The Unibet Champion Hurdle Challenge Trophy 2021

Nice post Oddy. Index updated

 

Call it blind faith, call it stupidity, call it what you like...

I am still in the Abacadabras camp. I thought he ran an absolutely brilliant race in the Supreme Hurdle, only to be touched off on the post by a certain Shishkin, and whilst we haven't seen anything near that form this season, I think he is a horse that will relish the spring ground and most importantly he needs a strong pace to chase and for the race to be run to suit.

I expect we might see him with headgear on, and if they get him to peak for that one day, I think he will go and win the race.

I don't think we are blessed with many top class hurdlers over the minimum trip, we've seen blips for most of the likely field, and if we see a performance to note at the DRF we could see a massive change in the market.

 

I do have blind faith. I have a bet on Saldier 25/1 e/w.

 

Based on what I have seen from last year up until now, Sharjah would be the most obvious one, if on a going day. They say he can be quite hit and miss, as is self evident. A good strong pace is almsot guaranteed and if he's held closer to the pace this year and has no misfortune, he could be pretty hard to beat.

 

Where are the faint hearted trainers of Honeysuckle and Benie Des Dieux? Tragic that , for the only time in National Hunt history , have each of three mares had serious claims to winning a Champion Hurdle- and the trainers of two of them preferred to run in the relatively mediocre Mares Hurdle.
Shame on you, De Bromhead and Mullins!
PS. Even the vastly improved other Mullins' mare, Concertista, wouldn't be without an outside chance. She has a fine turn of foot.

 

The counter argument to that is, how many of these top mares would have been retired to stud before they got to their levels that they are showing, had the mares calendar not existed in the way it has?

The one thing that could be said about the BHA is that they've been very proactive in creating a season for the mares, from the GB Bonus scheme for british bred fillies and mares, through to the big mares races over hurdles and fences at the festival. The season now has a progression for the mares, allowing them to be viable racehorses and giving the public the chance to see top quality mares that might have been retired in previous eras.

 

Call me mad, but I would rather they withdraw the mares allowance, all Championship races off level weights, and then if you've got an awesome mare she has to run to same level as the geldings to win. It might put off mares being declared for them, but it would also stop the quotes like "Epatante would struggle to beat that field off level weights"

I was talking to a couple of friends the other day, we were discussing that we should try and syndicate a British bred mare. I doubt we would have had that conversation a few years ago about any mare, let alone one bred in Britain.

 

Interesting debate on allowances. This could be extended to WFA and apprentices. There are, of course, good reasons for these allowances and the question is whether the sex allowance is any less deserving. In show jumping the mares get no allowances. If a ladies team got into the football league, would they be given a 2 goal lead?

 

In one sense, the mares’ allowance is academic. I can’t bring to mind any other mare from the past that would have won the Champion Hurdle- with any reasonable weight concession or not.
We shouldn’t need to applaud family concerns like the Mullins’ and Prices’ for running Dawn Run and Flakey Dove in the Champion. It should be natural for owners and trainers to be enthusiastic and ambitious.
I just cannot understand why trainers are more concerned about keeping a horse’s winning record ‘intact’ than showing enterprise.
Also, Soft ground frightens them. Handicaps terrify them. 6 or 7 races a year would kill their poor horses!
I suppose the biggest laugh of all would be for Honeysuckle, Benie Des Dieux, and Concertista to all run in The Mares Hurdle - and Epatante or ,even better, a different mare, takes the spoils in The Champion.

 

Tam, how many good mares never raced because they were for breeding from only? We now have a very active calendar for mares, we are seeing better quality mares in racing than we saw when Quevega was dominating (Honeysuckle rated 1lb higher than Quevega but much more competitive in the main) and that is meaning that we are seeing more questions on whether mares such as those mentioned on here are good enough to win a Champion Hurdle.

I think we are in a good position in terms of the mares races, I don't think they take away from the Champion Hurdle or World Hurdle, but instead they add another top quality race to the festival. A position very different to how I saw it five years ago.

 

Nass, I take your point but, surely, isn’t it a question of facing up to a challenge and wanting to take on the best? Surely, better quality mares today should increase that incentive, not lessen it.
I’m not against races for ‘mares only’ but doesn’t the 7lbs weight concession render them redundant, given that concession is supposed to level things out?

 

I’d love to know what proportion of runners in the Champion Hurdle were mares in each decade. I’d be surprised if it was statistically different since the mares races have been introduced.

I think progress has been made in making mares viable as ownership options and for that I think the mares races are very valuable.

Given that, I think the removal of the mares allowance would make it even better for the Championship races, the best beating the best off levels. I think that would be progress.

 

Fair comments, Nass, but let’s see more ambition from owners and trainers.

 

also it’s worth noting the trip, how many folk were crying out for an intermediate trip for horses like Oscar Whisky. Perhaps because of the intermediate distance you get more a better field of horses.

 

The mare’s allowance was only introduced in the early 1980’s so I would imagine the number of mares running up to this point in the race would be far lower.

I had no idea about this fact until the other day incidentally when reading it in the old paper. The article stressed the point that had the introduction of the allowance been put on hold for a few years then in all likelihood Dawn Run would have won neither a Champion Hurdle or a CGC. By such decisions is greatness decided, people.