The Road to the 2017 Champion Hurdle

Grasshopper said:
Name a horse that has gone on under his care, after two seasons - either hurdles or fences.

As a trainer, I think he is massively over-rated.
Click to expand...

This is Sceau Royal's second season at the jumping game so I presume you have high hopes then Grass. :cool:
 
Grasshopper said:
Name a horse that has gone on under his care, after two seasons - either hurdles or fences.
Click to expand...

It won't matter if SR wins it this season, will it?

As I said before, I didn't back it because I think it will win. I backed because I think it was overpriced at 33/1 because I went high with my figures for his Cheltenham win. Despite a 10lbs rise for that, he still went off 4/6f for a fairly serious handicap so clearly plenty of people reckoned 10lbs wasn't enough and he had a job horse beat when that one fell.

I backed him at the 33s because I reckoned by the time the race came round he'd be less than half the price and I wasn't really expecting him to reappear so soon. I said at the time if he were mine I'd put him away for the Schweppes ahead of the Champion but of course he's maybe too young this season given how difficult it can be for 5yos to win it.
 
I have don't really have an opinion on Sceau Royal, DO. My posts were more about King, and his capacities as a trainer - though as a result, I was probably more dismissive of SR's Champions Hurdle chance than is warranted.

Paul, I obviously expected to hear about the exceptions to my 'rule', so no surprise my end. In my view, horses who pass through his hand, for the most part, fail to maintain their form beyond a couple of seasons. Given the patronage he has and the cash he throws around at the sales, he is just about the worst value-for-money trainer in the UK, imo.
 
Last edited:
That performance from Sceaux Royal two weeks ago was exceptional, and then he backed it up yesterday. He's improved an absolute ton since last season.

The handicapper will no doubt hammer him now, so I doubt he'll be running in handicaps again this season, and they'll have to set their sights high. Even so I'm with Desert Orchid, and I'd be tempted to give him a break and save him for Newbury in February, before a crack at The Champion Hurdle where he may well be capable of pinching a place as a fresher horse. That said there's a real shortage of top class horses for the Grade 1's this side of the water (only My Tent and Buveur D'air really), so they may take there chance to pick up some nice races between now and March while they can.

I'll be really interested to see how Winter Escape progresses this season. He goes in the Greatwood where he'll carry my dough, and I suspect King and JP think he's going to make up into a Champion Hurdle contender. Two bullets to fire for King at the big one possibly then, but beating Faugheen and/or Annie Power is a whole different ball game. It's also possible Yanworth goes this route, but I'd be fairly certain he'll go down the World Hurdle route, and get there with an outstanding chance.

I suspect King will have a decent Festival if the yard's in form by the way, as he's normally got one or two nicely handicapped and under the radar each March.
 
You raise an interesting point about trainer value for money Nick.

I remember Tony Keenan producing a brilliant article on trainer value for money on Irish racing with Gordon Elliott coming out on top for value.
 
Maruco said:
That performance from Sceaux Royal two weeks ago was exceptional, and then he backed it up yesterday. He's improved an absolute ton since last season.

The handicapper will no doubt hammer him now, so I doubt he'll be running in handicaps again this season, and they'll have to set their sights high. Even so I'm with Desert Orchid, and I'd be tempted to give him a break and save him for Newbury in February, before a crack at The Champion Hurdle where he may well be capable of pinching a place as a fresher horse. That said there's a real shortage of top class horses for the Grade 1's this side of the water (only My Tent and Buveur D'air really), so they may take there chance to pick up some nice races between now and March while they can.

I'll be really interested to see how Winter Escape progresses this season. He goes in the Greatwood where he'll carry my dough, and I suspect King and JP think he's going to make up into a Champion Hurdle contender. Two bullets to fire for King at the big one possibly then, but beating Faugheen and/or Annie Power is a whole different ball game. It's also possible Yanworth goes this route, but I'd be fairly certain he'll go down the World Hurdle route, and get there with an outstanding chance.

I suspect King will have a decent Festival if the yard's in form by the way, as he's normally got one or two nicely handicapped and under the radar each March.
Click to expand...

Yes, much of this went through my head too, Maruco. I wondered why connections were exposing the horse this early in the season. Could it be they're using him as a marker for something they hold in higher regard?
 
Grasshopper said:
I have don't really have an opinion on Sceau Royal, DO. My posts were more about King, and his capacities as a trainer - though as a result, I was probably more dismissive of SR's Champions Hurdle chance than is warranted.
Click to expand...

Accepted, and your point is well made.
 
Diamond Geezer said:
OK the Fighting Fifth is a race in itself but a service stop along the road to the CH

http://www.racinguk.com/news/article/46998/sceau-royal-set-for-fighting-fifth-mission-at-newcastle
Click to expand...

service stop?..service stopper for the winner of it more like.

FF winners don't win CH's..year in year out i get the.."why not?"..and year in year out it holds up..obviously when it comes true yet again..its never mentioned later..first time one does it will be queueing up to point it out..such is punter thinking

if sceaux royal wins it..forget the CH..spend your stake on xmas instead:)

just trying to help by the way..i knows thats an odd concept in this game..but there you go
 
Last edited:
That statement is a comedy of errors. You need to reach for the night nurse before dawn run comes.
Beech Road, Sea Pigeon, Gaye Brief, Kribensis and Punjabi have all won both, some the same season, some in other years.
Just saying.
 
Last edited:
Maxbet said:
That statement is a comedy of errors. You need to reach for the night nurse before dawn run comes.
Beech Road, Sea Pigeon, Gaye Brief, Kribensis and Punjabi have all won both, some the same season, some in other years.
Just saying.
Click to expand...

same season only...check back the last 20 years..a quid on each one..how much you won?..bearing in mind punjabi must be one of the worse CH winners we seen in that period..a pissy win since kribensis don't look a key indicator to my eyes..but its all about opinion

i remember the great days of the FF..we aren't in them now..and not been for some time..its a very poor CH indicator now
 
Last edited:
My big question is who is in charge of bringing horses over, from the racecourse management? Because those from Newcastle are doing a terrible job at it. They have the classic 2nd most important hurdle race in the calendar on their hands and only get Mullins to send his 3rd strings of hurdlers.
 
Someone I know was at Closutton two or three weeks ago and their observation was that Annie looked really fit and Faugheen not so fit.
 
granger said:
Say literally which ever of them is the most forward - given how burly Faugheen has looked in his pipe openers to date, probably Annie and 2 others
Click to expand...

On the recent interviews they did say that Faugheen has only just started work.
 
Aughex said:
My big question is who is in charge of bringing horses over, from the racecourse management? Because those from Newcastle are doing a terrible job at it. They have the classic 2nd most important hurdle race in the calendar on their hands and only get Mullins to send his 3rd strings of hurdlers.
Click to expand...

Is that the "classic 2nd most important hurdle race" in the Newcastle calendar or the UK/UK&I calendar?

I seriously doubt it is the top five UK hurdles races.
 
Back
Top