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Glad to see the opinion that the Champion Hurdlers between Istabraq and Katchit weren’t worth much coming under attack.
An ill informed opinion. Brave Inca and the admirable Hardy have rightly had their defenders but I think a word for Rooster Booster is required. Some outrageous opinions here on his apparent standing in the pecking order with him being compared to some vastly inferior horses. Whilst his late development and win ratio could not have him in the stratospheric echelons of Champion Hurdlers he produced performances on 3 or 4 occasions that were beyond the capabilities of horses with far better reputations.Glad to see the opinion that the Champion Hurdlers between Istabraq and Katchit weren’t worth much coming under attack.
An ill informed opinion. Brave Inca and the admirable Hardy have rightly had their defenders but I think a word for Rooster Booster is required. Some outrageous opinions here on his apparent standing in the pecking order with him being compared to some vastly inferior horses. Whilst his late development and win ratio could not have him in the stratospheric echelons of Champion Hurdlers he produced performances on 3 or 4 occasions that were beyond the capabilities of horses with far better reputations.The 2009 Champion hurdle promises to be a cracker. There are unexposed and very promising younsters coming through to take on the established brigade.
At this stage there are a few issues bugging me :
Binocular – I agree with Fist that this horse is class. However wasn’t this horse a ten furlong horse on the flat? His performance at Aintree last season was very, very good but the nagging doubt I have about him is the Cheltenham hill. He was oustayed / outbattled up it by Captain Cee Bee last year and it leaves a nagging doubt in my mind that a similar thing might happen to him in the Champion.
Sizing Europe – Is the best hurdler around on ratings and surely would’ve won last years race had he not broken down? However last years race wasn’t as strong as 2009’s looks likely to be and I’m a bit worried about him too up the hill. Faded yesterday but wasn’t fit, but Cheltenham’s hill is daunting and I’m not convinced he gets every yard of 2 miles on that sort of track
Crack Away Jack – I believe he is a Cheltenham type. Won there last March. He will come from off the pace but is a horse that stays well he’s not just a bridle horse that possesses lots of speed he’s a tough bugger as well. Whether or not he’s quite good enough is a question waiting to be answered but he’s on the shortlist.
Katchit – Bless him. I can’t see him winning another Champion hurdle. Sure he will stay and he’s tough and I can see him placing but I don’t think he’ll have the speed to win this time around. I can see him being stepped up in trip before too long to 2 1/2 maybe even 3 miles. I think the softer the ground the better his chance as it will slow the others down.
Jered – On good ground you never know but I doubt he’ll be quite good enough. One that looks more Aintree than Cheltenham to me and anyway you rarely get Good ground at the festival nowadays. It’ll either be good to soft through watering or softer if the heavens open.
Punjabi – Developed into a smart horse. No forlorn hope. I’m not sure he’ll quite be good enough but wouldn’t have to improve enormously. Could well be in the shake up.
Osana – Had his chance last year I think. Unlikely to be good enough.
Celestial Halo – Now this is a horse I like. Beaten by Binocular at Aintree but that track is way too sharp for him, Cheltenham on the other hand is tailor made. Won there in March in a faster time than Binoculars but similar or softer ground this time round would be ideal. Is tough, has flat speed and will get every yard of the trip and will fight up the hill. A grade 1 winner from the Nicholls yard 20/1 ante post is big.
The others don’t make much appeal but its early days yet. Can’t wait for this renewal already.
I like this horse and thought he might be Tote Gold Trophy horse PC although that may prove to sharp for him. Surely NH will run him over further this season? I doubt if he has the remotest inkling that he could be a Champion Hurdle horse. Not while Punjabi and Binocular are around.
A lot currently revolves around how you read Sentry Dutys 7L thrashing of Celestial Halo (giving 3lb) at Donny – taken at face value its very impressive, wheher or not taking it at face value is right is debatable.
I think good ground is the key to the horse, along with being kept fresh.
I think Ashkazar could be the dark horse in the 2009 Champion Hurdle and I had a few quid at 20s last week.
I find it a little hard to understand why he was 20s and Crack Away Jack 7s when there wasn’t much between the pair in the 2008 Fred Winter after Ashkazar had won the Imperial Cup at Sandown 3 days earlier. You could argue that all Ashkazar did was set it up for Crack Away Jack and did well finishing a close 2nd.
Obviously the Pipe stable isn’t in great nick at the moment but I’m looking forward to when Ashkazar scopes clean and has his 1st run as I doubt there be much of the current 16s that is readily available.
I’ve heard that Ashkazar is the no.1 hope for the Pipe stable for the 2009 CH which is a pretty good filip when you consider they have Osana as well.
I think Ashkazar could be the dark horse in the 2009 Champion Hurdle and I had a few quid at 20s last week.
I find it a little hard to understand why he was 20s and Crack Away Jack 7s when there wasn’t much between the pair in the 2008 Fred Winter after Ashkazar had won the Imperial Cup at Sandown 3 days earlier. .
The reason for the price difference is that pre/early season Crack Away Jack came in for significant money in the market, there were reports that he came on leaps and bounds and then he threw in a very good looking performance which was later upheld by squadrons two follow up runs, at each stage he has been cut (other than when squadron ran yesterday).
It will be interesting to see who actually runs against Crack Away Jack on Saturday. In my opinion, Squadron didn’t beat much at Aintree (after PJN’s horse fell when beat) and didn’t think much of yesterday’s run either.
