Events / Malcolm Pannett / 31 December 2008 / Leave a comment Free £25 Bet

The Tolworth Hurdle is a good pointer to the novice events at the Cheltenham Festival and has also been a stepping stone to greater things for some of the champions of the turf, says Malcolm Pannett.

Paul Nicholls has won the last three runnings of Sandown's January highlight with Noland, Silverburn and Breedsbreeze. Noland went on to emulate Forest Sun who in 1990 went on to triumph in the Supreme Novices Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.

Beaten horses in the Tolworth also have a good record at Cheltenham with both Snow Drop and Upgrade in recent times going on to win the Triumph Hurdle. Best Mate finished second to subsequent SunAlliance Hurdle-winner Monsignor in the millennium renewal subsequently dominated the Gold Cup between 2002 and 2004.

Conversely several horses have won this before disappointing at Prestbury Park notably the Derek Kent-trained Grand Canyon who won the inaugural event in 1976. The New Zealand-bred romped home by 30 lengths at Sandown but, despite being sent off a short-priced favourite, had to settle for third place behind Beacon Light in the Lloyds Bank Champion Novice Hurdle.

The first running of the Tolworth was sponsored by the pre-Nick Leeson version of Baring Securities. The sponsorship has changed hands frequently with Blue Square taking over for the first time this year.

The eponymous town of Tolworth is not far from Sandown in South West London, cushioned between Surbiton and Chessington. Drivers will know it for the roundabout on the South Circular that is dominated by the Tolworth Tower which features in the celebrated Taschen book Boring Postcards.

Sandown was unable to stage the event in the early part of the century with Ascot, Warwick and then Wincanton taking a year each until the race returned to Esher in 2004.

25 years ago - Desert Orchid confirmed his status as one of the season's top novice hurdlers when galloping the opposition into surrender with I Haventalight closest at the finish eight lengths back in second place. The flying grey won six of his seven races that season prior to Cheltenham and his owners bypassed the novice events going straight for the Champion Hurdle. However, Dessie could never dominate and eventually faded tamely finishing way down the field behind Dawn Run. Excuses were made however a pattern emerged and Desert Orchid regularly disappointed at the Festival, the undulating nature of the track not suiting his running style, until his gargantuan effort in capturing the Gold Cup in 1989.

10 years ago - Run under The Sun 'King of Punters' banner Henry Daly's huge angular gelding Behrajan defeated the odds-on shot Hidebound by 16 lengths He went on to be placed fifth to Barton in the Royal & SunAlliance Novices' Hurdle and a year later was third to Bacchanal in the Stayers' Hurdle.

5 years ago - There was not much to choose between Lingo and Perle De Puce at the last flight. But the latter, who had beaten the former previously at Ascot, crashed out of the contest leaving Lingo to prevail by a diminishing one and a half lengths from the running on Garde Champetre, who has subsequently become a top cross country conveyance. Lingo reappeared 680 days later to land the Greatwood Hurdle.

Last Year - Paul Nichols trained his third winner in a row, and fourth in all, when Breedsbreeze won in the colours of Jim Lewis. Although disappointing in the Ballymore Properties Novices' Hurdle at The Festival the son of Fresh Breeze has won all three of his novice chase outings this season including the Grade 1 Feltham at Kempton on Boxing Day.