Tolworth Hurdle: The magic of the NH Cup - what a Prospect

Timeform Debate / Jamie Lynch / 06 January 2012 / Leave a Comment

Graham Wylie's Prospect Wells.

"The question is, could Colour Squadron have done what Prospect Wells did in the Ladbroke Hurdle off a markof 142?"

Can racing take a leaf out of football's book? Jamie Lynch thinks so, as he proposes a new cup competition, besides taking a look at the big race of the weekend.

Derek Thompson (who else?): '...and the next tie. Mick, if you will.'

Mick Channon dives back into an industrial-sized ball pool and re-emerges some minutes later holding a numbered ball aloft.

'Number 9422, Tommo.'

'I love it; number 9422 (much page turning), that's Chief Dan George, Chief Dan George, the old timer. Well done the old timer. And who's he up against, Quinny?'

The other Mick, the other football-connected trainer, thrashes about for a bit and comes up with number 881.

'I love it; number 881 (much page turning), that's Grandouet, Grandouet, the Champion Hurdle hope. Wow. Chief Dan George against Grandouet. What a match. That's one for the telly. How do you see that one going, Mick?'

The third Mick in the mix, 'Media' Mick or 'Martini' Mick (anytime, any place, anywhere), Mr Fitzgerald, acting as the reacting expert summariser, summarises that it's a fairytale tie but 'you've got to fancy Grandouet for my old governor.'

There are a million Cups to be won in horse racing, but no Cup competitions in the football sense of head-to-head, round-by-round knockouts. Maybe there's room for one. Setting aside the phrase 'logistical nightmare' for a second, maybe there's room for the NH Cup, comprising 10,000 or so horses, with an open draw for each of the twelve rounds (over two miles and eight flights) through the season, staged pre-racing at various courses, all building towards a £1m winner-takes-all final on Whitbread day. The minor problem of getting through all the early-round ties could be solved by having seventy- or eighty-runner fields and just keeping an eye on what beats what in the individual match-ups.

I've had a word with Betfair and they're willing to put up the £1m, a spokesman saying 'we at Betfair are always willing to support new and forward-thinking initiatives to promote racing' and adding that 'between you and me, once you've stared down the barrel of £26m, £1m is nothing,' and so all it needs now is the green light from the BHA, then we're all up for the NH Cup.

The racing this weekend is overshadowed by the third round of the FA Cup, but that needn't be the case next year when it could be the quarter-final stage of the NH Cup, including such glamour ties as Big Buck's versus Sprinter Sacre, or Grands Crus versus Zarkandar, or Voler La Vadette versus Rigour Back Bot.

The big race on Saturday, a Grade 1 but sadly worth only £17,000 to the winner, is the Tolworth Hurdle at Sandown, which itself looks a match-up; Colour Squadron or Prospect Wells.

It wouldn't exactly be a giant-killing if Magnifique Etoile or Captain Conan won, though both have plenty to find against the big two. Magnifique Etoile has looked good but essentially played only Conference teams on his way here, while Captain Conan is in at the deep end for his British debut and none of his French form suggests he'll cope with what the pundits might call the hurly-burly or intensity of a big (or 'proper') Cup tie.

On Timeform ratings there's only 5 lb between the big two in favour of Prospect Wells. I say 'only' because the discrepency might have expected to be bigger given Prospect Wells already has Graded form whereas Colour Squadron is stepping out of maidens, though they were no ordinary maidens, both at Newbury, where he ran It's A Gimme close on the first occasion before overpowering Montbazon on the second.

The question is, however, and it is the deciding and defining question, could Colour Squadron have done what Prospect Wells did in the Ladbroke Hurdle off a mark of 142? For my money, the answer is no. What's more, the way it was run and the way he was ridden, the Ladbroke didn't get to the bottom of Prospect Wells, and the only other time he's been beaten over hurdles was at the hands of a serious horse, Steps To Freedom, at Cheltenham.

If it was one of those muddy pitch, roll-your-sleeves up, stand up and be counted (insert other managerspeak) Cup ties, then yes, you might side with Colour Squadron, but in a small field at Sandown on ground not that testing, Prospect Wells' class will surely win out. Considering his class (second in Group 1 on the Flat for Andre Fabre), Prospect Wells could probably win any one-off match, so he may be a good outside bet for next year's NH Cup. I can't wait for the month-long first-round draw. I love it.

Click HERE to listen to the Timeform Radio Weekend Preview Podcast, in which Jamie previews three races at Sandown Park.