Pricewise Champion Hurdle - I miss you all my friends!!!!!!!!!!

Taking a look at the Stan James Champion Hurdle prices at this stage is a case in point, with five horses already trading at 8-1 or shorter. The way the bookies bet on the day of the race these days suggests to me a few of those will be bigger prices, especially as they all have their trials to run, so I don’t really think there is any point in backing the short ones in the Cheltenham markets at this stage.

Obviously that means we might miss the winner, but taking a single-figure price before any horse has run in its trial is fraught with danger, so instead I’m looking for a horse who might explode on to the scene in the coming weeks, and for me that one horse just has to be Cotton Mill.

It seems strange, but the best trial for the Champion in recent years has been the Neptune over 2m5f, probably because the Champion is a test of stamina as much as speed and often the better horses opt for the Neptune rather than the hustle and bustle of the Supreme on the opening day.

The great Istabraq ran in the Neptune in his novice season, as did dual winner Hardy Eustace, not to mention last year’s winner Rock On Ruby, who was just touched off in the previous season’s Neptune.

Last year’s Neptune looked as good as any renewal I can remember, with superstar Simonsig coming home alone. Back in third was strong World Hurdle fancy Monksland, so the form has worked out really well.

Coming to two out last year it was a two-horse race between Cotton Mill and Simonsig. That is where it all went wrong for Cotton Mill as he tried to run out, but he looked to be going equally as well as the winner and if you don’t believe me you should ask Denis O’Regan, who said after the race: “He was going as well as Simonsig but we’ll never know – it is a long time since I have been going as well at that stage of a race around here. It was a bit unfortunate, but I hope the horse is okay as he is obviously a right one.”