CHAMPION HURDLE WINNER MAKES HIS SEASONAL DEBUT.........

Everything going well with this fellow, one more winning run then March......... they won`t get to this fellow, and still 16/1.....

100% sure dj?

Not what I heard today,Mr O`Connell has the call and he is very keen to go across.

He should go because with that attritional style he has, he might not be quite the same horse in 12 months time.

Owner is being taken for a ride if he doesn't go.

hard know how good the horse is..beating average ones on snaff is fine but ch hurd on goodish ground diff job..

yes he did, as I recall, will be fine on good ground, possible target red mills gowran, on current ratings has to improve a stone to get to fly level.

Champion Hurdle dark horse Un De Sceaux predictably proved in a different class to his two opponents as he maintained his unbeaten record in the Follow Navan On Facebook Hurdle.

Willie Mullins' French recruit made a big impression when winning on his first two Irish starts at Punchestown last season and galloped a couple of rivals into submission when making a winning return at Thurles last month.

With last season's Fred Winter winner Flaxen Flare a significant non-runner, Un De Sceaux was the 1-12 favourite to keep his record intact and did so without breaking sweat after being sent straight to the head of affairs as usual by Ruby Walsh.

The six-year-old set a fierce gallop, with 143-rated hurdler Foildubh, better known as a chaser, doing his level best to keep up. However, he was backpedalling by the time Un De Sceaux rounded the home turn and the odds-on shot negotiated the remaining obstacles to score by 53 lengths with his head in his chest.

Foildubh was so tired that he eventually finished a distant last of three, with 104-rated mare Akatara filling the runner-up spot.

Walsh, who went on to land a treble, said: "He goes a tremendous gallop. From the last hurdle down the back to the first hurdle in the straight he's maintaining a serious gallop. I couldn't believe when I looked at the back of the third-last how far back Paul (Carberry, on Foildubh) was.

"He wears his heart on his sleeve, he's a very good horse and he's obviously going the right way. If he was to turn up in the Champion Hurdle, I don't think The New One would need a pacemaker!"

Mullins conceded it was likely Un De Sceaux would end up in the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham in March, but that he has a long way to go to reach the same level as his dual Champion Hurdle hero Hurricane Fly.

The trainer said: "I'm just looking at where Foildubh finished. He tried to go with him (Un De Sceaux) and a horse rated way below him passed him (Akatara). He just completely choked. Our fellow killed him trying to go the pace.

"He seemed to take the stuffing out of Foildubh and Foildubh is not a bad horse. He beat Rubi Ball last time and he's a decent horse. Our horse was more settled today than I've ever seen him. I don't think he jumped as well as he can, probably because he was going that bit slower."

Asked about future targets, Mullins said: "Ruby just said maybe the Red Mills Hurdle in Gowran - that's an option. I'm going to have a look around and see where I can go. The Red Mills in Gowran time-wise is the right one.

"If he goes to Cheltenham he'll be entered in the Champion Hurdle. I don't see any other race for him there, but he's got to improve a stone to be near Hurricane Fly. With his style of running, good ground should be better - it should make it easier for him. He's one we're looking forward to all the time."

courtesy of ATR!

Chamapagne Fever taking a fair walk in the Arkle market on here (not much liquidity though obviously)

There is just something about this hoss

They obviously know wether he's CH quality or not considering they have the defending Champion in the same stable,
They're obviously not gonna tell us they've worked together but u can bet your last cent they have,
But that's neither here nor there,if Mullins feels like UDS is a fly in the ointment of the Hurricanes legacy,He'll do his best not to run him.

i think time has misted ur eyes silver..what had istabraq to beat?theatreworld?!?..the fly has hot opponents..ista had nothing to beat in comparason..head to head?fly every time

^^^is istabraq runniing in this yr champion hld?a completely irrelevant debate from drunken bores!
a dangerous game trying to 2nd guess wpm but i know where the op is coming from.my gut feeling is that un de seaux is top class.any1 that dismisses this horse as a player for the champ.hld is a fool.

Can you get one thing into your head silver..."we" do not all agree that Istabraq would have beaten HF...The only thing any right minded person would agree on is that "we" will never know.

When you get another of your unproveable theories I'd would appreciate if you left me for one out of your global "we".

regardless of what this horse has beat he really is visually impressive the way he can literally sprint for 2 miles ....as mullins pointed out yesterday on ratings  he has to improve a stone to get to the fly s level ......interesting times ahead !!!!!

I certainly do C.Roar, I was on at big prices, as mention on another thread, the clue was how unlucky he was in S.N.Hurdle the year before when very badly hampered and brought very wide BY A LOOSE horse in a very decent race. Although Iktitaf was still travelling well in the CH when fell but he won fine in the end.

Now Silver you have been caught spoofing again.  Istabraq beat very little in his champion hurdle wins.  He beat his stablemate in a few of them.  The same stablemate struggled to win races.  Im not a huge fan of HF but he beat as much as Istabraq did and perhaps HF wins have had a bit more depth to them.
Personally think HF needs soft ground to win in Cheltenaham.  Will be taken off his feet otherwise.

silver i was a big fan of istabraq..i backed it the first year it won ch hurdle and previous tr in sun alliance hurd..but if he had come in the brave inca/hardy eustace/macs joy/harchi era would he have been as breathtaking looking?...look at the placed horse behind istabraq in all his years winning it..the year he pulled up hors la loi(second 2000 btn 4 l) won it?.in my opinion hors la oi wouldnt be in first 6 in this years renewal or in the 2004/2006 era..theatreworld?2nd a few times?same story..top 8 maybe this year..its all about opinions i guess

"sometimes you just know"

Maybe with powers like that silver you might tell us the next time you "know" something...only can you please let us know about a future event so we can all benefit from this amazing ability.

Market saying he won't be anywhere near Cheltenham on the 11th March,they're certainly keen to lay him on here a monkey put up at 18.5 (liability of €8800),Lowest price trying to get on is 25 for €6

AINTREE HURDLE ?