World Hurdle 2017

There are historically very few really top class hurdlers that stay 3 miles which is why the World Hurdle is so often won by favourites and often more than once by the same horse. Baracouda, Inglis Drever and Big Bucks were unbeateable at their peaks and Thistlecrack was another that might well have won 2 or 3 if he had stayed hurdling. Uno is geeting close to the same category and it is hard to see him getting beaten if he stays in the same form.

I know to win the race you have to stand up, and that Ballyoptic has been beaten twice by Harry now, but the gulf in price between 5/2 and 25/1 is far too big in my opinion.

Harry should without doubt be favourite and is most likely winner, but I'd rather take a chance at 25's on Ballyoptic being able to stay on his feet and back him ew.  After all, he was only slightly headed yesterday when he slipped on landing, but he'd been out in front a long time, and I thought it was a great run.

Harry seems to have most in England covered so you'd be looking at something from Ireland to beat him.  I can only see Nichols Canyon as the only candidate to be honest (or Alpha Des Obeaux or Shaneshill, but highly unlikely they'll go down this route).

Snow Falcon was travelling sweetly when he came down at Newbury and might well have given Unowwhatimeanharry a race but, as you say, the hurdles are there to be jumped.

Harry also has course and distance form which (as ridiculous as it seems now) was a question mark over Thistlecrack this time last year for some.He's not quite as imperious as Thistlecrack but he's won both the key pre Christmas trials in the UK comfortably.

The Christmas Hurdle at Leopardstown might tell us more especially if Nichols Canyon, Jezki and Snow Falco all turn up.

As someone else pointed out, JPM had no problem running both More of That and At Fishers Cross against each other a couple of years back so if Jezki were impressive this would surely be the target.

Having said that, both him and Nichols Canyon could still end up in the Chamion Hurdle if Annie Power and Faugheen continue to be awol.

Alpha Des Obeaux will surely stay over fences if he continues to progress?

^Snow Falcon

Yeah, I fully expect ADO to remain over fences, just saying he'd be one of the few in the betting who I think would be well capable of winning this.

Jezki is a big unknown, I admit, after over 600 days off the track.  I was surprised that he is still only 8 (turning 9), I assumed he was older than that.  He could well be a Solwhit and make the step up to 3m after injury problems.

Like you say, Harry has won the key English trials, but I'm keen to take him on at the minute at the prices.  The improvement he has made is remarkable, but I think he can be got at.

Last season there were question marks about the superiority of Thistlecrack until Cheltenham similarly with Unowhatimeanharry this season despite the ease they won their previous races. Could it be these two horses do not come from stables the likes of WPM, Henderson or Nichols?

I was bowled over by the performance of Unowhatimeanharry yesterday despite one could see little because of the fog, and the race prior - they were scintillating and he could still improve come Cheltenham. I cannot wait for him to run in the Cleeve Hurdle at Cheltenham next month.

5/2 would be a huge price on the day regardless of the opposition (apart from Thistlecrack) but there is always a chance of injury or illness between now and March. After the news today, will we see Coneygree again this season?

Jezki is the one for me, his price is bigger than it should be IMO due to the fact that he would still be a possible for the CH and his owner has the current impressive favourite. The thing is though that we've seen that Jezki stays 3 miles and has CH class, just as Solwhit came to this race with the same credentials and basically hacked up, Jezki has much the same profile, he is a completely different class of animal to what Harry has been competing against. I'll be backing him for the WH before his run over Christmas and keep my fingers crossed.

impossible123
18 Dec 16 18:08
Joined: 07 Sep 15
| Topic/replies: 2,754 | Blogger: impossible123's blog
Last season there were question marks about the superiority of Thistlecrack until Cheltenham similarly with Unowhatimeanharry this season despite the ease they won their previous races. Could it be these two horses do not come from stables the likes of WPM, Henderson or Nichols?




i suppose you could question his superiority leading into cheltenham

i suppose winning the long walk by 6l, also winning the cleeve hurdle by 12l giving ptit zig 8lbs and being sent off even money on the day would lead to a horse having question marks against it

walofs

I'll wait until after the King George to see how Thistlecrack runs, but if all goes well for him, and this is definitely taken off the agenda, I'll have my first proper antepost of the year on Ballyoptic at 25's.

As I've put above 5/2 vs 25 is far too big a gap for me, and although the likelihood is Harry will confirm his superiority, I don't mind taking a big price to find out.

VVM looks like the main threat to Harry now then, with NC running over 2m tomorrow, you'd think that would be their Cheltenham targets by and large sorted, but there's always that dogsh!t G1 called the Mares Hurdle to throw into the mix.  Hopefully Paddy being longest for the Mares and shortest for the World is a sign.

She travelled beautifully today, but didn't finish too strongly but that might have been because she was left out in front when Shaneshill tipped up - still think he has a big race in him.

I don't think she stays 3 miles strongly enough, Jezki would still be my fancy, provided we see him again.

That would be the big question mark, but put she had good horses in Snow Falcon and Shaneshill behind her.  I think she'd be travelling the best in the WH up to the final flight, but it's what she has got after that.

Ricci just said she'll be entered into everything, but I think it'll take a good one to beat her with the big weight allowance she'll receive.

The only problem is that if Limini doesn't come out soon, I can't see anything for Mullins in the Mares (can't see Annie Power ever being in that again), so she might end up running in that.

ruby said annie mares faugheen ch hurd vroom stayers

So all that can be taken with a shovel load of salt kavvie!

Well DONE