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2026 Champion Hurdle

Just watching racing post and they really are worse than the consensus of knowledge here.
So Kudos to most on here (with some obvious exceptions, you know who you are ;) 😍)

mentioning Love me tender for the pipe, only had 4 runs and mullins trained so very unlikely to get a fifth.

and then Poniros for the County, who's only had the three runs.

That's just the factual stuff, the opinions are often as bad.
 
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Getting paid for that crap as well
 
Yosser said:
He always stayed, just not as well as GDC but now Galopin is on the wane, F2F has as good a chance of any of the others.
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To be fair, he could have been looked at as a non stayer based on his run in this race last year and the decision to go Ryanair next.
 
Quevega said:
Same people probably thought Fact to File doesn't stay.
Also bullshit.
It's all about how these class horses are on the day, in the conditions, how well they jump, tactics, positioning, jockey performance, opposition having a bad day, settled and relaxed, I could go on.
Most good racehorses stay to a point, and all class horses have sufficient pace.
Just got to put it all together on the day, and some are more consistent than others.
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I get what you are saying but horses also have an optimum trip and I think Lossiemouths optimum trip is 2 and a half miles. For me her beating of Teahupoo over the 2.4 show's this.
 
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Durham Edition said:
I get what you are saying but horses also have an optimum trip and I think Lossiemouths optimum trip is 2 and a half miles. For me her beating of Teahupoo over the 2.4 show's this.
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Optimum everything though really isn’t it ?
Trip
Ground
Fitness
Etc etc
So I agree, but no one else agreed the beating she gave teahupoo was sufficient evidence and it was rated accordingly
They went a crawl and it was a nothing race.
 
Durham Edition said:
I get what you are saying but horses also have an optimum trip and I think Lossiemouths optimum trip is 2 and a half miles. For me her beating of Teahupoo over the 2.4 show's this.
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But there she was beating a horse who arguably wasn't at his optimum trip, so how can you assume that is was hers? A slowly run 2 1/2m was more favourable to Lossie than it was Teahupoo.
 
Runragged said:
But there she was beating a horse who arguably wasn't at his optimum trip, so how can you assume that is was hers? A slowly run 2 1/2m was more favourable to Lossie than it was Teahupoo.
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Is 3 mile Teahupoo's optimum trip though or is it just that there is a championship hurdle race at 3 mile at Cheltenham? He has only lost to Lossiemouth over 2 and a half while beating Impaire Et Passe, Ballyburn, Klassical Dream, Honeysuckle over two and a half, while being beaten over 3 mile 3 times. His best RPR was achieved over both distances.
 
Durham Edition said:
Is 3 mile Teahupoo's optimum trip though or is it just that there is a championship hurdle race at 3 mile at Cheltenham? He has only lost to Lossiemouth over 2 and a half while beating Impaire Et Passe, Ballyburn, Klassical Dream, Honeysuckle over two and a half, while being beaten over 3 mile 3 times. His best RPR was achieved over both distances.
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Like I say, it is arguable. His top RPR's over 2 1/2m were achieved in 2022 and 2023. His best recent form has been at 3m with his Hatton's Grace run 4lb lower. But, he starts his season off at 2 1/2m and it's not surprising he improves for a run come Xmas. Connections obviously think he is better over the 3m (Or it is just a weaker division) with all his 3m runs coming after Xmas in the season.
 
Durham Edition said:
I get what you are saying but horses also have an optimum trip and I think Lossiemouths optimum trip is 2 and a half miles. For me her beating of Teahupoo over the 2.4 show's this.
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I'd preferably see Lossie go out in trip and take on Teahupoo, think she'd have a great chance of beating him over 3. Her sister Benie arguably put in her best performance upped in trip over 3 miles in France. I could easily see Lossie showing further improvement the further she went.

