2009 WBX.COM Fighting Fifth Hurdle Day

Having attracted an all-star cast of seven the 2009 WBX.COM Fighting Fifth Hurdle was the most anticipated renewal of the Grade 1 feature in living memory and it did not disappoint.

With Binocular and Solwhit clashing, favourite and second favourite respectively for the Champion Hurdle at the 2010 Cheltenham Festival, it was widely expected to turn into a match between the pair.

It was to prove otherwise however as a sedate early pace, set by 2008 WBX.COM Fighting Fifth Hurdle third Blue Bajan, saw any number in with chances jumping two out.

Binocular, sent off the 4/5 on-course favourite, was, in fact, one of the first in trouble as Tony McCoy’s mount failed to pick up when asked for his effort and it was left to the Irish-trained duo of Sublimity, the 2007 Champion Hurdle winner, and Go Native to fight out the finish with the latter seemingly full of running approaching the final flight.

Sublimity, second to Punjabi 12 months ago, raced towards the centre of the track after the last under Philip Carberry but Davy Condon had every move covered aboard Go Native and Noel Meade’s six-year-old was not to be denied. He scored impressively by 2 ½ lengths with Solwhit a well-beaten third.

It was trainer Meade’s third success in the race following wins in 2004 and 2007 for Harchibald and the 2009 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle winner now heads to Kempton and the Christmas Hurdle on Boxing Day as he bids to take a step closer to landing connections the £1 million bonus on offer to any horse winning the WBX Hurdling Triple Crown.

The final race on the card saw 14 go to the post for the wbxtriplecrown.com Rehearsal Chase and it witnessed a return to form for the grey Beat The Boys.

Always travelling well under Timmy Murphy, who was completing a double on the day, it was another big race success for in-form trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies as the eight-year-old readily held off the challenge of Coe in the 3m handicap chase with the well-backed favourite According To John in third.


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