The Road To The 2018 Champion Hurdle

Who will win the 2018 CH

  • Buveur D'Air

    Votes: 17 54.8%

  • Faugheen

    Votes: 10 32.3%

  • Other

    Votes: 4 12.9%
  • Total voters
    31
  • Poll closed .
"The likes of Menorah, Ashkazar, Overturn, Celestial Halo (twice), Any Given Day, Zarkandar (twice), Cape Tribulation, Melodic Rendezvous, Saphir Du Rheu, Whisper, Purple Bay, Silsol (twice), Irving and Arctic Fire proving the calibre of horse required for such a feat"

And none of those were good enough to win a Champion Hurdle either.
 
The very fact that so many horses have achieved it, rather dilutes the 'feat' in the first place, and the fact that none of the winners are/were genuine G1 hurdlers, further dilutes it.

If this is a quote from the Post, you have to despair at the level of journalism.
 
I am totally convinced that come March all well before it that 4/1 Buveur D'air is going to look very very generous.

He's already been there and done it and even if Faugheen does see a racecourse again..name we one horse who came back after a 2 year lay off to win a Champion Hurdle?

Even if he did come back he'd find the Henderson horse a very hard nut to crack
 
I think the only thing JP knows is Defi is very smart and not a bad CH substitute to be having.

How good he actually is compared to Buveur D'air is anyone's guess but he'd have to improve a ton to displace him as the yards number one hope.

If you are thinking Buveur D'Air might switch, there's more chance of Enabled going chasing than him
 
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"Faugheen is back in full training, though we actually had him doing fast work before we threw him out in the field, after he was not ready for Punchestown. We kept him in the whole month of May."
Asked if we retained faith in Faugheen, he said: "Of course. Since we decided to let him off, he has come back in with a lot of condition. The Morgiana Hurdle at Punchestown in November would be the aim. He is fit and well, he was unlucky last year."
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"Yorkhill is back riding out every day in good form, though we haven't made a decision on what we will do at this stage - we could go both ways. He is very difficult over fences and finds hurdling a lot easier.
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"Melon has come back very strong, is in good form and, while he could go the novice chase route, we'd probably be angling towards a hurdling campaign. He was very inexperienced going to Cheltenham last year."
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Be nice to think Faugheen might come back to his best.

Rising 10yo this season, so not impossible.......though he has had an awful lot of time off, and they're bound to go steady-enough with him when he does eventually return to the track.
 
Who is the mystery Champion Hurdle horse, archie?

Douvan and/or Great Field for Champion Chase?

Yorkhill and/or Min for Ryanair Chase?

Nothing for Gold Cup?
 
Min available at 20/1 and Melon at 25/1. I'd have thought that both will go chasing. I'm talking about the second string for the Supreme.
 
Too early to say, PJ, but there's plenty of reasons for optimism.

Buveur D'Air is a worthy favourite at this stage, but him apart, the rest of the division is weak (relatively speaking). Defi should have nothing to fear from the established UK 2m hurdlers, and I'd say he probably has even less to concern himself about, when it comes to graduating novices. The Irish challenge also looks quite thin - though Faugheen's return to the track might change that view.

Defi travels, jumps, quickens, goes on any ground, stands plenty of racing, will stay beyond 2m, and already has stacks of track form at Cheltenham. That is a much more attractive profile than most others I can think of, and I don't see any reason why he can't go right to the top, and give Buveur D'Air plenty to think about next season.

Now he is confirmed for a hurdling campaign, the 8/1 or so that's knocking about ante-post, is a fair price to get him onside early, I reckon.
 
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JP will run them both so dutching them just now isn't a bad idea.


If only one makes it then the other one will be long odds on if both turn up unbeaten they will be 5/4 and 9/4...you can probably get better odds backing 2 AP than you can backing 1 on the day
 
Defi wants a stiffer/more galloping track than Kempton, so I would personally send Buveur there for the Xmas Hurdle.

Defi will have won the Bula/International a couple of weeks beforehand, and will be on light-duties at Christmas as a result. :ninja:
 
It would be nice to see Philip Hobbs have a very good horse on his hands

He done all he had to as a juvenile last year but he has it all to prove again and some more

At least he isn't trained by Alan King
 
Standard fare for a 4yo. You never really know until their tested in all-aged company........but Defi looks more than a cut above an average juvenile (to these rheumy eyes anyway), and I have high-hopes for him.

Re AK, I whole-heartedly concur!
 
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Just give it to Buveur D'Air again please. I don't want to have to start spelling out to you all from Christmas on as to why he'll win it....again. ;)




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According to Matt Chapman in his Sun column today Faugheen is cantering away at home and pencilled in for the Morgiana Hurdle.
 
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