A lot of people thought she was home and hosed in the champion after the Gino incident and I can imagine plenty of people were on at favorable prices. I can easily see why people are searching for excuses like 'she just didn't look right' as opposed to analysing it logically... She's best over further
 
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Runragged said:
Like I say, it is arguable. His top RPR's over 2 1/2m were achieved in 2022 and 2023. His best recent form has been at 3m with his Hatton's Grace run 4lb lower. But, he starts his season off at 2 1/2m and it's not surprising he improves for a run come Xmas. Connections obviously think he is better over the 3m (Or it is just a weaker division) with all his 3m runs coming after Xmas in the season.
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Agreed totally agruable as his recent Hattons Grace win was only topped by his Cheltenham win only 1lb higher and his recent 3 mile win his best RPR, which only matched his earlier Hattons Grace. Game of opinions which is why we love the sport and this place so much as we all have our opinions.
 
Durham Edition said:
Agreed totally agruable as his recent Hattons Grace win was only topped by his Cheltenham win only 1lb higher and his recent 3 mile win his best RPR, which only matched his earlier Hattons Grace. Game of opinions which is why we love the sport and this place so much as we all have our opinions.
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I am trying to see things from a bigger picture these days as opposed to previously being narrow minded. Horses change over time whether through physical development, training routine or both. Just because something happened last season doesn't mean it can't change this season. It's why I never ruled out Fact To File staying 3m and I believe Grey Dawning will stay also. Teahupoo could potentially be better at 2 1/2m than 3m if trained to be so, but equally the 3m division still looks so weak, they have no need for him to race at 2 1/2m through a season.
 
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….SL Graham North;

'No horse has better claims on recent form than her in this year’s Champion'​

Brighterdaysahead clearly wasn’t right at both the spring Festivals she contested last season (fourth in the Champion Hurdle, third in the Mares Champion at Punchestown) but so far as the clock goes no horse has better claims on recent form than her in this year's Champion, though of course Constitution Hill remains the standout on time if he gets round in anything like the form he was in before succumbing to the jumping yips.

On the face of it, the race seemed to end any hopes that Anzadam might put his name even more prominently into the frame but tactics and jockey booking seemed an odd combination to me and I'm still hopeful there’s a better performance in the locker, perhaps under Danny Mullins.
 
Poniros.....

His options are limited because he’s only had three runs over hurdles so we can’t get into any of the handicaps,” said Sean Graham, racing manager to owner Tony Bloom.

“We will probably have to go down the Champion Hurdle route with him, he was beaten about 14 lengths and while I don’t think he’ll improve 14lb I could see him improving five or six lengths for the run.

“Stranger things have happened, he’s going to be 100-1 but we all know what happened the last time he was 100-1 at Cheltenham.

“Having the Triumph Hurdle winner is brilliant, but the following season the horse becomes very difficult to place as you don’t want to run them before Christmas to give them chance to mature.

“Then you have a narrow window to run them in before going back to Cheltenham, but it is what it is and I would say the chances are the Champion Hurdle will be his race.”
 
Lobos said:
Poniros.....

His options are limited because he’s only had three runs over hurdles so we can’t get into any of the handicaps,” said Sean Graham, racing manager to owner Tony Bloom.

“We will probably have to go down the Champion Hurdle route with him, he was beaten about 14 lengths and while I don’t think he’ll improve 14lb I could see him improving five or six lengths for the run.

“Stranger things have happened, he’s going to be 100-1 but we all know what happened the last time he was 100-1 at Cheltenham.

“Having the Triumph Hurdle winner is brilliant, but the following season the horse becomes very difficult to place as you don’t want to run them before Christmas to give them chance to mature.

“Then you have a narrow window to run them in before going back to Cheltenham, but it is what it is and I would say the chances are the Champion Hurdle will be his race.”
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100/1....not a chance!

Only 16's now, that's before final declarations.
 
Exar Essay said:
You’d want to be giving a small thought to the third possibility before getting involved.
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Any third option then the bet would be void wouldnt it, as it’s a match bet with no other option prices quoted ?
 
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