Champion Hurdle 2021

[Ray]

Yeah everyone could be trying to be too cute again trying to find other angles..i beleive what that chubby irish matey says in racing posts upping the ante, take the run out of cheltenham in the mares novice hurdle and wed all be looking at a potential superstar.. i do like aba though but will play epatante in a few more multis now

[Lobos]

https://darylcarterhorseracing.wordp...ampion-hurdle/

Interesting stuff. I agree with him re Abacadabras. He did have the easiest of runs in the Supreme and still failed to win. I can't have him winning the Champion. Think he'll find 1 or 2 too good again. Interesting too re Shiskin. Sounds like he thinks he'd win a Champion Hurdle and Nicky said the same. For them to be going Arkle probably tells you how much they think of Epatante.

[Lobos]

Be interesting to see him run this weekend.
How will fans of his feel if he gets beat off 88 on the flat ?

Hopefully he runs against Not so Sleepy at Haydock too, as that would almost be a formline

On the Champion Hurdle front. I watched it last night again.
And Epatante is value for more than her winning margin.
She won easy as she liked.
I'd say she has at least another 7-10lbs in her mark.

Agree Q. I've watched it back several times and she looks better each time. Electrifying pace and super quick jumping plus high cruising speed. Brilliant. 4/1 is a mystery to me. Should be 11/4 at best.

[Craigy14]

https://darylcarterhorseracing.wordp...ampion-hurdle/

Cheers Ray good read that

Does anyone else not think in the first racing UK image of the ‘carnage’ that Elixir looks to have jumped slightly left?

Obviously Asterion jumped markedly right which caused the chaos, just that freeze looked interesting. I suppose Elixir could be explained as to where the course goes left.

[Silverbirch]

Interesting. I must be in the minority here. Even now when I watch this race back, for the life of me, can't understand how Abacadabras didn't win this. I actually think he did nothing wrong. He looks a solid 2 miler to me. On any other day he wins wins that.

I think personally he'll push Epatante all the way. Just my opinion, but I think with a decent ride, he can win this.

[Quevega]

Interesting. I must be in the minority here. Even now when I watch this race back, for the life of me, can't understand how Abacadabras didn't win this. I actually think he did nothing wrong. He looks a solid 2 miler to me. On any other day he wins wins that.

I think personally he'll push Epatante all the way. Just my opinion, but I think with a decent ride, he can win this.

I think the guy who wrote the article said as much.
It was the fact that he had such a dream run through a well run race that suited vs Shishkin's issues, - and still lost.
That could be a negative for some and they'd have a point.
But he's unlikely to have Shishkin to deal with, so IMO he has as good a shout as any of the novices.
It's just whether he can improve enough to trouble the mare.

On a positive note, the division is thin on numbers of real classy 2 milers, as Daryl said. Mostly handicappers and Sharjah, who's not that consistent.

[YoungHustler]

If BDD wasn't in the Mares Hurdle come March I could see Concertista going there.

A lot of water under the bridge until Willie makes his last minute decisions.

I've taken the stance that Concertista will be going for the Mares and BDD won't as Willie will realise that Honeysuckle beat her fairly last year so will have to place BDD elsewhere(I'm hoping Mares Chase). Fingers crossed until proven otherwise!

[Outlaw]

Cheers Ray.
He's alright is Daryl.
Agree with most of his stuff, and this write up of the supreme vs champion is definitely along the right lines to my mind anyway.

And his Oddschecker photographs are fucking hilarious.
A Fat lad trying to look suave is always amusing.

Be even more amusing you saying that to him, he's not one to hold back

[riccirich]

A few issues with mr carters write up imo

Abacadabras needs to ''finish out his races better'', he was about 1/4l in front of shishkin going over the last flight and was only beat a neck, I wouldnt agree that means he isnt seeing out his races, I think he saw his race out fine, just slightly less well than a fellow high class horse.

