A wide-open
looking renewal of the 3m Stayers’ Hurdle is one of the feature
races on day three of this year’s Cheltenham Festival, taking place
on Thursday, 15 March.
The ill-fated
2017 winner Nichols Canyon suffered a fatal fall over the Christmas
period in Ireland, so we are guaranteed a new staying hurdle champion
at Cheltenham this time around.
Those horses who
chased him home at last year’s Festival, Lil Rockerfeller and
Unowhatimeanharry haven’t been any sort of form over the trip
since. It makes for a lively betting market, so we take a look at
four of the main contenders.
Supasundae (100/30)
The first of two
winners at last year’s Festival at a prominent price is Coral Cup
victor Supasundae. Trained in Ireland by Jessica Harrington, has won
just one of his four starts since. That came last time out 2m in the
Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown’s inaugural Dublin Racing
Festival in February.
It was a superb
bit of race placing by connections of Supasundae, who is yet to win a
3m contest in two previous attempts but is made favourite for the
Stayers with Williamhill.
Will it be third time lucky or could a re-opposing rival confirm the
form of last season’s Liverpool Hurdle from the 2017 Aintree Grand
National meeting?
Sam Spinner (9/2)
Northern trained
winners at the Cheltenham Festival are a rare enough thing these
days, but their best chance of one this year comes here through rapid
Jedd O’Keefe improver Sam Spinner. The six-year-old absolutely
bolted up in a hot Grade 3 handicap at Haydock on Betfair Chase day
back in November.
Sam Spinner then
continued his rapid progress with success at the highest level in
the Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot just before Christmas. That is a
key trial for the Stayers, but it’s the fact that conditions at
Cheltenham could be soft ground that are the biggest plus for this
young horse.
Yanworth (5/1)
Connections sent
last season’s Champion Hurdle favourite Yanworth, who flopped at
the Festival, over fences at first for this campaign, but he is now
back to tackling the smaller obstacles. Owner JP McManus faced a
similar decision with Buveur D’Air last season and the return to
hurdling was a masterstroke.
It could also
prove the same with the Alan King-trained Yanworth, who defeated
Supasundae over the Stayers’ trip at Aintree as mentioned above.
That form gives the eight-year-old claims of a successful winning
return to this sphere and like Sam Spinner he is unbeaten over 3m.
McManus’ retained rider Barry Geraghty, meanwhile, has chosen
Yanworth over Unowhatimeanharry.
Penhill (8/1)
Top Irish
trainer Willie Mullins may have lost Nichols Canyon, but has 2017
Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle hero Penhill in his ranks. This
seven-year-old is completely unexposed in open company over 3m
because he hasn’t raced since last year’s Festival.
Just how race
fit Mullins can have got Penhill for this stern test remains to be
seen. Punters may recall the superb feat of training the master of
Closutton pulled off with Arctic Fire 12 months ago, however, who
returned after more than 400 days off the track to win the County
Hurdle. Penhill, meanwhile, has received support in the Stayers’
betting after his odds were cut from 10/1.
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