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The small man’s dream lives on, and I hope it always will. Nice wee story in the Champion Hurdle entries press release:
Faugheen powered home in the extended two-mile hurdle championship contest in 2015 by a length and a half from his stable companion Arctic Fire, who is entered once again.
The eight-year-old is after his third consecutive victory at The Festival, having taken the Neptune Investment Management Novices’ Hurdle in 2014. Faugheen, only beaten once in 12 starts, was last seen out when winning the Grade One Christmas Hurdle at Kempton Park on Boxing Day for the second year in succession.
Nichols Canyon, the only horse to have beaten Faugheen, could also represent trainer Willie Mullins along with Sempre Medici, who was runner-up in the Grade Two International at Cheltenham in December.
There are five Irish-trained entries as Henry de Bromhead has entered this season’s Fighting Fifth Hurdle winner Identity Thief.
Nicky Henderson is the joint most successful trainer ever in the race with five victories and the Lambourn handler has made five entries this year.
The quintet from Seven Barrows are dual Grade One winner and 2014 Stan James Champion runner-up My Tent Or Yours, Sign Of A Victory and the first three horses home in the Grade One JCB Triumph Hurdle at The Festival last year – Peace And Co, Top Notch and Hargam.
Paul Nicholls landed the Champion Hurdle in 2012 with Rock On Ruby and has two entries this year – Old Guard and All Yours.
Five-year-old Old Guard has proved himself at Cheltenham this season with wins in the Greatwood Handicap Hurdle and the International in November but he could only finish fourth behind Faugheen in the Christmas Hurdle. All Yours was a Grade One winner at Aintree last season but disappointed on his only outing this campaign at Wincanton.
The New One finished second to Faugheen in the Christmas Hurdle and has lined up at The Festival the past four years, faring best when taking the 2013 Neptune Investment Management Novices’ Hurdle. He has contested the Champion Hurdle twice, coming home third to Jezki in 2014 and fifth last year.
Of the 14 British-trained entries, 13 are located in England and one in Scotland. James Ewart, based near Langholm in Dumfriesshire, is responsible for the Scottish hope, Aristo Du Plessis who has won his last six completed starts, rising from a rating of 109 to 150 after his latest success in the Hogmaneigh Handicap Hurdle at Musselburgh on New Year’s Day. Characteristically, the French-bred six-year-old made all the running under top-weight to triumph by four lengths.
The progressive Aristo Du Plessis will return to Musselburgh for the third consecutive time in the £25,000 Scottish County Handicap Hurdle on Sunday, February 7.
Ewart said: “Aristo Du Plessis is the flagship horse for us and we will consider our options after Musselburgh. We could go to Cheltenham but he is still a young horse and his main aim this season is the Scottish Champion Hurdle (a limited handicap hurdle at Ayr on April 16). But if he runs very well at Musselburgh and everybody is in agreement the Champion Hurdle will be seriously considered.
“He has not run in a Listed or Graded race but his rating is now 150 and he is rated not far off Grade One winners. We will have to see how he gets on in a level weights contest – hopefully the handicapper is right.
“Most of our horses are from France and he came through our usual connections. He won a National Hunt bumper in France and I went over and saw him. He is not much to look at but we did a piece of work with him and he shone so we bought him.
“He had exactly the same problem as Cue Card – a trapped epiglottis – and that was operated on last summer and has led to a marked improvement.
“So far so good with him but he has not moved up yet into graded races where everything is different. If the Champion Hurdle cuts up and there were only seven or eight runners then I could see us taking our place in the race.
“But we will know a lot more after Musselburgh. If he wins there and the handicapper raises him another 8lb then he would be rated the same as Peace And Co and would be entitled to be there. He is a very progressive horse. He should have won nine races – he was second in one (Sedgefield, February, 2015) when we got the tactics wrong and he fell at Wetherby (October, 2015) where he would have won if he had stood up.
“He is predominantly a speed horse and therefore you have got to use him from the front. It is tremendously exciting to have a horse like him – I have been training here since 2004 and I have only had two runners at the Cheltenham Festival because it is so hard to produce a horse good enough to go there let alone to compete in a Grade One Blue Riband contest like the Champion Hurdle. It is what we all work for.”
Other entries include War Sound, not seen out since landing the valuable Swinton Handicap Hurdle at Haydock Park in May and Camping Ground, who emerged as hurdler of rare talent when taking the Grade Two Dornan Engineering Relkeel Hurdle over two and a half miles at Cheltenham on New Year’s Day.
Completing the entries are the John Ferguson-trained pair of Parlour Games and Purple Bay, both Grade Two winners, plus Mad Jack Mytton.
“As sponsors, and racing enthusiasts, we are delighted with the strength in depth to the entries in this year’s Stan James Champion Hurdle,” said the sponsors’ representative Ed Nicholson.
“Not only do we have last year’s first and second entered, in Faugheen and Arctic Fire, but last year’s second favourite for the race, The New One and the first three from last season’s Triumph Hurdle in Peace And Co, Top Notch and Hargam.
“When you add into the mix the only horse ever to beat Faugheen, Nichols Canyon, and Stan James Champion Hurdle Trials winners Old Guard and Identity Thief- you really have the who’s who of two mile hurdling entered.”
Great to see Ewart with a really good horse. Very hard working team (as most of them are of course) with great facilities and real ambition.
We all have dreams.
The clock tells me that James Ewart’s Aristo Du Plessis has no chance against Faugheen.
Aristo Du Plessis
07Feb16 Mus 15.5Sft C1HcHL 14K 110
01Jan16 Mus 15.5GS C2HcH 25K 114
06Nov15 Mus 15.5Gd C3HcH 8K 98
31Oct15 Ayr 16GS C2HcH 12K 69
14Oct15 Wet 16Gd C3HcH 5K 0
17Apr15 Ayr 16Gd C3HcH 7K 116
27Mar15 Wet 16Gd C4NvH 3K 108
24Feb15 Cat 15.5Sft C5MdH 2K 67
19Feb15 Sed 17GS C4NvH 3K 65
16Jan15 Mus 19.5GS C4HcH 3K 69
01Jan15 Cat 19.5GS C4NvH 4K 79
16Dec14 Cat 19.5GS C4NvH 3K 86
27Oct14 Ayr 16GS C4NvH 3K 24Faugheen
24Jan16 Leo 16Sft HG1 48K 147
26Dec15 Kem 16GS C1HG1 56K 132
15Nov15 Pun 16Sft HG1 39K 127
01May15 Pun 16Gd/Y HG1 93K 138
10Mar15 Chl 16.5GS C1HG1 227K 140
26Dec14 Kem 16GS C1HG1 57K 141
22Nov14 Asc 19.5Sft C1H 50K 92
29Apr14 Pun 16Gd/Y NvHG1 46K 110
12Mar14 Chl 21Gd C1NvHG1 68K 137
28Dec13 Lim 24Hy NvHG3 15K 85
07Dec13 Nav 20Gd/Y NvH 7K 74
17Nov13 Pun 22Y MdH 7K 58Mike.
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