The 2016 Champion Hurdle

Me Humans. We're trying to find winners here big man.

Wouldn't be the first or last time a trainers told a little fib now would it.

 

That's exactly what I mean Bob, there's no point second guessing what he say's as he never gives much away and will never fully reveal his true thoughts to the general public until after an event.

 

Yep. It really goes without saying that the truth will only be told if it suits them. Sometimes, for all sorts of reasons, it's not wise to reveal all.

 

Listen Ron, the lads think thats disrespectful. Listen, I dont have to stand here every year and tell you he's the best I've ever had.

 

but I will

 

Crikey, AOB training Faugheen

"He's bred for 3m but he has a lotta pace, Richi.

Champion Hurdle in March and then we'll get him ready for the Breeders Cup Classic"

 

Pretty sure we won't really know where we stand with Faugheen until he runs next time out and/or Mullins comes out with a statement about injury.

I think he was just rusty, a bit tubby and likely to be better.

I also think, however, that questions around his win last year and the reading of his form are valid, as are those around the dictated pace by Ruby. It is suicidal to let that man dictate fractions, as they all found out with Vautour a year earlier.

One thing is for certain- the opposition need a pacemaker in the race this year IMO to at least ask the question.

On a side note, ever since I saw him novice hurdling I thought he'd be a menacing chasing prospect of he took to fences, especially over further. I thought he had King George written all over him but the yard went down the Vautour route! (And might well be vindicated- we will soon find out!) It's quite something hat he can win a Champion Hurdle given his size, breeding and attributes!

I'm really looking forward to the debate over the next few months and I suspect the Henderson pair will generate much hype when they return respectively.

Faugheen still the one to beat- but at least he has started a discussion!

 

Listen, we think he's a mile/10f horse but what do we know?

 

Back to my favorite time of the year.......NH!!!

Absolutely enthralled reading all the comments regarding Faugheen. It's interesting to see what evolved when he wasn't allowed (or chose not to) didn't dictate the pace and as a consequence didn't shift through the gears at his own leisure.

 

My old favourite THE NEW ONE, much maligned on this forum but would have been the worthy winner in 2014 with a clear passage. He is 20-1, that looks value when you see IRVING quoted at 25's! I wonder if they will run Blaklion as a pacemaker....might as well as he wont be winning anything any time soon!

 

Good point that Oddy about prices going south. Faugheen was holding up the market but now he's shown some chinks, those naughty bookie chappies will be looking to shorten everything that wins a race between now and March

 

Like wise! 20/1 ew is way to big for him I can see him going off single figures on the day

 

Why the minute a champion horse looses, questions start getting raised even more so about what he won against and everyone is trying to get him beat! Even tho he beat 2 previous champion hurdle winners and aintree hurdle, and very good consiSitet hurdler in the TNO Come March Faugheen will not be getting beat! You don't get name like Faugheen The Machine without being a super horse. On the build up to the champion hurdle everyone (most were anyway) he was pretty much the NB of the big Mullins 4 (after Annie Power) Ok we may have found a chink in his huge armour but he did not look 100% as some of you have already pointed out! Ok u could argue the Fly was sent out half cooked sometimes but they are two different horses! And maybe Willie underestimated the field including his own stable And we will see if Faugheen lives up to the Legend himself but come March he will regain his crown ! And go bit of the way to Doing it!

But just in case he doesn't I hav had a bit of MTOY as nice 20/1 ew and I have put and seem to be the only one who put TNO in his 10 to follow on here

 

It would appear that Mr Nicholls seriously rates his Greatwood Hurdle winner, Old Guard, and is going to allow him the chance to develop into a serious Champion Hurdle contender. The very valuable ‘International’ at next month’s Cheltenham fixture may be next. 40/1 is still available. If he romps home again those odds will be long, I say long, gone.

On reflection it can be argued that the form of the last 4 (maybe 5) Champion Hurdles has been greatly ‘enhanced’ and over valued and ain’t really up to that much. I don’t think any contained an Istabraq, a Hardy Eustace, a Brave Inca or a Binocular (OK so a couple did but he was inconvienced by having THAT man stuff it up).

 

The mistake they made with My Tent was racing him over hurdles in the first place! Imagine what he could have done, on level, over 12 furlongs. Much stronger pace so he wouldn't have wasted any energy pulling like an over enthuastic steam train.

There was talk a couple of years ago that he would come back from his summer hols early and run in Newbury’s ‘Geoffrey Freer’ as a ‘sighter’ to where he stood on the Flat. But it never happened, of course. I wouldn’t be surprised if the owner ruled it out because THAT man couldn’t ride him. And no that isn’t a tongue in cheek comment.

 

Think he had his best chance in ’14, Oddy. He’ll be 9 come the next renewal of the big ‘un and age is deffo not on his side, therefore.

He may perform very well in a few of the ‘trials’ leading up to the Champion but I’d seriously doubt he’ll be a match for the younger horses come March.

 

There's no way on Earth My Tent or Yours wins the Champion Hurdle.

He's not a Cheltenham horse and he's been off a year.

His chance to win at Cheltenham was in 2013 and 2014 and he ballsed it up both times.

In 2013 I liked Champagne Fever but i think i was getting carried away and was wrong about his ability because he's turned out to be mainly disapointing. In 2014 he lost to Jezki. Now, you can say what you want about that horse and that race but my opinion is it was a crap renewal with almost no subsequent substance to the form.

Please explain to me how MTOY can win a race run at a frenetic pace around Cheltenham? He can't. Now explain to me why he'd be able to out kick a 111 rated flat horse? He can't. And he's nine. And he's had a year off. So why does the time the race is run in really matter to him? There's no combination of pace/tactics that will favour him more than it will favour the genuine contenders.