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2015 Champion Hurdle

Faugheen is the worse priced favourite of the meeting.

Even Mullins says he hasnt beaten a single horse who would finish in the first three of the champion hurdle.
 
cheltenham said:
Faugheen is the worse priced favourite of the meeting.

Even Mullins says he hasnt beaten a single horse who would finish in the first three of the champion hurdle.
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No he hasn't, but the problem is that what he's beaten he's destroyed, so it's very difficult to work out what may happen when he runs against something that challenges him in the later stages of a race, it could turn out that nothing can, or maybe he wil trail in behind a couple of top-notchers, all to be revealed, no doubt that he's very short but may turn out to be good value
 
I see all his challengers on his tail off the bridles while jumping the last and then Ruby hits the nitros button... "And then there was a horse named Faugheen".
 
Walsh is keen to leave a decision as late as possible, having got it wrong when Kauto Star was defeated by Denman in the 2008 Cheltenham Gold Cup.

"That was sore," Walsh told the Irish Examiner.

"There is nothing worse than making the wrong decision. Those decisions could happen again but it wouldn't be made for sentiment anyway.

"It is just a horse race. It is not life or death. But when you are a professional you still like to be on the right one.

"They are both in great form at home. Hurricane, for me, is the form horse at the moment. Faugheen has the potential. We'll see how they work in the next few days and we will make a decision then.

"I'm delighted with both of them. Faugheen is working really well, he is a good work horse, so you would be expecting him to.

"Hurricane Fly is definitely in really good fettle at the moment."
 
So, were down to 8. Bertimont to make the running, Faugheen to stalk and kick on at the top of the hill with the new one unable to reel him in..
 
TheRowebot said:
So, were down to 8. Bertimont to make the running, Faugheen to stalk and kick on at the top of the hill with the new one unable to reel him in..
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Is it possible kitten Rock is in as pacemaker for Jezki?
 
Noel Fehily will partner Kitten Rock in the Stan James Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival next Tuesday.
Mark Walsh steered the JP McManus-owned five-year-old to a hat-trick of victories this season, but the jockey suffered a broken arm in a fall at Thurles last week.

Fehily's agent Chris Broad said: "Noel's been booked to ride him. There are only eight runners in the race and he's a nice ride to get."


Kitten Rock was a runaway winner of the Red Mills Trial Hurdle at Gowran Park last month, but will be a big outsider for the main event on the opening day.

Trainer Edward O'Grady said: "The plan is to run and he seems in very good form.


I have backed him to replace AP :D
 
mayo said:
Noel Fehily will partner Kitten Rock in the Stan James Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival next Tuesday.
Mark Walsh steered the JP McManus-owned five-year-old to a hat-trick of victories this season, but the jockey suffered a broken arm in a fall at Thurles last week.

Fehily's agent Chris Broad said: "Noel's been booked to ride him. There are only eight runners in the race and he's a nice ride to get."


Kitten Rock was a runaway winner of the Red Mills Trial Hurdle at Gowran Park last month, but will be a big outsider for the main event on the opening day.

Trainer Edward O'Grady said: "The plan is to run and he seems in very good form.


I have backed him to replace AP :D
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As JP retained jock mayo?

They forgot to mention he was a runaway winner because Abbyssial fell, looked a big danger too, he also had a lucky break when Glens Melody stumbled at the last the time before, I don't see him threatening personally, unless all the others fall or stumble at the last, even then I doubt he'll be near enough to capitalise
 
Yep. He was 20/1 with Betfair.
 
Jezki shortening steadily

<iframe width=720 height =500 src="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/11Qfx96vbrTCS9ktGdtyLOJK0NDc4nz6jb_9ksEIKCww/pubhtml?gid=592616170&single=true&widget=true&headers=false"></iframe>
 
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mayo said:
Noel Fehily will partner Kitten Rock in the Stan James Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival next Tuesday.
Mark Walsh steered the JP McManus-owned five-year-old to a hat-trick of victories this season, but the jockey suffered a broken arm in a fall at Thurles last week.

