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2017 Stayers Hurdle

loveracing said:
Is this Clondaw Warrior's target? His 2 runs over 3m look solid. 12/1 nrnb
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That looks a nice bet really - if he turns up bound to be shorter. Looking at it now 4 out of the 6 ahead of him in the market are Mullins horses, and id guess only 1 or 2 of them will turn up as 2 are Ricci and 2 are Wylies.
 
Also i'm wondering what price do we think on UNWIMH if he wins the cleeve? I seem to remember THistlecrack hitting around 5/4 after his Cleeve win and i think was 5/2 prior.
 
Although not as classy or sexy as Thistlecrack it will be difficult to say that price wouldn't be fair if he wins the Cleeve well.

Thistlecrack was loads of peoples banker and I think odds against was tremendous value last year after the Cleeve. Connections probably accounted for part of that (wrongly) but with this being a JP horse he won't get that luxury.
 
Hopefully UNWIMH will win well, and hoping the bookmakers will push VVM out a little bit for me in reaction to that :) Wishful thinking on my part!
 
Kevloaf said:
Yes, Mullins said recently it was the target and he'd be a lively outsider.
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There is a Flat race in Dubai also on Clondaw's to do list. Not sure if mutually exclusive.
 
mayo said:
There is a Flat race in Dubai also on Clondaw's to do list. Not sure if mutually exclusive.
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Im very interested in CW for this race, but concerns of a flat campaign puts me off backing him at the moment.
 
If CW didn't have the connections he'd be 25/1+ .... just turning up for the craic. Always going to be a lesser light in the yard. Not one I'll cover even at 25/1
 
Ballyoptic isn't in the betting on oddschecker.... Have I missed an announcement on him?
 
No news re: Ballyoptic yet that I have seen FM. Strange. Have seen a few people on Twitter questioning the same as you with Oddschecker.
 
Entries are out and Rawnaq is in Kev :triumphant:
 
jono said:
Vroum Vroum Mag is entered up in a 3m hurdle race at Gowran next Thursday.
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Same day Melon is entered? Some exciting Thursdays....

But none as exciting as Thursday 16th March 2016....

By Racinguk.com staff

American challenger Rawnaq is set to limber up for an audacious assault on the Sun Bets Stayers' Hurdle at Cheltenham with a run at Fontwell next month.

Connections of the Cyril Murphy-trained gelding will be chasing a $500,000 bonus at the Festival after defeating European raiders Shaneshill and Nichols Canyon in the Calvin Houghland Iroquois Hurdle - part of the first Brown Advisory Iroquois Cheltenham Challenge - at Nashville in May.

The terms of the Brown Advisory Iroquois Cheltenham Challenge, brought in to revive transatlantic competition, are simple: win both the Stayers' Hurdle and the Iroquois Hurdle within a year to claim the bonus.

Rawnaq followed up his Iroquois Hurdle success with victory in the Grand National Hurdle at Far Hills in October, when partnered by Ruby Walsh, and was second on his latest start in the Colonial Cup at Camden in November.

Murphy, who is based in Maryland, said: "At the moment, the plan is to leave here either on February 3 or February 6 to arrive in England the following day.

“It is a 12-hour drive from our place to Huntsville airport in Alabama, then he has a direct flight to Stansted and finally a road trip to Neil Mulholland's [in Somerset] where he will be based. You are looking at about 36 hours door to door.

"If everything goes right, the hope at the moment to give Rawnaq a prep race in the National Spirit Hurdle at Fontwell on February 26.

“Jack Doyle is going to ride him. He won on him in his first two starts last year and would have ridden him in his last two starts but for getting injured. It was always the plan for Jack to ride him if he was available because he obviously knows the horse and has experience around Cheltenham."

Rawnaq, who runs in the colours of Irvin Naylor, was previously trained in Ireland by Matthew Smith and already has experience at the Festival, having finished third in the 2015 Brown Advisory & Merriebelle Stable Plate over fences. He was also third in 2013 Greatwood Hurdle at The Open meeting.

"He did a piece of work last week and did another bit on Tuesday, and everything seems to be moving in the right direction for us,” Murphy said.

"Rawnaq has been very solid. We bought him hoping he could be a Grade One horse but to go and do what he did last year and win two of them was great.

"He got beat the last day, which was disappointing for everybody, but in hindsight I think the ground was even firmer than we wanted. He just didn't have a cut at the fences.

Watch full re-run of how Ruby Walsh won the American Grand National on Rawnaq & read Cheltenham plans for winner >>> https://t.co/btYotMjJHq pic.twitter.com/OrPOlukaOh
— Racing UK (@Racing_UK) October 19, 2016

"Ruby Walsh rode him in October and was impressed. He made himself available to us after Jack Doyle got injured and that said enough to me as he was behind us on Nichols Canyon in the Iroquois.

“I asked Ruby if he felt we could finish in the first four or five in Cheltenham and he said he would not put us off chasing the bonus because it is an open year in the stayers' division.”

The trainer added: "I worked with Neil Mulholland for a period of time at Nicky Henderson's. We lost contact in the interim but we got back in contact through an existing owner of his who lives and follows the racing out here.

“Before Nicky's, I was with Sir Mark Prescott for four years and then a conditional jockey with Bill Turner for four years. I rode 13 winners from about 200 rides.

Rawnaq is a general 33-1 chance for a race that has attracted 47 entries, including Willie Mullins-trained Champion Hurdle winners Faugheen and Annie Power.
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You cannot say you haven't been warned. :highly_amused:
 
He's 100/1 with Betfair Sportsbook Kev. Get him in some of your multiples :triumphant:
 
Faugheen_Machine said:
He's 100/1 with Betfair Sportsbook Kev. Get him in some of your multiples :triumphant:
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Alright, now I know I've been playing the fool with this horse a bit ... but 100/1 for a horse who has twice placed at Cheltenham, including at the festival, who has beaten 7 time grade 1 winner NC and multiple placed graded horse Shanehill over the trip, is a ridiculous price.

20/1 a place (or 10/1 depending how you read it) ... I genuinly will be having a few life changers tonight because that is a stupid price.
 
Absolutely crazy price. Added to that; this is definitely his target; he's going to have a prep; and, he'll love decent racing ground.

I'm already on at big prices on the exchange but will be backing him each way tonight just in case he gets nodded on the line.
 
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