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Stayers Hurdle 2027

Emma Lavelle has mapped out a plan for stable star Ma Shantou to get his season under way in the Coral Long Distance Hurdle at Newbury later this month.

The trainer has earmarked the Grade Two prize on November 27, one she won back in 2019 with Paisley Park, as the most likely starting point for the gelded son of Shantou.

Last season, the seven-year-old raced through the handicap ranks before claiming Grade Two glory in the Pertemps Network Cleeve Hurdle at Cheltenham, on what was to be his penultimate run.

Although things failed to work out back at the track on his return to top table in the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle at the Festival, Lavelle is keen to plot a path back towards the prestigious Grade One in March.

Lavelle said: “We have decided to go down the staying hurdle route again with Ma Shantou.

“As long as the ground is safe the plan is to start him off in the Long Distance Hurdle at Newbury.

“The run in the Stayers’ Hurdle at the Festival was not his true running. It was not within a stone of the performances he put up to get there, so I think we can draw a line through that.

“He is a bundle of energy and he loves what he is doing. By rights he should be coming into his prime, and you hope that he is just getting better.”
 
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Elliott name checking the Mares for Mange Tout after yesterday run increasing the chances of Wodhooh heading here.
BDA - Champ Hurdle
Mange Tout - Mares
Wodhooh - Stayers


But it's early November....
 
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Istabraq said:
Elliott name checking the Mares for Mange Tout after yesterday run increasing the chances of Wodhooh heading here.
BDA - Champ Hurdle
Mange Tout - Mares
Wodhooh - Stayers


But it's early November....
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That scenario would be perfect for me. Hope you are right Ista. I would campaign BDA for the CH anyway, not just as a back up. Did her no harm last season.
 
Yosser said:
That scenario would be perfect for me. Hope you are right Ista. I would campaign BDA for the CH anyway, not just as a back up. Did her no harm last season.
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Yeah, I'm not sure Elliott shuffles his pack in quite the same way as Mullins, Mullins has more darts for one, but it would make no sense Elliott throwing all three in the Mares.
Like I say, it's very early days, only takes a setback and it could be all change...
 
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Runragged said:
Let's be realistic. BDA skips the Festival, Mange Tout goes County and Wodhooh goes for the Mares repeat :ROFLMAO: Fuck Elliott.
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Absolutely the most likely scenario, although BDA might rock up in the champion.
 
Makes absolutely no sense for brighterdaysahead ahead to skip the festival in any way, for anyone involved.

Elliott is struggling for winners over the past few years, and wants winners more than anything, so he'll want her in there somewhere. She's already shown she can produce her best at Aintree after going to Cheltenham, so no need to be giving her two months off after the drf as she doesn't need long breaks between runs, especially when she's only starting off at Xmas.

I think the "she doesn't like cheltenham" narrative is nonsense. Leopardstown is just her favourite track, so she shows her very best there. Her form vs the new lion was very similar at Aintree and cheltenham, so if she doesn't like the place then he must not either. She's had one well below par run there, after which she was also awful at punchestown, so I'd say she just wasn't right. The novice hurdle run was fine, just two bad rides on the day on her and jade.

I think she'd beat wodooh fairly comfortably in a mares hurdle, and probably place in a champion hurdle again on usual festival ground. Soft or heavy ground and she could win, or if no lossiemouth she could win it on any ground.
 
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I've seen Slade Steel has an entry in the Hatton's Grace has anyone seen any comments on if Henry is thinking about a stayers campaign this year?
 
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