Champion Hurdle Review

24 March 2010

Timing, as they say, is all. Manchester United’s annual Premier League challenge is obviously one perfect example. Binocular, though, got it wrong last year, and if he had been on song earlier this season, he would have won wbx.com’s million pound bonus.

Instead it fell to Go Native to make that challenge. Despite many claiming his win at Kempton in the Christmas Hurdle, the race that gave him the million shot was “most impressive” I always believed his late scramble to hold Starluck precluded him from any real chance of winning at Cheltenham.

True Go Native had won the 2009 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle up the same hill and in similar time to Punjabi’s Champion Hurdle, but Kempton suggested Paul Carberry would have an even more difficult time in terms of timing than on the exasperating Harchibald in his prime.

Go Native ran too poorly for it to be a true reflection of his ability and certainly for my theory to be tested. Meanwhile Punjabi proved almost as much a surprise to the Henderson stable by not being involved just as last year he shocked them in beating Binocular.

Much was written about Tony McCoy’s unhappiness at Binocular’s less than emphatic win at Kempton, so much so that he was all but ruled out.

That interregnum led many to lay him on the exchanges, some as close to the 999-1 limit as makes no difference. When an apparent guaranteed loser/ winner fails to deliver the racing channels sympathize with those foolhardy souls who lay/ back them.

Because a trainer in all honesty trying to keep the public infirmed as the pundits say he should, misleads inadvertently the betting public, opprobrium is heaped on him in cases such as Binocular and Kicking Kick in his Gold Cup. In fact it is the sharp punters who are aiming to take advantage of the betting mugs that help the exchanges seem like potential nirvana. It does them good to know that something that cannot win actually can.

Last year Henderson, especially, was amazed at the Champion result, and it was only when the costly implications of that Kempton fall in the 2008 version of the Christmas Hurdle, the enormity of what happened kicked in.

Binocular this time had an even more problematic preparation than the previous time, but was one of the most impressive winners of the last 25 years. On the balance of the two Champion Hurdles, he fully deserves to be rated superior to his stablemate.

I was saying before the race that having won it before, we would find it easier to take if we failed to follow up. Raymond Tooth’s wonderful, gallant horse was going so well in what seemed a perfect position as they came down the hill that hopes were high, but Punjabi was according to Barry Geraghty “beaten at the third last”.

Happily Henderson has since said that the annual trip to Punchestown’s Rabobank Champion Hurdle would be on again. In that race he was a short head behind Solwhit 12 months ago, having won in 2008. Let’s hope he’s back to his best as he is usually at his peak in the spring.

Nigel Twiston-Davies was proud of Khyber Kim’s second place if frustrated that a Lazarean comeback from the winner was the only thing to prevent a Champion Hurdle – Gold Cup double, after Imperial Commander’s excellent victory.

Khyber Kim, with Henderson at the time of last year’s Champion Hurdle – he was right out the back in the County Hurdle – will be nine next year, so this was probably his best chance.

However, for the third-placed Zaynar, time is on his side. The previous two Champion Hurdle third-placed finishers were also in the Henderson yard and both were five-year-olds, respectively Punjabi and Binocular, so it might be premature to say Zaynar will need to go further. If he were mine, I think I’d want to take aim at the big one at six before committing to tackling Big Buck’s.

The clamour for Dunguib to run in the race was consistently resisted by Philip Fenton and the fact he could not win the Supreme, in which he was a creditable third, suggests he was in the right spot. He should go chasing soon as he is a year older than Binocular and two more than Zaynar.

While sad for connections who could not clinch the wbx.com million once again, I am relieved for the sponsors, not least because they might want my opinions on that and maybe even other matters in the future.

There is no question, however, that the fact so much bonus money was at stake excited many areas of the media that would otherwise have concentrate with even more predictable one-eyed vigour on the Kauto Star – Denman serial.

That reminds me. What will happen to the Kauto Star – Denman scarves now? Expect some clever soul to take them to Manchester and sell them to those anti-Glazer protesters yet to buy the green and yellow emblem.

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