Each year, avalanches of Irish and English punters descend onto Prestbury Park, home to National Hunts biggest stage, The Cheltenham Festival.
Held in mid March, over a four day period, the sight of racing’s finest battling it out up the Cheltenham Hill brings every punter to life.
Run over 2 miles and 110 yards, eight flights are jumped in Tuesday’s Champion Hurdle. It is the ultimate test for any top class hurdler. Both speed and stamina are required to get home and if there are any “chinks in one’s armour”, the Cheltenham Hill will find them out.
So who is going to triumph, in what promises to be one of the best renewals seen in many a year?
Hurricane Fly
The Willie Mullins trained 10-year-old, became the first horse to regain his title at last year’s festival, since Comedy Of Errors back in 1975. Rather than spectacular “The Fly” showed both guts and determination to recapture his crown by defeating the previous year’s Champion Rock on Ruby, by two and a half lengths.
This season, the record breaking nineteen times Grade One winner, has looked as good as ever. In the Ryanair Hurdle at Leopardstown, during the Christmas period, the son of Saddlers Wells was breathtaking.
By taking the scalps of both young pretenders Jezki and Our Conor, the four times Irish Champion Hurdle winner showed who was still the King over the smaller obstacles. The form would be upheld in the Irish Champion Hurdle also at Leopardstown, after a slow pace and a blunder at the last, he got the better of both Our Conor and Jezki.
My concerns are that the “Hurricane” may not be quite as good around Cheltenham, as say Leopardstown or Punchestown. At both Irish tracks he simply looks unbeatable but at Cheltenham, I feel his undoubted class has got him home for both his previous victories.
Furthermore I think the “Champ” may be meeting a better class of animal this year in the younger brigade and with no successful 10-year-old in this race since Sea Pigeon in 1980, it may pay to take him on, but with whom?
Our Conor
Third to Hurricane Fly at Christmas in the above mentioned race, Our Conor has a bit to find. To be fair he did reverse form with Jezki in the Irish Champion but still found Hurricane Fly to good after looking like the winner at the last flight.
The son of Jeremy was spectacular in last year’s Triumph Hurdle ,winning by some fifteen lengths from Far West and I suspect the now 5-year-old will come on for both his runs at Leopardstown.
The problem is 5-year-olds rarely win Champion Hurdles and only one 5-year-old has won this event since 1985, Katchit back in 2008. I feel Our Conor may well be a future Champion Hurdler but this year’s renewal may come too soon.
Dessie Hughes will have to find more improvement in Our Conor in a short time to defeat the current Champion Hurdler; although it should be highlighted Cheltenham may well bring out the best in him.
Jezki
Jezki’s handler Jessica Harrington came close in landing this prize with Mac’s Joy back in 2006. The Co. Kildare handler also has high hopes for this gelding.
The 6-year-old ran a cracker behind Hurricane Fly at Leopardstown but did not improve on that effort when finishing last of four in the Irish Champion at the same venue, race probably not run to suit and only three and a quarter lengths separated the four runners.
However in two previous visits to Cheltenham, Bumper 2012 and The Supreme in 2013 (behind My Tent Or Yours), the son of Milan has finished eight and third respectively.
When you consider that 24 of the last 29 winners have won at Cheltenham beforehand, the odds are stacked against the J P McManus owned gelding, but he should run an honest race.
My Tent Or Yours
Like Jezki, this striking son of Desert Prince is owned by renowned Irish gambler JP McManus. The 7-year-old is trained in the UK by five times winning trainer Nicky Henderson and AP McCoy will have choice of rides, I suspect McCoy will ride this fellow come March time.
The Christmas Hurdle at Kempton left us with more questions than answers. Pitched against The New One, he eventually prevailed by half a length after The New One made a hash of the last flight, resulting in jockey Sam Twiston-Davies losing an iron.
I am convinced that if The New One had jumped the last cleanly, we would have witnessed a different outcome. I also suspect that “The Tent” may be better on a flatter track like Kempton or Aintree, rather than the undulations of Cheltenham.
Over last year’s course and distance in the Supreme Novices Hurdle, the Christmas Hurdle winner was out battled by the Willie Mullin’s trained Champagne Fever, after leading at the last, with Jezki a further two and a quarter lengths back in third.
The Irish bred may well be there at the finish, has never finished out of the first two, but I suspect even a renowned McCoy drive will not get him past the likes of Hurricane Fly and The New One.
The New One
Trained by Gold Cup winning trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies, the 6-year-old is for me the biggest threat to Hurricane Fly. Having gifted the Christmas Hurdle to My Tent Or Yours at Kempton, connections lost no faith in their stable-star.
Winner of six of his nine hurdles starts, (four have come at Cheltenham) last year’s Neptune Hurdle winner possesses a high cruising speed. Add the fact that the Irish Bred can quicken off a strong pace, leads me to believe, that The New One is the one they all have to beat.
The son of King’s Theatre has progressed considerably from last year. After losing to Zarkandar at Aintree in April, he convincingly got revenge at Cheltenham by beating the above mentioned by six lengths, going away.
The Mrs. S Such owned gelding is a class act and Hurricane Fly will have to be on top of his game to retain his crown. The New One may just have too much toe for the reigning Champion as they come up the Cheltenham Hill. Some doubters point to his jumping but in a truly run race, his jumping should stand up.
Others
Others to consider are the Willie Mullins trained pair Un De Sceaux and Annie Power. If the ground comes up soft- heavy, both come into the reckoning.
At time of writing it is unclear which race Annie Power will run in. The 6-year-old won a Grade Two Mares only race at Doncaster over an extended two miles on her latest start, but if connections opt for the Champion rather than the World Hurdle, I feel she may find one or two to good over the minimum trip.
Un De Sceaux is the dark horse of the race; basically we don’t know how good the Willie Mullin’s 6-year-old is. Having won two races in France, the son of Denham Red has won four on the trot in Ireland; his latest by some 53 lengths, be it just a three horse race.
French bred, all his victories have come on soft ground and the gelding has no form at Cheltenham. Considering one so young and inexperienced it would be quite an achievement to capture the prize come March, but if the ground rides on the heavy side this front runner may take some catching.
Summary
It what promises to be the best renewal of this race in recent years this could easily be the race of the festival. Reigning “Champ” Hurricane Fly will be a tough nut to crack. Now 10-years-old he is looking to join an elite club consisting of Hatton’s Grace, Sir Ken, Persian War, See You then and most recently Istabraq, by winning three Champion Hurdles.
However, I do feel that the new brigade represents his toughest challenge to date and getting no younger Willie Mullins star should be taken on.
The New One for me ticks all the right boxes. Prolific at Cheltenham, four victories to date and the ability to quicken off a fast pace may well prove decisive at the finish.
Waggaman’s Verdict
The New One
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