World Hurdle Thread 2015

[Morning Glory]

BOMBSHELL: Ladbrokes World Hurdle winner More Of That is to undergo a wind operation, says trainer Jonjo O'Neill.

Recovery from that is what 4/5 weeks ? Can't afford any hiccups now - 3 months to Festival.

[Morning Glory]

Long Walk has just 5 left in. Reve De Sivola has obviously won it before but looks like Zakandars for the taking. Any woutes on why Beat that not running ?

[Sprinter]

More of that expected back in February.

[mayo]

Rock on Ruby 10/1 NRNB looks an each way steal. Record of horses who have run in Champion Hurdle the only thing stopping me having a proper lump on him.

[Old Vic]

Jetson


"He was probably a little bit intimidated when the big horse came alongside him, but he stuck at it well and we'll probably go straight to Cheltenham now.
"The only option between now and then over here is the Galmoy Hurdle and he'd have to carry a 7lb penalty in that for winning a Grade One.
"I think we'll go straight for the World Hurdle. He's run well there in the past and we know he likes the track."

[Old Vic]

At Fishers x

Cheltenham's Cleeve Hurdle is a possible next port of call for At Fishers Cross after he was described as being "slightly sore" following his run at Leopardstown over Christmas.
The dual Grade One winner disappointed on his seasonal reappearance at Wetherby, but was sent off favourite to get his season back on track in the Christmas Hurdle at Leopardstown on 28 December.
The JP McManus-owned eight-year-old could only manage fourth place, however, having failed to convince in the jumping department, after which a minor problem was discovered and he has remained in Ireland since.
Trainer Rebecca Curtis is looking forward to welcoming her stable star back to Wales this week and the Cleeve Hurdle on 24 January is the next objective.
Curtis said: "He was slightly sore after Leopardstown and something was slightly niggling him. He jumped out to his right, so there was obviously something at him.
"We left him in Ireland for the vets over there to have a look at him and the plan is for him to come home this week.
"We'll see how he is when we get him home, but if everything is looking good, we could possibly aim him at the Cleeve Hurdle."

[mayo]

[Morning Glory]

Whisper has been given an entry !

[Old Vic]

The reigning champion More Of That stars among 36 entries for the Ladbrokes World Hurdle. More Of That was an excellent winner of the three-mile hurdling championship last year, getting the better of Annie Power (10/1 with Ladbrokes) by a length and a half, and is the 7/2 favourite with the sponsor to retain the crown.

The Jonjo O’Neill-trained seven-year-old surrendered his unbeaten record when third to Medinas in the Grade Two Long Distance Hurdle at Newbury in November and has subsequently undergone a wind operation.

Annie Power is one of eight entries for Ireland’s champion Jump trainer Willie Mullins but has not run this season after a setback in November. All of Mullins’ other entries are also Grade One winners, including exciting five-year-old Abbyssial (40/1), 2013 Weatherbys Champion Bumper hero Briar Hill (14/1) and dual French Champion Hurdle victor Thousand Stars (33/1).

The 17 Irish-trained entries also feature Lieutenant Colonel (Sandra Hughes, 10/1), who doubled his Grade One tally for the season when taking the Christmas Hurdle at Leopardstown on December 28. The three-mile contest also saw an encouraging comeback in third from Monksland (Noel Meade, 16/1), who had been off the track since landing the spoils in the same race two years previously.

Jessica Harrington has entered Christmas Hurdle second Jetson (16/1), who took the Grade One Ladbrokes World Series Hurdle at Punchestown in April, while Kitten Rock (33/1) has won four of his six starts over hurdles for Edward O’Grady but has yet to race beyond two miles.

Zarkandar (10/1) beat French star Gemix by five lengths in a Grade One at Auteuil in November and is one of two entries for Britain’s champion Jump trainer Paul Nicholls. The eight-year-old is joined by Saphir Du Rheu (16/1), who has failed to complete in two of his three starts in novice chases this season.

Rock On Ruby (Harry Fry, 12/1), winner of the 2012 Stan James Champion Hurdle, could step up to three miles for the first time after a pair of victories over two and a half miles at Cheltenham this season in the Grade Two Osborne House Relkeel Hurdle at the International in December and the Dornan Engineering Hurdle on New Year’s Day.

