Kilcooley - World Hurdle.

I'm with you Eeternal. Was at Wetherby and took 25/1 after the race. I have also been chipping away at 16/1. I know they want soft ground which may play against him. Also thought he'd be out Saturday in the Long Walk Hurdle. Something may be amiss as not entered. Any news about this?

Charlie Longsdon said he just wasn't sparkling - not the same as he was before Wetherby, so decided to resist the temptation to run on Saturday although he was dead keen to go there

Cheers Delsie. I'll continue to chip away. Aqalim ran at Wetherby and at Newbury behind Thistlecrack. Can't understand why Kilcooley is twice the price.

Yeah it's on the trainer's blog, horse will go to Cheltenham either on NYD or trials day.

Can understand if they want to give him a longer break between races this season, he always races hard.

Shock - should have added that he is otherwise happy with the horse and nothing is amiss.

I'm pleased as punch he's missing Saturday. The temptation to then go to the Cleeve would be huge and for me I much refer a softly softly approach. I'd like to see him out in something like the Relkeel and then kept ticking over before the big one.

Incidentally my personal view is I'm not too worried about the ground. It's always safe ground now at Cheltenham and his action, size and breeding suggest he doesn't need it too soft to show his best.

Thanks for the updates and I believe a real contender for the World Hurdle.

Kilcooley was a notable absentee last Saturday at Cheltenham, having not even been entered. He'd already missed the Long Walk due to a haematoma on the point of his hip and then pulled a muscle while trainer Charlie Longsdon attempted to ready him for Cheltenham's Trials Day.

That means he hasn't been sighted since winning the West Yorkshire Hurdle and Longsdon admits he needs "a clean run" to have any hope of getting him to the Festival, but rates the chance of him lining up only 50/50 and is already talking about "Aintree, Punchestown and France if he doesn't get there."

From Lydia Hislop

I think the prices post Wetherby were an insult to the horse given that performance. He's long been talking about the French Champion in the summer. Maybe he always intended a spring campaign once it was confirmed how good he was. If he were bouncing maybe he would take his chance in the Stayers but I'm not expectant. It's funny really because I was very impressed by him and also Thistlecrack's run at Newbury given Tizzard's pre race comments. Because the latter was 8-1 I thought the 16's was the value.

HIGH-CLASS hurdler Kilcooley took an important step towards Cheltenham on Tuesday morning when he came through a make-or-break gallop.


He delighted jockey Richard Johnson and trainer Charlie Longsdon in a workout at Kempton and could now take his chance in the Ryanair World Hurdle.

Kilcooley, 25-1 for the World Hurdle, has not raced since landing the West Yorkshire Hurdle at Wetherby in October and Longsdon said: "He's had a few soundness issues, pulled muscles and other things as well. Today was to find out whether we should be going or not, it was very much 50-50 before today.

"Richard Johnson very kindly came and worked him, having won on him at Wetherby, and he seemed very happy with him. Kilcooley showed his normal spark and worked nicely.

"We will see how he comes out of it but from what we saw today there is no reason why he wouldn't go to Cheltenham."

Just watched The West Yorkshire Hurdle again and it still impresses me how easily Kilcooley won. He beat Aqalim every bit as easy as Thistlecrack did and I've had a bit more on at 25/1 NRNB.

I think if they get him there he'll be spot on or they'll miss the fez altogether.

I see him as the only danger to Thistlecrack on his Wetherby win.

That's the way I see it also. I've been mighty impressed with Thistlecrack this season. Longsdon is supposed to be taking him for a race course gallop this week. Supposedly plans will become clearer after that.

Good news shockster:

HIGH-CLASS hurdler Kilcooley took an important step towards Cheltenham on Tuesday morning when he came through a make-or-break gallop.

[b]He delighted jockey Richard Johnson and trainer Charlie Longsdon in a workout at Kempton and could now take his chance in the Ryanair World Hurdle.

Kilcooley, 25-1 for the World Hurdle, has not raced since landing the West Yorkshire Hurdle at Wetherby in October and Longsdon said: "He's had a few soundness issues, pulled muscles and other things as well. Today was to find out whether we should be going or not, it was very much 50-50 before today.

"Richard Johnson very kindly came and worked him, having won on him at Wetherby, and he seemed very happy with him. Kilcooley showed his normal spark and worked nicely.

"We will see how he comes out of it but from what we saw today there is no reason why he wouldn't go to Cheltenham."[/b]

please read 12.28 post today...strewth

You're like a coiled spring.

Yes I'm well pleased as thought it was a no goer, but seriously Kilcooley is 2nd highest in Official ratings on 164 (Thistlecrack 168) yet he's 25 times bigger in price.  Stand out EW bet especially when you go down the field and try and see who will run and in with a chance.  Forum CHAAAAAAAARGE and it's NRNB.

Yep, I'm in Shock.
25 nrnb,like that mate.

Aqalim is the one horse with collateral form with Kilcooley and Thistlecrack and again it puts Kilcooley right in the mix.  Has to be a big player. 

I suspect that this will be a non runner. Even if he was tearing it up, he wouldn't be pony with the form he has in the book. Very difficult/impossible to win a championship race off a crap preparation.

Prep has been bad obviously but goes well fresh and at 25/1 worth a go IMO.  If they're not happy he won't run and stakes returned.

wouldn't want the ground to fast this horse but not without a chance

FF,maybe you should tell Mullins that......re Annie Power.

Exactly Shock,he runs he's a runner at a nice price,he don't then money back.

Kilcooley – World Hurdle

“He had a gallop at Kempton this morning which all seemed to go well.

“He’s had a few soundness issues since Wetherby, hence the reason why we wanted to get him galloping today to see if Cheltenham was or wasn’t a possibility for him

“I am very happy with him and there is no reason not to go. I wouldn’t run him unless he had an each-way chance and he’s the second-highest race in the race so we’d definitely think he has a chance.”

Charlie Longsdon

Not the best preparation, only one piece of form at the trip, will do well get an easy lead and perhaps most importantly has no course form and appears suited by a flat track. Plenty of reasons to be sceptical, whatever the price. Would certainly give him a better chance if this were three miles at Aintree. Personally, I would hold fire and try and win a nice prize at Punchestown.

That's my £2 on at 120's - go on Charlie run him for a laugh!

I can see your point differentdrum but until you run them at Cheltenham you don't know. The New Course isn't nearly as undulating as the Old and in any event the horse has plenty of form at undulating tracks. If he were to run I'd expect that Johnson would do as he did in the Charlie Hall and drop him in third or fourth as he usually does. If Longsdon was to target the better races at Aintree or Punchestown he'd be running against the same type of horses and in the case of Punchestown he'd be going there without a run for six months. He's the second top rated horse, with scope for further improvement and smaller trainers need to be willing to race their best horses at the best meetings especially this one to generate interest in their stables. Were he to finish even third he'd win more prize money than for either of his grade 2 wins thus far.

On his class and staying ability, his one piece of form at the trip was a very good effort where he had a very good horse in Rock On Ruby cooked at all points up the straight. His breeding suggests that this distance is exactly what he wants and he was still pulling clear as Johnson eased him down.

Of course I've backed him so I would say all of that.

But it wouldn't surprise me at all if Longsdon wraps him up in cotton wool.

Update from a Monday night preview - Charlie Longsdon says plenty of positives on Kilcooley. Could run a big race, gave dickey (Johnson) a great feel schooling. Prefers softer ground to be at very best.