would win and got slagged by TAPK for betrayel ;o). Granted is was after HF won what I considered his first real test when he beat Solwhit a neck, whereas you guys were touting him when he was a baby with me saying you were both mad.

Was all good fun mate nice to see you again.
 
:lol: @ Tanlic
Had your card marked as soon as you started blowing off about one.
Good to see you on here.
 
Tanlic said:
You and Irish gave me a hard time of it on that one We had many a battle about those 2 and as it turns out both won Champion Hurdles. I actually did start the 2010/11 Champion Hurdle thread on there saying Hurricane Fly would win and got slagged by TAPK for betrayel ;o). Granted is was after HF won what I considered his first real test when he beat Solwhit a neck, whereas you guys were touting him when he was a baby with me saying you were both mad.

Was all good fun mate nice to see you again.
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:D

Good man, Tanlic. Nice to have you about the place.
 
Tanlic said:
Grandouet has certainly improved bundles since last year and I doubt if Zarkander would beat him again unless he has done likewise.

I wouldn't be so sure Zarkandar won't beat Grandouet again although I'd agree Zark would need to have improved.

He beat the Henderson horse readily enough in the Triumph imo and having watched the Aintree race again don't buy that Grandouet would have won barring his unlucky exit.

Hoping they all turn up fit and well (including HF and SS of course)
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I think Grandouet isn't far off CH level on that run..5lbs maybe....but I also think Brampour is showing improvemennt in each run..yes he is behind the winner yesterday but keeps improving a few lbs each race...not impossible he could get closer to G given a month or two

at the moment..these are the two who look like the main threats to HF
 
EC1 said:
I think Grandouet isn't far off CH level on that run...
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...not too far off I'd agree. Not tempted just yet though.

…if anything it hardens my resolve for Spirit Son, who is the one that they seem to really fancy. (All being well with that one of course.) I can’t get any indication from the yard that anything is up with him and am told he’ll reappear after Christmas.
 
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