Nicky Henderson has four contenders headed by Beat That (12/1), a dual Grade One-winning novice last year, and Whisper (14/1), who completed a spring double last season when taking the Coral Cup at The Festival and the Grade One Liverpool Hurdle at Aintree. The Seven Barrows quartet is completed by Blue Fashion (14/1), who was second to Stan James Champion Hurdle favourite Faugheen in the Grade Two Ascot Hurdle last time out, and Volnay De Thaix (20/1), second to Rock On Ruby in December.

One of the least exposed among the entries is the Sandy Thomson-trained Seeyouatmidnight (40/1). The seven-year-old racked up a three-timer in his debut campaign over hurdles last season, culminating with a gutsy victory in the Grade Two Rendlesham Hurdle at Haydock Park in February.

He rounded off last season with third to Beat That when sent off favourite for the Grade One Sefton Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree’s Grand National festival in April, but has not run since.

Thomson, who trains at Duns in Berwickshire, reported: “Seeyouatmidnight has obviously had a few hold-ups but none of them were anything major. The most recent one was a splint problem, but we have given him plenty of time and we should be able to get him to the track in good order.

“The plan at the moment is to go to the Morebattle Hurdle (Kelso, February 12) or the Rendlesham Hurdle (February 14) and then go on to the World Hurdle.

“He is not a flashy work horse. He just works away, albeit quite nicely, and we knew when he won at Hexham that we might have something quite good. But, obviously, we didn’t think he would go on to achieve what he did.

“He was probably over the top at Aintree. We did not get started with him until December last season and he never really got a break. I was absolutely delighted with the way he jumped and travelled that day but he just didn’t go on as he had done in his previous races.

“The staying division looks quite open this year and it looks worth having a go at.”

Seeyouatmidnight was ridden by Ryan Mania last season, who retired from race riding in November. Thomson commented: “I have spoken to Brian Hughes and he has confirmed that he is available to ride.”

Other notable entries in the Ladbrokes World Hurdle include last year’s third At Fishers Cross (Rebecca Curtis, 25/1), exciting novice Blaklion (Nigel Twiston-Davies, 20/1) and Grade Two West Yorkshire Hurdle winner Cole Harden (Warren Greatrex, 20/1), plus the Nick Williams-trained pair of Aubusson (33/1), who has helped propel conditional jockey Lizzie Kelly into the limelight, and three-time Grade One Long Walk Hurdle hero Reve De Sivola (20/1).

Ladbrokes World Hurdle – Ladbrokes bet: 7/2 More of That; 10/1 Annie Power, Lieutenant Colonel, Zarkandar; 12/1 Beat That, Rock On Ruby; 14/1 Blue Fashion, Briar Hill, Whisper; 16/1 Monksland, Jetson, Saphir Du Rheu; 20/1 Blaklion, Cole Harden, Reve De Sivola, Volnay de Thaix; 25/1 At Fishers Cross; 33/1 Aubusson, Back In Focus, Kitten Rock, Rule The World, Thousand Stars; 40/1 Abbyssial, Seeyouatmidnight, Tiger Roll, Un Atout, Un Temps Pour Tout; 50/1 Big Easy, Bog Warrior, Dedigout, Knockara Beau, Zaidpour; 100/1 King Of The Picts, Olofi Not Quoted: Pont Alexandre, Rigour Back Bob EW 1/4 1-2-3

[Morning Glory]

Value Bet on sportinglife

matter.

Here we have a horse stacked with potential, with a price tag and a reputation to match. However, his form in France and his efforts when upped in trip to two and a half miles in the UK and Ireland give a clear hint that he’s capable of justifying the hype. As for the £450,000 price tag, the winner’s share of the £300,000 purse in the World Hurdle could help on that score.

We’ve only seen Un Temps Pour Tout in Britain and Ireland three times, but on the second of those occasions he thrashed Cole Harden by 16 lengths on heavy ground at Ascot without being asked a serious question.

Cole Harden handles heavy ground, so there were no excuses there, and he has subsequently boosted the form in style. He was a four-length second to Beat That in the Grade One Doom Bar Sefton Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree, won the bet365 Hurdle at Wetherby, finished second to Medinas in the bet365 Long Distance Hurdle at Newbury and was then a staying-on third behind Rock On Ruby on New Year’s Day at Cheltenham.

Indeed, Cole Harden’s subsequent exploits give us a tenuous link to the prospects of Un Temps Pour Tout in relation to plenty of those ahead of him in the World Hurdle betting. The likes of Beat That, Rock On Ruby and, of course, Cole Harden himself. Tenuous yes, but worth mentioning.

