3.05 Cheltenham: Champion Hurdle
Preview
In a week of big races, the highlight of Day 1 sees a cracking renewal of the Champion Hurdle with a small but very select field of 10 going to post. Despite the smallish field, I still expect it to be run at an honest pace with a few that could go forward including confirmed front runners Aspire Tower & Not So Sleepy.
The Favourite
The last 6 winners of this race have come into the race having an unblemished seasonal record meaning this has been a race for favourites in recent times, the exception being Espoir D’Allen who won at 16/1 in 2019. This year, there is one such contender in the form of the favourite Honeysuckle. This 7 year old mare is actually 10 from 10 in her hurdles career & is a former Festival winner having landed the Mares Hurdle on this card a year ago. Having won the Hatton’s Grace over half a mile further in November & then the Irish Champion Hurdle last month by 10 lengths in impressive style (with 3 of today’s rivals behind), she looks a very solid favourite but odds of around 7/4 don’t interest me with a few I could see troubling her.
Contenders
The first of those is last season’s victor & the other mare in the field in Epatante. She was impressive that day & looked in fine form when winning the Fighting Fifth on her reappearance but then disappointed when turned over at odds of ⅕ in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton. She’s not been seen since but that was the route she took last year too & given her trainers excellent record in the race, she isn’t one to write off just yet. Her odds & the fact Barry Geraghty is no longer riding put me off.
Towards the head of the market, Goshen is the big unknown. Poised to land the Triumph Hurdle last year, he was miles clear coming to the last before unseating Jamie Moore & bids for compensation stepping up in class here. This season, he ran a couple of poor races on the flat before finishing plumb last here in the International Hurdle. That put him out of the picture for this before hacking up in the Kingwell last month when over 20 lengths clear of Song For Someone. He was in receipt of 6lbs & the field wasn’t that quite strong so he still has questions to answer & is short at 5/1. Add to that, he’s just a 5 year old who have 2 wins from 105 runners in the last 34 years & I’m happy to ignore his chances.
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Outsiders
Talking of 5 year olds, there are 2 others in the 10 strong field. Aspire Tower is a decent type & has twice finished in front of Abacadabras this year but small fields where he’s been able to dictate the pace have helped & he’s surely in this to ensure an end to end gallop for stablemate Honeysuckle. The other in this age group is James De Berlais, another big unknown having his first run for Willie Mullins since leaving France but he looks to have it all to do.
Saldier & Not So Sleepy are the 2 outsiders in this field & on all known form, that’s exactly where they deserve to be whilst Silver Streak & Sharjah both have chances on their best form. The former was 6th in this last year but beat Epatante at Kempton over Christmas whilst the latter was 2nd in this last year coming from off the pace under his typical exaggerated waiting tactics. The smaller field may not suit but he’s followed a similar path to last year, winning at Leopardstown at Christmas before failing at the Dublin Racing Festival in February. That seems to be a pattern with him. Of greater concern is the fact the last 12 winners have had a maximum of 12 career runs over hurdles & both him & Silver Streak fail on that score.
Betting
Of all which leads us to our bet in Abacadabras. I backed him last year to get us off the perfect start in the Supreme & was counting my money as he cruised up to the lead approaching the last. He probably got there too soon & was beaten by a head to the current Arkle favourite Shiskin. Interestingly, 4 of the last 9 winners of this were placed in either the Supreme or the Ballymore from the previous year & the selection will bid to make this 5 from 10. In that time, 6 winners were second season hurdlers & he’s one of just 3, with 5 year olds Goshen & Aspire Tower the other 2.
Only 2nd on reappearance behind Aspire Tower, he then recorded his only win of the campaign when getting up to land the Morgiana. He then disappointed in the Matheson but his yard’s runners were massively underperforming then & he was found to have mucus in his trachea post race so it’s easy to put a line through that. Remember, that’s the only time he’s finished out of the first 2 in 9 starts over hurdles. On his last start in the Irish Champion, he looked like he was approaching his best when 2nd to Honeysuckle, well clear of the other 4 rivals. A stronger pace & slightly better ground is certain to suit & with one bookie paying 5 places, he looks a cracking each way bet. Whether he can get the better of the Honeysuckle is questionable so I’ll also take him in without the favourite market.
Tips
Back Abacadabras (e/w) for a 1/10 stake at 9.00 William Hill BOG (⅕ odds 1-5)
Back Abacadabras in the ‘without Honeysuckle’ market for a 1/10 stake at 6.50 William Hill
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