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2026 Champion Hurdle

I’d be amazed if Wodhooh went anywhere but the mares this year. With potential doubts about Lossiemouths target (which I think will only change to here if Anzadam isn’t reliable through appearances or not living up to it), she’ll be a warm favourite for the race.
 
Been having a think and instead of pussyfooting about and sitting on the fence as I often do, I’ve decided that Anzadam will not prove good enough and Lossie will be targeted at the CHurdle.
 
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I'm ready for the Lossiemouth excuses.

Willie has been positive about Irancy for a fair while now, and if he wins the Morgiana it will be the same old stuff about Lossiemouth. She was a late switch, in hindsight we should have stuck to the original plan etc...

Obviously, for the sake of the Champion Hurdle, I do hope she dots up, but it would be no surprise if she didn't.
 
ComplyOrDie said:
I'm ready for the Lossiemouth excuses.

Willie has been positive about Irancy for a fair while now, and if he wins the Morgiana it will be the same old stuff about Lossiemouth. She was a late switch, in hindsight we should have stuck to the original plan etc...

Obviously, for the sake of the Champion Hurdle, I do hope she dots up, but it would be no surprise if she didn't.
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It feels like you are saying that's the plan to get them off the hook ?? Clever if so.
 
Craigy14 said:
I’d be amazed if Wodhooh went anywhere but the mares this year. With potential doubts about Lossiemouths target (which I think will only change to here if Anzadam isn’t reliable through appearances or not living up to it), she’ll be a warm favourite for the race.
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Yes, you'd think it would be Mares all day long but I'm curious why they gone from the original plan of Hattons ?

She might well get beat yet in which case it won't matter 😀
 
ComplyOrDie said:
I'm ready for the Lossiemouth excuses.

Willie has been positive about Irancy for a fair while now, and if he wins the Morgiana it will be the same old stuff about Lossiemouth. She was a late switch, in hindsight we should have stuck to the original plan etc...

Obviously, for the sake of the Champion Hurdle, I do hope she dots up, but it would be no surprise if she didn't.
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Aye, the Irancy at the weekend and Lossie Mares Hurdle double is already in my book. Seems the perfect race for her to be undercooked and start justifying a path back to the mares...

Problem with Woodoh going Stayers this year is Elliot has so many in the race, with Honesty Policy now heading that way as well. Wouldn't blame them for basing a decision around avoiding Lossiemouth nearer the time mind.
 
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Lobos said:
Yes, you'd think it would be Mares all day long but I'm curious why they gone from the original plan of Hattons ?

She might well get beat yet in which case it won't matter 😀
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Similar sort of prize money and no point in taking on Teahupoo when he doesn't have to and can win both races. Nothing to that decision regarding Cheltenham target
 
If Irancy were to win at the weekend than I guess they would have to go for the Champion but jockey and trainer seemed to be clear last year that he did not act on the track in the Supreme.
 
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Benjy23 said:
Similar sort of prize money and no point in taking on Teahupoo when he doesn't have to and can win both races. Nothing to that decision regarding Cheltenham target
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Yeah, it's a grade one and Willie would not really want to go into that with just Irancy, and would want Townend to have a ride for sure.
Lossiemouth redirecting to the Morgiana was the obvious choice in terms of proven ability and also the easiest sell to the owner.
Other options were less proven at grade 1 level and also likely to be harder to stomach for owners, Kargese for example if they'd agreed to go novice chasing already.

Like I said a week or so back, with State Man out, Lossie is the Queen of the hurdle division in that yard right now and others have to oust her, or she does it herself by proving not good enough.

However, anyone who thinks that 2 miles at Cheltenham would not suit Lossiemouth, is silly IMO.

Kempton is without doubt a quicker more turning track and suits nippier horses, and so you often get horses run well there that would be tailed off in a Champion hurdle, as they lack the stamina and class/engine that a Champion hurdle requires.

It does surprise me that Willie has mentioned Kempton again for her as he should really appreciate this. It's not like he sent all of his Champion hurdle horses to Kempton every season as some sort of test.
I can only really think of Faugheen off the top. And he ran against horse's like fucking Irving.
 
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Really looking forward to the FF.

Looks a cracking race. I've not been, nor am, a big fan of The New Lion. This will be his acid test for me.

Obviously I love Constitution Hill, and I'm also a big fan of Anzadam, so to put them two away is a serious performance. I've seen nothing to suggest he's capable of that yet. That's not to say it won't happen.
 