In their essay on Un Temps Pour Tout, in Chasers & Hurdlers 2013-14, Timeform noted: “Un Temps Pour Tout’s very smart performance when winning a novice hurdle at Ascot by a wide margin on his second start in Britain meant he ended the season as the highest-rated British novice hurdler and he remains an exciting prospect.”

Indeed, Un Temps Pour Tout enhanced his reputation on his next start. Forced to miss Cheltenham after pulling up lame at home, he turned up at Punchestown in a competitive handicap hurdle where he carried top weight, off a mark of 150, into a close third behind Deep Trouble. He stayed on well that day, suggesting a step up in trip would see him in an even better light. Crucially, he also proved he could handle better ground without fuss.

Delving deeper into his French form, better ground is something he has thrived on before. He beat his present stablemate Dell’ Arca, giving him 8lb, on ‘good to soft’ at Bordeaux and his exploits on softer ground at Auteuil have been well-advertised by the horses that finished around him.

Le Grand Luce, who finished five lengths behind Un Temps Pour Tout in September 2013, got closer to the likes of Un De Sceaux and Thousand Stars, while he easily beat Reve De Sivola when winning the Prix Carmarthen last October. He also split Ptit Zig and Un Temps Pour Tout in the 2013 Prix Renaud De Vivier (French Champion Hurdle for four year olds), where Un Temps Pour Tout was unsurprisingly outpaced given the benefit of hindsight.

Considering that back catalogue of French form and his excellent efforts at Ascot and Punchestown, where stamina has looked one of his main attributes, I’m excited by how much improvement could be unlocked when he races over three miles.

He hasn’t been seen yet this season, but Pipe reported earlier in the campaign that he hadn’t met with a setback, he had just had a longer holiday to get over his Punchestown exertions.

If the intention was to go novice chasing, the emergence of Kings Palace must’ve kyboshed that plan, as Pipe said on his website on Tuesday: “I would imagine that Un Temps Pour Tout will be entered in the World Hurdle. Although yet to run this season, he is pleasing me at home and is not far from a run, indeed I intend to run him in the Cleeve Hurdle at Cheltenham on 24th January.”

This news didn’t exactly catch bookmakers by surprise. He was already in some lists but more have added the son of Robin Des Champs to their World Hurdle betting after Pipe’s plans were revealed and 20/1 is readily available.

With several doubts about the market leaders I want him in the portfolio at that price. Given he handles testing ground, goes well fresh and looks ready for a step up in trip, a big run in the Cleeve is a reasonable expectation and if he’s right in the mix his current odds will tumble.

The market looks ripe for an unexposed horse to come out of the darkness, and, given I want to take on last year's World Hurdle horses, Un Temps Pour Tout, one of the top novices' from last season, has the potential to really shake up the betting.

One last point. Of course he's risky - we haven't even seen him this season. But at 20/1 it's a risk I'm willing to take.

Value Bet Cheltenham Festival 2015 Portfolio

[Yeehaa]

Good preview on oddschecker

https://m.oddschecker.com/t/#cheltenham-festival-tips-2015-world-record-timing

Advises Whisper and Un Temps per tout

[Morning Glory]

More of that to prep in rendelsham in Haydock mid fab.

[Old Vic]

Ladbrokes World Hurdle entries with previous Festival form

Abbyssial (Willie Mullins IRE)
2014 JCB Triumph Hurdle F Ruby Walsh 8/1

Annie Power (Willie Mullins IRE)
2014 Ladbrokes World Hurdle 2nd Ruby Walsh 11/8f

At Fishers Cross (Rebecca Curtis)
2013 Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle 1st A P McCoy 11/8f
2014 Ladbrokes World Hurdle 3rd A P McCoy 9/1

Back In Focus (Willie Mullins IRE)
2013 Toby Balding National Hunt Chase 1st Mr Patrick Mullins 9/4f

Big Easy (Philip Hobbs)
2013 Coral Cup 6th Michael Nolan 25/1

Bog Warrior (Tony Martin IRE)
2013 Ladbrokes World Hurdle 5th Bryan Cooper 8/1

Briar Hill (Willie Mullins IRE)
2013 Weatherbys Champion Bumper 1st Ruby Walsh 25/1
2014 Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle F David Casey 2/1f

Cole Harden (Warren Greatrex)
2014 Neptune Investment Management Nov' Hv7th Gavin Sheehan 40/1

