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Where will they go ?

Kevloaf said:
How many horses have won a Champion Hurdle and Champion Chase?


Is it any?
Have any tried?


I would love to see that.
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Sizing Europe got close I think - ahead at the second last in the champion hurdle before losing his action. Went on to win champion chase
 
Odin said:
Sizing Europe got close I think - ahead at the second last in the champion hurdle before losing his action. Went on to win champion chase
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Not in successive seasons though. That's a huge difference.
 
Nwfb89 said:
Look up a horse called flyingblot kev, never won both but won the champion chase and ran in the champion hurdle the day after and finished 3rd
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Yeah I know Flyingbolt ... better than Arkle, 'they' say.
 
Odin said:
Sizing Europe got close I think - ahead at the second last in the champion hurdle before losing his action. Went on to win champion chase
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Ah yes, I'd just missed Sizing Europe's hurdle campaign, when I got 'in to it' Sizing Europe won the Arkle ..... didn't remember him as a Champion Hurdler, and did ultimately fall short.




Glad it's really rare, fits with the 'adventure' that the owner mused about on Luck on Sunday.





Rock On Ruby CH then flopping in an Arkle by walloping a fence early on lives long in the memory, which isn't really relevant but just popped into my head
 
If you owned State Man what would you do?

For me it’s a no brainier, stay hurdling. Plenty of grade 1s and prize money to mop up in Ireland. Have a crack at Constitution Hill each year and call Buckley a coward for not going to the Gold Cup like he’s implied.
 
Parachute Paddy said:
If you owned State Man what would you do?

For me it’s a no brainier, stay hurdling. Plenty of grade 1s and prize money to mop up in Ireland. Have a crack at Constitution Hill each year and call Buckley a coward for not going to the Gold Cup like he’s implied.
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Yeah there are 4 grade 1s in Ireland for him to run in next season and given his age potentially the 2/3 years after as well

He stays over hurdles he could win 10+ grade 1s in his career

Lots of prize money lots of grade 1s
 
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High profile owner who has horses in other divisions, but this would be his best open company hurdler. Yes, stay in G1 hurdles.
 
Regarding Mighty Potter, I know a few have been asking (including myself). This is Gordon Elliott in the Racing Post:

Elliott revealed the Fairyhouse Gold Cup Novice Chase over the same course and distance as his Drinmore victory earlier in the campaign is now on the agenda, saying: "Mighty Potter was sore after Cheltenham and just wasn't himself in the race. We're hoping to get him back to his best and the plan is to run in the Grade 1 at Fairyhouse on Easter Sunday. He's still a very good horse and I'd like to think he still has a very bright future."

If you want to read between the lines - not saying you should - that race is before the Manifesto at Aintree which is also a 2.5m Grade 1 (is he going due to travelling issues rather than being sore?). But it's also course and distance for the Drinmore that he won so there's an obvious reason to target Fairyhouse rather than Aintree outside of him just not travelling well.
 
Yea I’d tend to agree, he can mop up races in Ireland if CH does remain over hurdles.

If you go back over some of last season stable tours WPM did refer to possibly “running Stateman on the flat next season” i.e 2023. If it ever happens time will tell but more of an indicator he’s less likely to jump a fence.

Guessing Vauban remains over them too along with 1 or 2 of this years novice/triumph runners.

WPM has always referred to the scope IEP has in his previous comments which makes me lean towards chasing with him.
 
State Man deserves another crack at the Champion Hurdle. If it were not for Constitution Hill and falling on his debut in Ireland when he was odds on, he'd be unbeaten since joining Willie from France. IEP may well join him or perhaps go the Turners route as I don't see CH going for that one bit should he go chasing.
 
Constitution Hill

As someone who has waited 40+ years years to see a horse of this quality win the Champion Hurdle, I would be keen to see him stay over hurdles and create a long legacy in the race, for others to aspire to be.

Thats also been the complete theme for all Champion Hurdle winners since Dawn Run.

She was the last one, in 1984, to win a first Champion Hurdle then bin that career and go Novice chasing by the end of that calendar year.

She won her Novice Chase debut but then got injured and missed a full year, then (a bit like Coneygree) come back as a non-novice and sweep through unbeaten and win the Gold Cup as a pretty inexperienced second season chaser.

However ......

I think Michael Buckley is drawn to be the first to leave the Champion Hurdle behind. Be the first do that since Dawn Run, and in March 2025 aim to run in and win the Gold Cup (as an 8yo).

That gives him maybe this route.

1) Aintree Hurdle in 3 weeks time to post the biggest rating and biggest win he can, if they want to go out this season as the Champion Hurdler with the highest official rating of all time.

That may tempt them even more to consider chasing next season.

Anything less, then they could think of a 2nd Champion Hurdle, and to blast the opposition away and put up as high a figure as possible along the way.

Being recognised as the best hurdler. When you have the chance to be, may (only may) be on their minds.

I'd happily back Constitution Hill in "distance won" bets at Aintree, over 2M4F he has more chance of being even more dominant.

2) If he puts up an unsurpassed Hurdle rating at Aintree, I believe that could be the catalyst to put together a plan for chasing next season as a 6yo rising 7.

A perfect age to go chasing, and to run at seasons-end in either the Arkle, or Champion Chase (Hendo's 2 big races he wins more than most).

I'd love to see him go in the Champion Chase.

3) then step up to 2M4F for a final chase next season, ready for the 2024/25 campaign and a Gold Cup bid. as a 7yo rising 8.
Again perfect timing age wise

To leave it any later gives a first crack at the Gold Cup as a 9yo, which I believe is too late for a horse whose aim appears to be to win a Gold Cup.

He'd want to be running in one within 2yrs as an 8yo.
 
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What Sax said.......


:encouragement:​​​​​
 
I would love to see a horse attempt to win CH, CC and GC in three consecutive seasons and we finally have a horse that is "potentially" capable of doing just that.

Despite his undoubted ability, to do the above would still require a huge amount of luck. Staying injury free, staying on his feet and we are assuming (probably quite rightly) that he will be equally good over fences.

El Fabiolo, Energumene, Impaire Et Passe and Galopin Des Champs are all very decent animals and if he can reach the same level over fences, he would look to have their measure, but its by no means a "gimme".

I, for one, am looking forward to seeing what he is capable of over fences and whilst a 3 or 4 time Champion Hurdle winner would be an immense achievement, it would leave me wondering "what could have been...??"
 
Michael Buckley will be thinking exactly the same Leman. We've already had multiple Churdle winners.
 
You would also think that Henderson is gagging to win a Gold Cup.
He's only won it twice and his last was in 2013!!
 
My main concern with Constitution Hill going over fences is it may blunt his natural speed. It's happened before with really good hurdlers.

I know he has yet to school with Hendo, but lets not forget he lost his only p2p and made one really bad mistake, plus a couple of smaller mistakes during that race.

It's all well and good trying to make him into a Gold Cup horse, but I'd prefer they stuck to what he is best at, which, could, of course turn out to be going over fences, but I'm not convinced.
 
Worth a try though COD. He can always fall back.
 
Gonna be so much fun when Hendo takes the easiest path, pulls him out of every race saying "hE cOuLd HaVe DiEd!!!!!!" to jog round a 3 runner Champion Hurdle
 
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robith said:
Gonna be so much fun when Hendo takes the easiest path, pulls him out of every race saying "hE cOuLd HaVe DiEd!!!!!!" to jog round a 3 runner Champion Hurdle
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Exactly my thoughts :glee:
 
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