The Road To The 2012 Champion Hurdle

Desert Orchid said:
One of the best, maybe, but no shortage of worthy candidates with claims to have been better.

He is as much the 'best ever' hurdler as Best Mate is the 'best ever' chaser.
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yes,,beat what was there at the time..interesting how both beat little..which we are told with regularity with BM..yet Isty beat similar and we get told he is the best ever

shows how certain horses get run down when performing in a similar manner
 
Bets I've seen and only my opinion

1. Bula
2. Istabraq
3. Persian War
4. Night Nurse
5. Sea Pigeon
6. Hurricane Fly
7. Monksfield
8. Salmon Spray
9 Comedy of Errors
10. Kribensis

They say there's no such a thing as a bad one but Sublimity went damn close
 
Tanlic said:
Bets I've seen and only my opinion

1. Bula
2. Istabraq
3. Persian War
4. Night Nurse
5. Sea Pigeon
6. Hurricane Fly
7. Monksfield
8. Salmon Spray
9 Comedy of Errors
10. Kribensis

They say there's no such a thing as a bad one but Sublimity went damn close
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but if you go on what finished 2nd & 4th.then Sublimity would be one of the greatest winners of all time..ignore the 3rd like
 
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EC1 said:
yes,,beat what was there at the time..interesting how both beat little..which we are told with regularity with BM..yet Isty beat similar and we get told he is the best ever

shows how certain horses get run down when performing in a similar manner
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Don't listen to what we're "told"..your own opinion is all that matters ;)
 
EC1 said:
but if you go on what finished 2nd & 4th.then Sublimity would be one of the greatest winners of all time..ignore the 3rd like
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I studied that race for quite some time and Old Hardy in his previous runs never came under the hammer until after the second last but that year he was gone from before 3 out as was Brave Inca who was running on empty from after the 3rd last. Everything stopped that day and Sublimity just cruised into the lead but when he hit that hill he found absolutely nothing.

It's a real pity but the truth is he had a great engine but he didn't really stay 2 miles in top class company. IMO The luckiest horse ever to win the race.
 
clivex said:
Cheltenham preview at Sandown tonight...Nichols lot more bullish about Rock on Ruby than Zarkandar
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This is something I've been trying to convince people of - I just hope Rock On Ruby at least places on Tuesday then it will be a good start to the festival although personally I still believe he's HF biggest danger. :)
 
LUKE said:
Would I be right in thinking that you rate Rooster Booster a better horse.
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I think Rooster Booster's Champion Hurdle win was a better performance than any of Istabraq's but the latter's wins elsewhere might have been better. I think RB had better opposition in his day. Check the ORs of the fields in Isty's CHs.

But RB wasn't actually to the forefront of my mind when I made the comment. I was thinking of Persian War, Night Nurse, Bula, Sir Ken, Hatton's Grace etc.

As for the worst, I think Dawn Run must rate a mention alongside Flakey Dove...
 
Desert Orchid-I think you are seriously wrong about Dawn Run being one of the worst Champion Hurdlers.In her chamionship year she won the Christmas & Templegate Hurdles in addition to the Irish,English & French Champion Hurdles.On the day she had to win ugly but her overall profile over hurdles was exceptional.
One of my favourite races on YouTube is her demolition of a novice field at Aintree before turning out 24 hours later and giving reigning champion Gaye Brief a real scare.
 
EC1 said:
they went very fast in RB's CH and the pace collapsed which enabled him to win by so far i think..which makes think RB got a bit overrated on the OHR method
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Rooster was underrated, in fact when he was runner up in the Tote Gold Trophy he put a performance to win a Champion Hdl any year.

On his cheltenham win he was the best Champion Hdl winner I have seen
 
Difficult to call but my mony would be on Rooster Booster.


Istabraq was a consistent and very good horse, very fast on the hdls but on a single performance Rooster was a better one for me.
 
EC1

Any idea what the fastest race (pace wise) that Istabraq ran in?


.
 
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The Booster was indeed utterly brilliant in the 2003 CH - that was the festival where it all seemed so easy - Back in Front, Azertyuiop and the Booster to start a great three days !
 
Rooster Booster ran his highest ever t/s of 164 when winning his CH.
Istabraq topped that figure on 4 occasions, including a 171 in the same race in 98, and a highest of 174 in the Irish Champion on 30.4.99.
 
Whilst I haven't changed my mind on Binocular, I keep coming back to Zaidpour, especially in the market without Hurricane Fly, for which he is 16s (so probably just needs a top 4 finish). He has done very well this season, and posted a decent mark lto giving VLV 7 pounds and a beating. Mullins was at pains to point out how much work they have done to get his action back, and I wouldn't put anyone off having some at 33s as well in the main market. Not sure has anything else better form outside the top 2.
 
im on ZARKANDAR cant see anything going to be finishing stronger and may catch the hurricane at the final hurdle.

BINOCULAR to old in the tooth now I reckon, but thats what they said about the STAR

ZAIDPOUR EW AS A SAVER
 
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