The Road to the 2017 Champion Hurdle

Ruby will have to try and make-all for Footpad to have any chance, and I'm pretty-sure I heard STD say that he was going to give TNO an aggressive ride too, so there will hopefully be plenty of pace.......which is what the remaining 90% of the runners want.

It might not be the highest-class renewal, but I think it could be an absolute belter of a race, with a half-dozen in with chances jumping the last.

FWIW, my on-the-day bets are likely to be restricted to the McManus combo-tricast (Yan, MTOY, Buveur D'Air) and the Henderson combo-tricast (MTOY, Buveur D'Air, Brain Power).
 
Damn sight better race than last year which was a dreadful renewal. Annie Power 5/2 The New One 7/2 Nichols Canyon 15/2 My Tent Or Yours 10/1 certainly won't go down as a race to remember.
 
Plus this years Supreme doesn't look particularly special. Next years Champion Hurlde won't be much better unless a couple come from left field.
 
Maruco said:
Plus this years Supreme doesn't look particularly special. Next years Champion Hurlde won't be much better unless a couple come from left field.
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Yes, I was just having the same conversation on the phone this afternoon.

I think we'll need to hope for a surprise package or two this week and I'm scouring the off-the-radar entries to see if I can dig something up.
 
Grasshopper said:
FWIW, my on-the-day bets are likely to be restricted to the McManus combo-tricast (Yan, MTOY, Buveur D'Air) and the Henderson combo-tricast (MTOY, Buveur D'Air, Brain Power).
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They're bets I hadn't considered. Good shout, I'll follow you in I think Nick. Might do the combo exactas as as well.
 
Everything's drifting. Nice of the bookies to come back to some sort of reality. There was no value in the NRNB markets.
 
Lot of unknowns this year in the sense the form is all over the place. I decided to split my bet as prices were very good yesterday and I am not overly confident about anything other than MTOY won't win.

If Yanworth wins I have a tiny profit if Buveur D'air wins I am in for a very decent pay day but if Petit Mouchoir prevails...a huge :thumbsup:
 
He could be anything but 7/1 Brain Power is extracting the urine
He is the least qualified horse in the race being a handicapper and never having never ran in any sort of trial.
The Wessex Youth Trust Handicap Hurdle at Ascot hasn't produced a decent Champion Hurdle contender yet alone a winner it's a dog race by CH standards to be frank.
Brain Power's only visit to the course resulted in an unplaced effort and the one time he ran is a Graded novice he was a poor 3rd.

They keep saying Yanworth will be better suited by the course yet he was found wanting and suffered his only defeat there. Has to be a worry as you simply can't hit flat spots there and win

Buveur D'Air came back from chasing something only Beech Road has done successfully which is a minus. The fact he finished 3rd in the Supreme when ridden that way is a plus rather than a minus

You have to ask if Petit Mouchoir has improved more than Bouveur D"air since the met at Aintree when the latter won with more authority than the distance implies.

My Tent or Yours sole purpose will be to ensure there's a good gallop to set up the race for the other 2 JP runners. He's too old and well past his best to be taking seriously and I wouldn't touch him with a barge pole

The New One retains his ability but was slaughtered by Yanworth who will have improved since then.

One you have to fear is Moon Racer as we don't know how good he is but this is a huge leap in class for him.

Anyone who is convinced anything is a good thing for this Champion Hurdle is in denial and needs help
 
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Morley Street did it a couple of years later too if my memory serves Fist.

Agree with your assessment of the race though. Yanworth was pushed to get back into it when going wide in the Neptune and on this going, over the shorter trip he just wont have the necessary speed when it's required.

I'd prefer a bit more give for him but I'm on Buveur D'air and would have the novice as the unknown danger.
 
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Buver's in D'air, everywhere I look around.
Buveur's in D'air every sight and every sound.
And I don't why you're all being so foolish
Cause you know that I'm being wise
But it's something that I must believe in
Those Supreme Novice form lines.


:D Everybody now



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The Supreme may be a speedy pointer,
However Neptune is the master scorer,
Last 20 years, more 2 half mile horses came down
To win the shorter trip of champion and be crowned.
Yanworth may not yet be in the same mould as some of the best
Thou there's no doubt the rider won't take him wide again
And who knows by the end of the day, some might call him a great.
 
Yes but they actually won the Neptune! Yanworth was totally out paced even over 2 and a half miles before staying on again late. Think they'll definitely know by this evening he was in the wrong race.


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Outpaced? you're having a laugh.. you mean Barry took him 1 mile extra and still ended 1 length short of winning. If he has enough speed to outclass TNO at Kempton, he has enough speed to win a CH.
 
The same New One whos jockey wanted him running in the stayers? The same New One who gets out paced coming down that Cheltenham hill approaching 2out?


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Hendo has just about put up all 3 at this stage at some time or another. This is from De Boinnville's blog.

We have three in the race, but unfortunately I am not on any of the trio! All of them have decent claims but the stable is very confident – some would say ultra-confident – of Buveur D’Air running a massive race. This may seem an odd thing to say but I think he has had the ideal prep in many ways.

The best judge of all them all there in 7 Barrows is Corky Browne and thankfully he's firmly in the BD camp too.




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If BD drifts because of comments such as this and the perceived requirement for soft ground then all the better. :D
 
It really is a competitive race and I'm not surprised that opinion is so divided on the thread. At all the relevant prices I'm leaning this way:

Against - Yanworth (Too slow/lacks the gears) Brainpower (Not good enough imo) Petit Mouchoir (Typical Giggi champ hurdle horse - a future chaser) TNO (Lacks the gears)

For - Buveur D'air (Supreme form) Moon Racer (Potentially good enough) Wicklow Brave (County winner with Townend and improvement on flat last year) Sceau Royal (Drying ground and strong pace to suit)

Again, I stress the Pros for WB & SR are very much relative to their price and the possibility of them hitting the places.

Skybet going 4 places on this race for anyone interested.
 
I agree with Kauto to a certain extent.

A thousand horse have come round the outside to stay out of trouble and have won at Cheltenham so it's no excuse for not being good enough on the day.

Yanworth was totally novice like at the 3rd last and you can't possibly argue he failed to quicken when Yorkhill did.

He was found wanting and the only reason he got so close to Yorkhill was that Ruby had shot into the lead and at at point had the race won.
He then sat knowing he had the hill to climb and didn't get serious till after the last which allowed Yanworth to get closer but he was never going to pass.

If it doesn't worry you that he might lack the pace then you are kidding yourself

To be fair Yanworth was beaten because Yorkhill was much much superior on the day but then he was a raw novice then he isn't now.

However he still takes an awful long time to get into top gear and beating The New One who has beaten Clyne by 1 length and MTOY is no great recommendation

If something like Petit Mouchoir is allowed to put a burst in 2 out like Yorkhill did over the shorter trip Yanworth could be in big trouble.

As I have said before if Nicky does not use MTOY to ensure there's a breakneck gallop that will suit both of JP's other runners then he's not doing his job right.
 
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