Are Hurdles irrelevant?

[thejudge1]

I just wonder how much importance you give to jumping in choosing your selection for the hurdle races at cheltenham.

I can understand it being important that you can jump fences well but how much can a hurdle really slow a horse down?

Ok if a horse falls, like Charli Parcs did the other day, then obviously it matters but I can’t remember many hurdle races at the festival (or anywhere else) being decided by jumping.

Is there any horse that you’ve decided to back because you think it’s a particularly good hurdler, or is irrelevant?

[ham]

Every bit as important as jumping fences without stating the obvious, all about momentum, poor jumping over hurdles and losing momentum, stop/starting will effect a horses chances the same as jumping fences poorly does

Yanworth is a good example, although he won his 3 races this season, he would probably have won a fair bit easier had he been slick over his hurdles, one of the qualities that might find him out in the CH- cant jump poorly and win that

[Jasolong]

Hurdles have a massive impact if not all the best bumper horses and flat horses would win everytime.
My favourite in recent years is binocular winning 2009 champion hurdle. His fluency was extraordinary

[thewexfordman]

Look at you tube at the 3 races hurricane fly beat jezki in in 2014/2015. The morgiana, the Christmas 2mile hurdle at leopardstown and the Irish champion hurdle of 2015. On each of the 3 races they were just about level jumping the last but jezki jumped poorly each time and the fly winged them. That’s the difference jumping makes in hurdles races

[Steeplechasing]

I reckon that over 2 miles a horse with a top-notch hurdling technique would destroy one who was a stone better than him on the flat if the latter had just a workmanlike technique.

[Gingertipster]

I always take it in to account when assessing a race.

Value Is Everything

[thejudge1]

Everyone thinks hurdles are very relevant

Yet not one of you can name a horse at Cheltenham this year that is a good jumper of hurdles….

[thewexfordman]

thejudge1 wrote:

Everyone thinks hurdles are very relevant

Yet not one of you can name a horse at Cheltenham this year that is a good jumper of hurdles….

That’s not what you asked though?

[charlie87]

thejudge1 wrote:

Everyone thinks hurdles are very relevant

Yet not one of you can name a horse at Cheltenham this year that is a good jumper of hurdles….

Of course they are very relevant, it’s not even debatable. If Yanworth jumped as well as Buveur D’air then he would be clear favourite and probably odds on for the CH. There’s one example, which is not what you initially asked for in your OP, and I have neither the time or inclination to start listing ‘good jumpers’ of hurdles at Cheltenham.

[thejudge1]

But Yanworth will win anyway

And if you haven’t got the “time or inclination” then jog on.

[Nathan Hughes]

It depends though on how Yanworth jumps them at the faster pace, he could be more fluent or the mistakes could take more out of him, lose more ground than in previous races

Gaelic Warrior Gold Cup Winner 2026

[Gingertipster]

Don’t know if he’s running at Chelenham (possibly Aintree) but Lough Derg Spirit is particularly good.

Value Is Everything

[plecornu1808]

Anyone who backed Dunguib will say yes.

[Zarkava]

What’s 2 + 2?

thejudge1 wrote:

Everyone thinks hurdles are very relevant

Yet not one of you can name a horse at Cheltenham this year that is a good jumper of hurdles….

That has literally NOTHING to do with what you asked :D

[Author]

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