Big Race Perspective: The Champion Hurdle

Features / Timeform / 17 March 2010 / Leave a comment

Binocular finally produced the display he'd been promising

An eagerly anticipated Champion, even more so than usual given the twists and turns of the division throughout the season, and it went beyond expectations to a large extent, Binocular's performance the best in the race since Rooster Booster in 2003, and there's no reason to question the result; Celestial Halo ensured a good gallop, immediately stringing them right out, and it eased only briefly mid-race (time around three seconds faster than the Supreme), whilst those immediately behind are solid and established high-class hurdlers; Hurricane Fly was the only notable absentee.

"He travelled and jumped with all of the enthusiasm that had been lacking in the Fighting Fifth and Christmas Hurdle, picking his way through the pack with ease and displaying a sharp turn of speed when McCoy pressed on hitting the front two out."

Binocular belatedly produced the top-class performance he'd promised last season, putting his disappointing start to this campaign (his connections had initially ruled him out of Cheltenham after Sandown) behind him in the best possible way, and, now clearly right back to himself, he could easily be a dominating force in the two mile division, certainly judging by the style of this, and he is only a 6-y-o; he travelled and jumped with all of the enthusiasm that had been lacking in the Fighting Fifth and Christmas Hurdle, picking his way through the pack with ease and displaying a sharp turn of speed when McCoy pressed on hitting the front two out; it was perhaps a wise decision by connections to keep him away from the paddock until very late, as consequently he wasn't so edgy as usual in the preliminaries (still slightly warm/on toes).

Khyber Kim has developed more than any of these this season, backing up his two wins here towards the end of last year with this excellent effort up again in grade, and he should have his day at this level at some stage, his performance good enough to have won some recent runnings of this; whilst Binocular was too strong he in turn stood out from the remainder, cruising through from the rear as that one had, and maintaining his proximity after the last for all he was never going to get there.

Zaynar is a high-class hurdler, though one who looks ideally suited by further than two miles, certainly when conditions aren't testing, seemingly having his limitations exposed here, likely aided by the gallop, also a positive ride and the reapplication of cheekpieces (which he'd worn previously only when winning Triumph), lacking the gears of the first two from the second last: the two-and-a-half mile Grade 1 at Aintree could well be on his agenda.

Celestial Halo has failed to show his best in two starts since the turn of the year, though this certainly wasn't as flat as he'd been at Leopardstown, doing too much if anything as he went enthusiastically in front with blinkers applied, battling as usual once headed two out, too.

Starluck has established himself as a very smart hurdler this season and may yet do better still, long striking as one ideally suited by a sharp track, looming up with typical menace approaching two out here, failing to see things out fully up the hill yet still achieving more than previously.

Solwhit is bound to bounce back and win more top races, with a defence of his Aintree Hurdle presumably on the agenda, clearly not himself on the back of an interrupted preparation here (reported to have scoped dirty last week).

Medermit's defeat of Punjabi in January was rather devalued by that one's performance here and, whilst there's no doubting his status as a very smart hurdler, that's probably as good as he is, found wanting as things really took shape from two out.

Jumbo Rio is a smart hurdler but he's not up to this standard, by no means discredited in the circumstances.

Punjabi has failed to find the form that saw him lift this last season in four starts this winter, Medermit confirming superiority over him from Haydock here, acknowledging that neither were fully on their game.

Go Native's season has been a success overall, his two Grade 1 wins establishing him amongst the elite two-milers, and there's no doubt he wasn't himself this day, knocked back by mistakes at the first two flights and never really going with the same zest as usual.

Raise Your Heart had been out of sorts on the Flat in Dubai as recently as twelve days ago and made no impression in face of this very stiff task back over hurdles, his appearing to run close to form potentially misleading.

Won In The Dark falls short amongst the best, though something must have been wrong for him to fare so badly.

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