Jetson (Jessica Harrington IRE)
2013 Pertemps Network Final 3rd Robert Power 10/1
2014 Pertemps Network Final 5th Paddy Kennedy 11/1

Knockara Beau (George Charlton)
2009 Neptune Investment Management Nov' H 5th Jan Faltejsek 14/1
2010 RSA Chase 4th Jan Faltejsek 16/1
2011 Pertemps Network Final 4th Jan Faltejsek 33/1
2012 Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup 6th Jan Faltejsek 66/1
2013 Festival Handicap Chase UR Paddy Brennan 18/1
2014 Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup Chase 7th Jan Faltejsek 66/1

Lieutenant Colonel (Sandra Hughes IRE)
2014 Neptune Investment Management Nov' H 6th Bryan Cooper 10/1

Monksland (Noel Meade IRE)
2012 Neptune Investment Management Nov' H 3rd Paul Carberry 11/2

More Of That (Jonjo O'Neill)
2014 Ladbrokes World Hurdle 1st Barry Geraghty 15/2

Olofi (Tom George)
2010 JCB Triumph Hurdle 9th Paddy Brennan 10/1
2012 Vincent O'Brien County Handicap Hurdle 16th Paddy Brennan 13/2
2013 Vincent O'Brien County Handicap Hurdle 10th Paddy Brennan 20/1

Pont Alexandre (Willie Mullins IRE)
2013 Neptune Investment Management Nov' H 3rd Ruby Walsh 6/4f

Reve De Sivola (Nick Williams)
2009 JCB Triumph Hurdle 6th Daryl Jacob 20/1
2010 Neptune Investment Management Nov' H 2nd Daryl Jacob 15/2
2011 Festival Handicap Chase 3rd Daryl Jacob 9/1
2013 Ladbrokes World Hurdle 4th Richard Johnson 4/1
2014 Ladbrokes World Hurdle 8th Richard Johnson 33/
1
Rigour Back Bob (Mark Bradstock)
2011 Ladbrokes World Hurdle 5th Andrew J McNamara 8 0/1

Rock On Ruby (Harry Fry)
2011 Neptune Investment Management Nov' H 2nd Daryl Jacob 13/2
2012 Stan James Champion Hurdle 1st Noel Fehily 11/1
2013 Stan James Champion Hurdle 2nd Noel Fehily 11/2
2014 Racing Post Arkle Challenge Trophy Chase 8th Noel Fehily 5/1

Rule The World (Mouse Morris IRE)
2013 Neptune Investment Management Nov' H 2nd Davy Russell 5/1
2014 Ladbrokes World Hurdle 6th Brian O'Connell 14/1

Saphir Du Rheu (Paul Nicholls)
2013 Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle 20th Ruby Walsh 6/1jf

Thousand Stars (Willie Mullins IRE)
2008 Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle 8th Robert Power 50/1
2010 Vincent O'Brien County Handicap Hurdle 1st Ms Katie Walsh 20/1
2011 Stan James Champion Hurdle 4th Paul Townend 33/1
2012 Ladbrokes World Hurdle 4th Paul Townend 8/1

Tiger Roll (Gordon Elliott IRE)
2014 JCB Triumph Hurdle 1st Davy Russell 10/1

Un Atout (Willie Mullins IRE)
2013 Sky Bet Supreme Novices' Hurdle 4th Davy Russell 6/1

Whisper (Nicky Henderson)
2014 Coral Cup
1st Nico de Boinville 14/1

Zaidpour (Willie Mullins IRE)
2011 Sky Bet Supreme Novices' Hurdle 7th Paul Townend 11/1
2012 Stan James Champion Hurdle 8th Paul Townend 22/1
2013 Ladbrokes World Hurdle PU David Casey 25/1

Zarkandar (Paul Nicholls)
2011 JCB Triumph Hurdle 1st Daryl Jacob 13/2
2012 Stan James Champion Hurdle 5th Daryl Jacob 9/1
2013 Stan James Champion Hurdle 4th Daryl Jacob 7/2
2014 Ladbrokes World Hurdle 4th Noel Fehily 14/1

[Old Vic]

^
Rock on Ruby 212 over Hurdles.
Zarkandar 1544 isnt too bad
At Fishers X is 13

[Old Vic]

Cleeve Hurdle Stats http://www.fatjockey.com/news-blogs/...2015-Stats-323