2024 Stayers Hurdle

[darlojim]

…Mullins has ‘a feeling’ Sir G could end up here.

Better off to back for this IF he disappoints over fences? I'd presume he will either stay the same OR drift after a poor chase run straight post race? Then maybe come in for support when people cotton on

[Eggs]

Better off to back for this IF he disappoints over fences? I'd presume he will either stay the same OR drift after a poor chase run straight post race? Then maybe come in for support when people cotton on

….365 have already cut to a best price 25-1.

[darlojim]

….365 have already cut to a best price 25-1.

Poor form that, the only way he goes that route, is a disappointing run first.

[Lobos]

…Mullins has ‘a feeling’ Sir G could end up here.

Great minds think alike.

He's his best chance surely?? Higher rated Hurdler than Gaelic Warrior and double Cheltenham Festival winner which GW can't boast. I don't see him jumping a fence again.

[Benjy23]

Great minds think alike.

He's his best chance surely?? Higher rated Hurdler than Gaelic Warrior and double Cheltenham Festival winner which GW can't boast. I don't see him jumping a fence again.

Mullins seems to think he will next time out...

[Lobos]

Mullins seems to think he will next time out...

Think he'll see sense. He just isn't a natural over the big ones. No point wasting any further time trying to make him into something he's not imo. He's a brilliant Hurdler. Stick to what he does best.

[SeanRock]

Poor form that, the only way he goes that route, is a disappointing run first.

Yeah disgraceful, cutting him when the trainer had said fences are plan A this season. A sign of how shallow the Stayers market is at the minute though!

[BuckingThe Trend]

Great minds think alike.

He's his best chance surely?? Higher rated Hurdler than Gaelic Warrior and double Cheltenham Festival winner which GW can't boast. I don't see him jumping a fence again.

Willie's Stable Tour released today ref Sir Gerhard

He was a very good bumper horse and was brilliant over hurdles. I'm going to start him off chasing again this season but he's a horse that's hard to keep right. I have a feeling we might be changing tack during the season and if his jumping doesn't hold up he's one I have earmarked as a Stayers' Hurdle horse. He has the ability and the stamina and is just hard to keep right over fences. If he stays right over fences he's a Ryanair or Gold Cup horse, but I've a funny feeling he might end up back over hurdles. He has an official rating of 155 over fences and if his jumping holds up he's probably well handicapped so a big handicap mid-season might seem the plan - he could be a Thyestes horse and if that doesn't work out, the Stayers' Hurdle.

[Lobos]

Yep seen it BTT. Just don't think they'll bother going fences again especially with the GW decision.

[BuckingThe Trend]

I, for one, hope you're right. If you take Willie at his word then it looks like he is taking Gaelic Warrior down the same path as Sir Gerhard except GW is not as good as Sir G over Hurdles. Let's hope he spots his mistake a bit earlier than with Sir G and swallows his pride and reverts to Hurdles ASAP with both. In my humble opinion they both have a great chance in the Stayers. Fingers crossed they both get their chance.

[AaronLad]

The Stayers hurdle is looking like a wide open market and this race does have a bit of a habit of unearthing a rapid improver over the course of the season. Let’s have a quick look back at some of the winners in the last 5 years.

In 2021 Flooring porter won the stayers hurdle, his season started back in july 2020 with a rating of 122.

2020, lisnagar oscar won with his season beginning over fences, before going back to hurdles in nov 2019 with a rating of 141.

2019, Paisley park won , his season started off in oct 2018 with a rating of 140.


Paisley park started his season in the 2m4f hurdle at aintree which was run yesterday and won by Crambo, off a rating of 133. Paisley park won it in 2018 off 140.

Crambo had a mixed novice season, when tried at the top level over 2m4f he was probably out of his depth.

He did however pick up a nice pot, the ebf hurdle final at sandown over 2m4f, in pretty heavy going, pulling out more at the end of a gruelling contest to just get up from inneston.

He’s yet to be tried over 3m, and to me this is where he will become grade 1 level.

His pedigree is full of stamina, a son of saddler maker, out of a martaline mare.


I expect his next stop will be the betfair exchange stayers handicap hurdle at haydock towards the end of november, a first try at 3miles. I will surely be keeping a close eye on this horse.

