Officially known as the David Nicholson Mares Hurdle, the race was first run as a Grade 2 in 2008 and officially raised to Grade 1 status in 2015, in part to honour the exploits of the wonderful Quevega who won the race in 6 consecutive years from 2009-2014. Run over 2m 4f, there are 9 hurdles to be jumped and the leading trainer and jockey are pretty obvious - Willie Mullins (9 wins) and Ruby Walsh (8 wins), the difference being probably the most famous last hurdle fall in Cheltenham History as Annie Power, with the 2015 race at her mercy, somehow contrived to fall at the final onstacle, allowing stablemate Glens Melody to take the win. Punters (myself included) were already counting their accumulator winnings after Douvan (Supreme), Un de Sceaux (Arkle) and Faugheen (Champion Hurdle) had given Mullins and Walsh a Tuesday treble but the final hurdle fall saved the bookies an estimated £50 million. The 2019 renewal has 30 initial entries but these are clouded in uncertainty due other potential targets, most notably the possibility of Laurina and Apples Jade both running in the Champion Hurdle. Gigginstown and Gordon Elliot remain steadfast in their intention to send Apples Jade here to defend her crown and that would appear to be the most likely scenario, the extra half mile compared to the Champion Hurdle looking more like her optimum trip. I think Laurina will be Champion Hurdle bound so Benie des Dieux could emerge as the main Mullins challenge. The Ricci-owned mare has only been beaten once in her career (in France) and beat Apples Jade at Punchestown in April after winning the mares novice hurdle at last year's Cheltenham festival. With Apples Jade around the 5/4 mark and Benie des Dieux at 4/1 it looks like the bookies have this as a 2 horse race (particularly if Laurina does go Champion Hurdle). One I hope can go well at a massive price is Lucinda Russell's Mega Yeats, who has confirmed her bumper promise with a fine debut hurdles success at Wetherby on Boxing Day. She is probably more likely to go for the mares novices hurdle if anything but has the entry here and 33/1 NRNB with Skybet might be worth an e/w snifter.
Question for the forum, how many mares raced in the CH in the ten races prior to the 2008 debut of this race and how many have run in it since? I will post the answer when I’ve researched it later!
All that I know is that the last mare to run in the race won it (Paddy Power’s little sister). Although Verdana Blue was a declared runner last term but got pulled out, because of the ground, on the morning of the race. We've currently got 3 entered in the '19 version of the CH. Laurina, Verdana Blue and Apple's Jade. The first, providing she is well, will almost certainly run. The 2nd, as detailed above, is ground dependant so her participation will be in the hands of old girl Mother Nature. Meanwhile, Apple's Jade...probobly not, but who bally well knows!
My head is hung in shame. If the former poster, known to all Cock-en-nee’s as ‘Meghan Markle’, was around he would also have added the rebuke to me of ‘more research required’. But I will spare everyone the 5 paragraph rant about how Amaretto Rose would have won 3 CH’s if injury hadn’t have intervened.
Year - No of Mares 1996 2 1997 1 1998 3 1999 1 2000 0 2002 2 2003 1 2004 0 2005 0 2006 1 2007 1 2008 0 2009 1 2010 0 2011 0 2012 0 2013 0 2014 0 2015 0 2016 1 2017 0 2018 0 And that is why I think this notion of having the race and it taking the quality away from the Champion Hurdle isn't an obvious one.
I guess the follow up questions are: (i) how many of these 14 mares started at 9/1 or shorter in the market and (ii) how many started at 25/1 or larger. It could be argued that all 3 of the current crop of entries would fall into (i) if they went to post in '19.
1996 - 7/1 66/1 1997 - 33/1 1998 - 40/1 20/1 100/1 1999 - 16/1 (Lady Cricket) 2002 - 14/1 20/1 2003 - 13/2 2006 - 12/1 2007 - 20/1 so only two were fancied in the market. So who can name the mare from 2009 then?
Yep I was quite pleased with myself there - obviously not going senile as quickly as I sometimes think (either that or it was the extra shot of gin which the steward put in my G n T this morning )