I’m a stats man and wouldn’t normally conider Ashkazar being a five-year-old, however, with Katchit winning last seasons and this season’s five-year-olds look so much stronger whilst at the same time the established horses are below par for this division, then I see no reason why a five-year-old can not win it again.
Ashkazar is the value when Crack Away Jack, who only beat him narrowly at Cheltenham when receiving weight, is a single figure price. In my opinion, irrespective of the Chepstow run, they should both be virtually the same price and I think Askkazar is the better horse of the pair. It was a shame he didn’t run in the greatwood yesterday as that has been an excellent guide to the Champion Hurdle in recent seasons.
In my opinion I think last season’s Champion Hurdle was one of the worst ever so I will be amazed if anything that ran in it were good enough to win what looks like being a better renewal bar Sizing Europe who had apparent excuses. Katchit will run his usual game race and I can’t see why the second, third and fourth, Osana, Punjabi and Sublimity, should be good enough this season if they weren’t good enough last season in a poor renewal.
You have to respect Sizing Europe as he came back with a problem but it does seem strange that he went from cruising to going out like a light so there has to be a doubt that he has a hole in him. Binocular was beaten in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and I know they rode him differently at Aintree where, held up until after the last flight, he outspeeded Celestial Halo (no great surprise there in retrospect as they are looking at staying hurdles with him this season) but I really wonder if Cheltenham will be his track. He looks all speed so something like the Christmas Hurdle could be at his mercy.
Glad I’m on Ashkazar at 20s but 16s still looks a big price to me but only time will tell………..
No need to wait WW I can tell you right now he wont win
Seriously though Crack Away Jack who is a huge horse and still considered to be a bit green beat Ashkabar very eaily at Cheltenham. When the two jumped the last he put 2 or 3 lenths between himself and the Pipe horse in a matter of strides…the 2 lengths winning margin doesn’t begin to describe the difference in the two. This is a horse that Nicky Henderson said he didn’t want Punjabi to clash with although he is likley to send Chomba Womba one of his lesser lights to Ascot. More hope than anything if you ask me.
If your bank manager follows racing and you think last years race was one of the worst and Ashkabar can win this year don’t be asking him for a loan to back it.
Wouldn’t suprise me if he ends up chasing soon. Lovely big horse who lloks a real chasing type but IMO a long way off CH class.hence his 20/1 price. Don’t forget he is trained by a Pipe and if he had the remotest chance you wouldn’t get a siff at 20’s
Think Binocular is a false favourite. Lost the Supreme Novices fair and square, his hype seems to revolve around a 7L beating of Celestial Halo at Aintree, who has patchy form himself with Sentry Duty beating him an identical distance at Doncaster whilst conceding weight.
Taking his form elsewhere out of it, a beating of Celestial Halo over 2 miles at Aintree is far from the most rock-solid form you’ll ever see. Note also that Harper Valley uprooted half of Liverpool on his way to being beaten 20l that day.
Supposidly NIcky Let him down a bit as he thought he wasn’t going to run. Binocular needs a tremendous amount of work to get him right so there could be some truth in that.
That aside PC lets not forget Binocular also ran in a much tougher event than the Triumph against older horse and beat all but one. He should be an even better horse this season and improve past those and is perfectly entitled to be up there in the betting. But I agree he should not be fav just yet.
Personally I would make Sizing Europe favourite as we know he’s a Champion Hurdle horse and hasn’t really done anything wrong since they made him 6/4 fav for last seasons race. Accident happen and he looks over it.
5/1 Sizing Europe, 11/2 Binoclar 6/1 Crack Away Jack is how I see it not that much different than the bookies see it but the two younger horses still have to prove it against the best of the older horses.
Of course I am hoping that will change but SE is going to be a very hard nut to crack…..but you can’t bet them all.
I think Binoculars form is rock solid, but he is a certain type of horse. At cheltenham he showed that he has a stamina limit, but he and captain cee bee were impressive as hell. You cant just read binoculars form you have to watch him, and he is fast as hell in a finish in the average race pace, and especially on good ground, where as he showed at aintree he is at the height of his powers.
There are plenty of horses in the champion hurdle field who I would expect could do Binocular for stamina, if the ground was tacky again and the pace was testing again, but if the race was good then Katchit, Crackaway Jack and possibly sublimity are the only others who may have the speed to cope with Binocular IMO.
I also think that probably about 3/4s of last years and probably this years this years champ hurlde contenders would have finished behind binocular at Aintree.
Binocular’s current price would look somewhat short for a horse who is ground dependant, but most of those heading the market are somewhat ground dependant, and his stable seem to be backing him ahead of his run on saturday. 6s and 7s was where he was sat before any support which looking at his opposition would probably be about right IMO.
I know the WFA is there for a reason, but personally i can’t be as impressed as most with Binoculars 2nd in the SN due to the 8lb he recieved.
He could well prove me well wrong this season, no doubt about it, but currently he’s on my oppose list. I’d back Sentry Duty to beat him well off levels on good ground over 2m.
I doubt if Binny will be running in handicaps for the 2 to meet PC.
To be perfectly frank with you I couldn’t see Sentry Duty get within 10 lengths of Binocular of levels. He’s a nice horse and will win handicaps but the Champion Hurdle? There’s a million miles of a difference and as hard as it may be for you to swallow Sentry Duty would be all but tailed off in a Champion Hurdlel
The other day he was getting nearly a stone of the likes of Blue Bajan who must he a stone behind the likes of Binocular. you really are away off the mark on this one mate.
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