The notion that aba got an easy time of things while shishkin was a victim of terrible misfortune is not entirely true. Yes, shishkin had some bad luck but his jumping errors which were referred to were not bad luck, they were simply mistakes of his own doing, which he could easily repeat if they were to race again. As for aba, for a horse that possesses so much speed the ground conditions were surely very much in shishkins favour, as if the ground was even good to soft I cant see shishkin making up the ground that he did. Also, for a hold up horse I highly doubt one of the front runners coming down and leaving aba in front so far out was a help to him. Asterion forlonge was tying up at that stage so i'd say in an ideal world davy would have preferred elixir to give him a lead for a bit longer before he struck the front.

In simple terms of course shishkin didnt have the best luck in running, but I dont think aba had the dream run that is being made out, I just think the misfortune he had was a little less obvious.

[Lobos]

Triumph Hurdle form took a knock with favourite Cerberus getting well beaten at Listowel on Monday.

[ComplyOrDie]

Triumph Hurdle form took a knock with favourite Cerberus getting well beaten at Listowel on Monday.

As I suspect it will continue to do so, with horses coming out of juvenile company. Happens pretty much every season.

[Quevega]

A few issues with mr carters write up imo

Abacadabras needs to ''finish out his races better'', he was about 1/4l in front of shishkin going over the last flight and was only beat a neck, I wouldnt agree that means he isnt seeing out his races, I think he saw his race out fine, just slightly less well than a fellow high class horse.

The notion that aba got an easy time of things while shishkin was a victim of terrible misfortune is not entirely true. Yes, shishkin had some bad luck but his jumping errors which were referred to were not bad luck, they were simply mistakes of his own doing, which he could easily repeat if they were to race again. As for aba, for a horse that possesses so much speed the ground conditions were surely very much in shishkins favour, as if the ground was even good to soft I cant see shishkin making up the ground that he did. Also, for a hold up horse I highly doubt one of the front runners coming down and leaving aba in front so far out was a help to him. Asterion forlonge was tying up at that stage so i'd say in an ideal world davy would have preferred elixir to give him a lead for a bit longer before he struck the front.

In simple terms of course shishkin didnt have the best luck in running, but I dont think aba had the dream run that is being made out, I just think the misfortune he had was a little less obvious.

Yep - I'd agree with that.
I said as much on my antepost thread review of the race.
The being left in front too soon didn't appear to help. And I'm sure Davy would have preferred a longer lead into the finish.
However, that admission is hardly a positive for the horse overall. And the rest of the race could not have gone smoother for the horse and jockey.

The carnage caused by asterion in particular, reminded me of the terminator, where the smoke and bodies are everywhere and Abacadabras emerges completely unscathed, travelling like he's certain to win.

Aba's misfortune is far less obvious for sure, and if it's a quirk (to doss in front), then it's self inflicted.

I personally don't believe he dossed that day, and battled really well to the line. Just beat by a better horse (probably worthy of more)

[Quevega]

Be even more amusing you saying that to him, he's not one to hold back

I'm sure he's mentally equipped to take it in the spirit it was meant.
And I've suspected you for a long time.

[charlie]

As I suspect it will continue to do so, with horses coming out of juvenile company. Happens pretty much every season.

Exactly. I'd love to know who's backing Goshen for this at 4/1. I'd need someone standing behind me with a loaded gun to take that price about a Triumph Hurdle (winner) in September.

[Outlaw]

I'm sure he's mentally equipped to take it in the spirit it was meant.
And I've suspected you for a long time.

Not quite sure what you are insinuating with that last sentence
FWIW I share a similar opinion to you, whilst it's disappointing Aba didn't get the job done(top horses find a way regardless),he has the higher cruising speed & should be mixing it in the frame vs this current crop at the least.I mentioned it a while ago that whilst Shishkin could obvs be v.good over 2M from what I've seen I can't wait to see him upped in trip in time.