Prestbury said:
If Irancy were to win at the weekend than I guess they would have to go for the Champion but jockey and trainer seemed to be clear last year that he did not act on the track in the Supreme.
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Irancy hadn’t run for 4 months before the Supreme (won before and after the festival) so IMO there must have been a niggle or something as otherwise why would the gap between races be so long?

Surely the horse didnt have an ideal prep leading up to the Supreme, so maybe we should not take the festival performance at face value?
 
Lobos said:
Yes, you'd think it would be Mares all day long but I'm curious why they gone from the original plan of Hattons ?

She might well get beat yet in which case it won't matter 😀
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Yes good point, both right handed etc.

Possibly splitting 2 aces of his pack with teahupoo? Imagine he’ll be going for it as well.
 
Quevega said:
Yeah, it's a grade one and Willie would not really want to go into that with just Irancy, and would want Townend to have a ride for sure.
Lossiemouth redirecting to the Morgiana was the obvious choice in terms of proven ability and also the easiest sell to the owner.
Other options were less proven at grade 1 level and also likely to be harder to stomach for owners, Kargese for example if they'd agreed to go novice chasing already.

Like I said a week or so back, with State Man out, Lossie is the Queen of the hurdle division in that yard right now and others have to oust her, or she does it herself by proving not good enough.

However, anyone who thinks that 2 miles at Cheltenham would not suit Lossiemouth, is silly IMO.

Kempton is without doubt a quicker more turning track and suits nippier horses, and so you often get horses run well there that would be tailed off in a Champion hurdle, as they lack the stamina and class/engine that a Champion hurdle requires.

It does surprise me that Willie has mentioned Kempton again for her as he should really appreciate this. It's not like he sent all of his Champion hurdle horses to Kempton every season as some sort of test.
I can only really think of Faugheen off the top. And he ran against horse's like fucking Irving.
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I think the Kempton thing is an attempt to sharpen her up for the 2m trip at Cheltenham. Run her off her feet slightly, in what will probably be a fairly hectic pace again, to get her used to that racing style prior to Cheltenham.
 
Ellisgittings said:
I think the Kempton thing is an attempt to sharpen her up for the 2m trip at Cheltenham. Run her off her feet slightly, in what will probably be a fairly hectic pace again, to get her used to that racing style prior to Cheltenham.
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I don't think it's a necessary test personally. In fact it's counter productive.

Many Champion hurdle winners over the years would struggle to be the same horse at Kempton over 2 miles.

It was poor placing and training from Willie for not preparing her properly for the race against C Hill last season, after crawling around in the Hattons Grace.

Then putting her in against nippy flat types and C Hill.
It was dopey training - dopey jockey - dopey horse.

IMO it would be even more dopey to do the same thing again.

I don't believe it would be an intentional decision - to help push her down the Mares route either. Unless ! Anzadam wins the Fighting Fifth easy enough and they still send her over at Christmas instead of him. Then I'd go along with that theory a bit more.
 
I just think that Lossiemouth is the yards best hurdler along with State Man.
I’m not convinced who would have won when she fell in their race last season, and she would devour that hill over 2m.
Anzadam has had a long lay off after setbacks and not really got any form that smacks of CHurdle form yet. Could show it this season of course but until that happens,or don’t, I’m leaving him alone, 6/1 is too short anyway imo.
The rest of his are hopefuls and possibles imo.
Lossiemouth is proven at the track and is in the mould of a fair few previous winners.
7/2 is skinny because of the Mares, but would be fair imo without the mares.
 
ComplyOrDie said:
I'm ready for the Lossiemouth excuses.

Willie has been positive about Irancy for a fair while now, and if he wins the Morgiana it will be the same old stuff about Lossiemouth. She was a late switch, in hindsight we should have stuck to the original plan etc...

Obviously, for the sake of the Champion Hurdle, I do hope she dots up, but it would be no surprise if she didn't.
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Going to be very interesting to see how it plays out for sure

There's been some very positive words on Irancy in the past 10 days or so from his work and many people just seem to think his Punchestown win was pure fluke but I wouldnt be so sure.
 
darlojim said:
Going to be very interesting to see how it plays out for sure

There's been some very positive words on Irancy in the past 10 days or so from his work and many people just seem to think his Punchestown win was pure fluke but I wouldnt be so sure.
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Wasn't there a market move for him before the supreme though as well due to him apparently working well? He bombed there, so it's hard to judge at the moment. Is he just a good work horse who capitalised on others underperforming at punchestown, or was cheltenham actually the one off and punchestown is more his true ability.
 
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