[Runragged]

The Stayers hurdle is looking like a wide open market and this race does have a bit of a habit of unearthing a rapid improver over the course of the season.

I am always on the look out for a Stayer who has gained significant race experience in handicaps. The last 5 winners had all raced previously in handicaps, Paisley Park, Lisnagar Oscar and Flooring Porter (First Time) all in the same season whilst Flooring Porter (2nd Time) and Sire du Berlais had raced in a handicap the previous season.

Prior to that Penhill was an exception but then he had raced 13 times in flat handicaps. Nichols Canyon had also gained vast racing experience on the flat including a couple of handicaps when trained by John Gosden.

Certainly worth looking for improving horses in the shape of Paisley Park and Flooring Porter in handicaps over the course of the season.

[ComplyOrDie]

Paisley park started his season in the 2m4f hurdle at aintree which was run yesterday and won by Crambo, off a rating of 133. Paisley park won it in 2018 off 140.

Crambo had a mixed novice season, when tried at the top level over 2m4f he was probably out of his depth.

He did however pick up a nice pot, the ebf hurdle final at sandown over 2m4f, in pretty heavy going, pulling out more at the end of a gruelling contest to just get up from inneston.

He’s yet to be tried over 3m, and to me this is where he will become grade 1 level.

His pedigree is full of stamina, a son of saddler maker, out of a martaline mare.


I expect his next stop will be the betfair exchange stayers handicap hurdle at haydock towards the end of november, a first try at 3miles. I will surely be keeping a close eye on this horse.

A fair amount I agree with about your post, but the key thing for me, which you note, is that he was out of his depth at the top level, and this was only in novice company, he's now got to venture out into open company, which can be a fair bit harder.

I think you're bang on about the 3m thing, I think a step up in trip will bring about improvement, but I think he's more likely a candidate for something like the Pertemps, over the Stayers. Imperial Alcazar route, I suspect, like you say, the Betfair Exchange Handicap Hurdle at Haydock the next stop for him.

With regards to the Aintree race from the weekend, Paisley Park aside, you'd struggle to find anything else that has won the race that has achieved anything of note. PP was very much the diamond in the rough when looking back at past winners of that race.

[AaronLad]

A fair amount I agree with about your post, but the key thing for me, which you note, is that he was out of his depth at the top level, and this was only in novice company, he's now got to venture out into open company, which can be a fair bit harder.

I think you're bang on about the 3m thing, I think a step up in trip will bring about improvement, but I think he's more likely a candidate for something like the Pertemps, over the Stayers. Imperial Alcazar route, I suspect, like you say, the Betfair Exchange Handicap Hurdle at Haydock the next stop for him.

With regards to the Aintree race from the weekend, Paisley Park aside, you'd struggle to find anything else that has won the race that has achieved anything of note. PP was very much the diamond in the rough when looking back at past winners of that race.

completely fair reply and is probably more likely than my hopes for him.
He's currently one for the tracker for me, and if lining up at haydock would be very much of interest to me for that day.
There's a lot to like about him, his win at sandown came with him making most of the running on heavy going in a hot novice handicap which would've featured similiarly well handicapped horses, he ate the sandown hill up.
I'm not suggesting him as a bet at this stage for any race, but he's one i'm keen to see how much he can improve.

[Fouroverthrutwo]

A fair amount I agree with about your post, but the key thing for me, which you note, is that he was out of his depth at the top level, and this was only in novice company, he's now got to venture out into open company, which can be a fair bit harder.

I think there were genuine reasons why he didn't really figure in the graded races. The Challow at Newbury was run on dreadful, bottomless ground and only a few horses handled it. If you watch the Aintree race back, he got shuffled back when trying to get in the race and when Connor Brace tried to regain his position he was nearly brought down by Rachel Blackmore's mount. The jockey did well to stay onboard but by this time, the leaders had made their move and were well clear.

Fergal O'Brien has always thought he was a graded horse and Plan A would be to go for graded races later in the season. He has said that the handicap at Haydock would be his next port of call and if he runs well, he will target the better races. He also said that if he gets well beaten then he will revert to Plan B and try and qualify for The Pertemps final by running in a qualifier at Warwick.