jono
Fat Jockey Patron (est. Jan 2021)
Lydia Hislop mentioned it/similar in her Road to Cheltenham piece a few weeks back, if that's the same quotes?
Trainer Philip Hobbs complimented Defi Du Seuil's professionalism. He added: "Barry [Geraghty, his jockey] was particularly impressed with his jumping, especially the last where he met it slightly wrong. His words were 'He's on springs'."
A quick reappearance in the Grade One Finale Hurdle was also mooted, with Hobbs certain that his horse is effective in Chepstow's usually testing ground. He cited the testimony of previous trainer Emmanuel Clayeux that Defi Du Seuil had won in France when the ground was all but unraceable.
Of the Triumph - the horse's ultimate target and usually staged on a sound surface - Hobbs added: "I hope that, like most good horses, he can go on any ground but I feel he's one that copes very well with the soft."
It's the trainer's emphasis on the suitability of soft ground that niggles away at any inclination to back him at 8/1 for that March target. Otherwise he has all boxes ticked: maturity beyond his years, plenty of experience, stamina for the job and a good hurdling technique.