The Christmas Hurdles Podcast - Your Input Is Required

[Spectre]

Some really good suggestions so far, but it needs a bump to see if there are anything else you’d like to see us cover please.

[Eggs]

….is there anything that can force its way into the CH picture, even a novice chaser who’s not taken to fences. Interesting that PP cut AI for the CH yesterday.

[BigChaang]

I'd be interested to hear the panels thoughts on the Mares novice hurdle .
As it stands with the horses that have been out already . And the potential of those yet to run .
Maybe the same with the South AmericanTuber Race..

[nortonscoin200]

Saint Felicien this year’s Saint Roi? Discuss.

[BigChaang]

The winner of the Boodles as well please !!. .

[Odin]

Probably not info you'd want to give away yet, which I'd completely understand, but I feel like most of the graded races markets already have their shapes now. I'd more intrigued by those races/horses we might expect to throw up a decent handicapper, how said horses may run this Xmas and which races they're likely to be targeted at.

On a more general note - how much of an advantage or disadvantage do you think it is that certain horses haven't run yet? My thoughts are potentially less of a disadvantage for 3m novice hurdlers vs 2m novice chasers for example (less chance of bottoming the horse by Cheltenham Vs novice chasers needing to learn to jump quick). This one less related towards Xmas races themselves but could be linked in

[OscarWhisky]

Can we have Saxon Warrior as a guest please?!
He can comment on some of his Race Planning diaries etc.

[Istabraq]

Probably not info you'd want to give away yet, which I'd completely understand, but I feel like most of the graded races markets already have their shapes now. I'd more intrigued by those races/horses we might expect to throw up a decent handicapper

Is it not too early for that ?
The ground has made it an odd year with so many potential G1 novices sat in their box, when they fail/underperform trainers start start to look at handicaps but with so few seeing a racecourse all those G1 dreams are still intact.
Think we’ll need to wait for Jan, and possibly post DRF to have a serious handicap discussion…

[Odin]

Is it not too early for that ?
The ground has made it an odd year with so many potential G1 novices sat in their box, when they fail/underperform trainers start start to look at handicaps but with so few seeing a racecourse all those G1 dreams are still intact.
Think we’ll need to wait for Jan, and possibly post DRF to have a serious handicap discussion…

Definitely could be too early this year, but it's interesting to hear people's thoughts anyway. No reason why there can't be horses that we think could possibly be handicappers though - or even some info about what we look for when trying to find a handicap horse (e.g. those that aren't put into a race, or jump a certain way etc).

As I said, not necessarily information people want to give (or appropriate for this podcast) and that's fine but it's what I'd ask for because it's what interests me

[Saxon Warrior]

Is it not too early for that ?
The ground has made it an odd year with so many potential G1 novices sat in their box, when they fail/underperform trainers start start to look at handicaps but with so few seeing a racecourse all those G1 dreams are still intact.
Think we’ll need to wait for Jan, and possibly post DRF to have a serious handicap discussion…

May be more likely for Gordon to have some Handicap Hurdlers and Chasers we could identify than many at all for Willie.

Problem identifying the latter is the need to have three hurdles runs or chase runs for his novices to get handicap marks before Festival entries/weights are announced.

His novice hurdlers are going to struggle to get the three runs in the main, unless they've had a Hurdles run in France (like Saint Roi did, before two Irish runs).
Your looking at strong Christmas Maiden runs for those ones.


Willie has few novices run in Festival Hcap Chases anyway, so I wouldn't get too tangled up in trying to find many of those.

[DenmanSacre]

Maybe cover some of the maiden hurdles you think will have winners come out of it.

The one I like is the Gringo D'aubrelle/Adamantly Chosen race. Been won by some decent horses in the past and was quicker than the Grangee race I think GD should be stepped up to G1/2 level over 2m next time to see if he is up to that standard and if not, go to the DRF 2m handicap and then the County.

Adamantly Chosen I'd hope will be put into a maiden over Xmas over 2m and be a bit less green and then move onto the DRF 2m G1 race, with a view to one of the handicaps at Cheltenham - either the Martin Pipe or the Coral Cup based on his sire and damsire.

Ash Tree Meadow in 3rd should also win this season but not one I'd be interested in for Cheltenham.

[Saxon Warrior]

Theres plenty to go at, in Ireland and also England, with the irish Race Plannign Diary carrying information on 10 Key hurdle races in Ireland alone.

Maybe not wise to focus on the (FJ Members only) info stored in there on a Youtube video reaching a wider audience though, please.

My own points to discuss, would be

Kempton

Christmas Hurdle
No entries yet, maybe by the time your video is done though?
Who comes here?
Anyone new to note for winning the race itself (any Irish coming over?)
Is Epatante going to win it?
Will she be a Win bet for the Champion Hurdle pre-Kempton?

Newbury

Challow Hurdle

Who do you like for this?
Stage Star or Lossiemouth - maybe something else.
Does it matter anyway for the Fez?
Any Irish likely, for easier Grade 1 pickings? (Ginto and Hollow Games could split up, and one come here)

Last 3 winners
BMG won last year - place in Ballymore
Thyme Hill won the year before - 4th in A.B
Champ won year before - placed in Ballymore
Realistically are we looking for a horse here to place in the Ballymore/Bartlett?

Sandown

Tolworth Hurdle

4 years since Summerhill Boy and Kalashnikov finished 1-2 here and then 1-2 in the Supreme
Tizzard won 3 of the last 5, but then either missed the Fez or blew-out in it - ignore a Tizz winner for the Fez this year?
Who comes? - Constitution Hill, Jonbon, I Am Maximum? - Do the brits have anything that looks good, aside from Seven barrows to run in this or the Supreme?

Cheltenham

Relkeel Hurdle
Decent record in the past, any impact for the Stayers expected this season?

Previously (not ran last season)
2018 Wholestone won - 3rd in Stayers
2017 Lil Rockerfeller 4th in this - 2nd in Stayers
2014 More of That Won this - Won the Stayers

[Lbur4288]

Saxon Warrior Do you think Thyme Hills 4th in the Albert Bartlett could be marked up a little given how close the finish was between the first 4 and the subsequent form? I know statistically it still reads badly for win purposes but it (and probably with some others I haven't mentioned) shows that there are some who can be competitive and give themselves a squeak of bettering the Irish offerings.

[Faugheen_Machine]

Can we have thoughts on why the open hurdling division is so poor at the moment, and why the best of the novices are going over fences?

I don't think I've known the hurdling division so thin on the ground.

[Saxon Warrior]

Saxon Warrior Do you think Thyme Hills 4th in the Albert Bartlett could be marked up a little given how close the finish was between the first 4 and the subsequent form? I know statistically it still reads badly for win purposes but it (and probably with some others I haven't mentioned) shows that there are some who can be competitive and give themselves a squeak of bettering the Irish offerings.

Maybe, he didn’t get a clear run, but I don’t think that stopped him winning.