Fehily's agent Chris Broad said: "Noel's been booked to ride him. There are only eight runners in the race and he's a nice ride to get."


Kitten Rock was a runaway winner of the Red Mills Trial Hurdle at Gowran Park last month, but will be a big outsider for the main event on the opening day.

Trainer Edward O'Grady said: "The plan is to run and he seems in very good form.


I have backed him to replace AP :D
Click to expand...

Fehily 3/1 for the job with Paddys now !
 
Ruby

The champ, who has given me so many great days in the saddle and won more Grade One races than any other horse in the history of racing, or the exciting young pretender with huge potential who looks like he could be a superstar but still has to do it?
The build-up to Cheltenham is so long now that is seems to almost start as soon as the winner passes the post in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. From that point on, every race is analysed in terms of Cheltenham and a myriad of horses are labelled Cheltenham horses. Many of them don’t even get there.

From the time Hurricane Fly confirmed his well-being by winning the Morgiana Hurdle though, it became likely that I would have a decision to make. Faugheen has done everything that has been asked of him in the meantime and Hurricane Fly has been Hurricane Fly.

It is a very difficult decision to make for a whole lot of factors but, like I have said before, sentiment will not come into it. I made that mistake in 2008 when I was forced into an early decision and went with the heart and Kauto Star. I knew before the Gold Cup that I was on the wrong one and Denman flew home. At least I got it right the following year when Kauto did the business again.

I have been afforded the luxury of delaying my decision as long as possible this time and, as I still have another day, I am going to take it. There’s not much point in nailing my colours to one mast or the other until they get off the boat. I need to be 100% about it.

They did their last piece of work on Thursday morning and did a canter yesterday morning. They will travel this morning. High winds are forecast so if one of them takes a rough crossing better than the other, there’s not much point being on the wrong one then.

For the sake of 24 hours, I might as well wait until the phone call comes from Prestbury Park that both horses travelled well or one travelled better than the other. Hopefully they’ll both travel well, as will all the rest of them.

The deadline will be tomorrow and I can’t wait any longer. Willie will be declaring the horses and I will be declared on one or the other. Then the phone will start hopping… and I’ll go missing!

I would definitely be leaning towards Djakadam in the Gold Cup on form and profile but, again, I will be waiting to see what happens with the ground and to make sure they are all there in one piece.
 
Willie Mullins has said in his newspaper column that Ruby rides Faugheen, so much for Ruby having another day to think about it:highly_amused:
 
Walsh said: "You can only ride one in the Champion Hurdle and I think Faugheen is the one that is going to win.

"I think his younger legs might be the difference, but there is every chance I might be wrong.

"Their last bits of work were very good, but I have just come down in favour of Faugheen."

Trainer Wllie Mullins also confirmed that Annie Power will take her chance in the OLBG Mares' Hurdle rather than the Ladbrokes World Hurdle.
 
Timeform

The overall time of Faugheen’s Christmas Hurdle compares well with that of the novice won by Supreme contender Jollyallan on the same card, though sectionals imply the former’s effort was good on the day rather than truly outstanding. He may well have to run faster still – and that is at the very least a possibility – to land the Champion Hurdle itself.
 
Ian McClean

Champion Hurdle

By mid-afternoon on Tuesday we will finally have discovered the limit of Faugheen's ability. Or not.

The irony is you only discover how good one really is when it gets beaten - and that hasn't happened to Faugheen. Yet. The odds either way are about the toss of a coin if we believe the market. In nine wins to date Faugheen "the machine" has never faced a 170 RPR-rated horse. He faces three amongst his seven opponents on Tuesday.

Faugheen polarises opinion and it is easy to argue both sides. However, ultimately it comes down to value and at the prices in light of the competition he has to be opposed. The gladiator that is Hurricane Fly is reluctantly passed over on the drying ground and choosing between last year's winner (Jezki) and some would say moral winner (The New One) is not easy with the marginal call going to The New One to avenge last year's misfortune.

Selection: The New One
 
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