Kevin Blake's Big Race Verdict: Lion set to roar loudest in Challow Hurdle

• Grade 1 Challow Novices' Hurdle the feature on Saturday

• Denman relation Regent's Stroll among market leaders

• Dan Skelton's The New Lion can maintain unbeaten record

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Challow has a history of producing top class horses

Saturday's action at Newbury is headlined by the Challow Novices' Hurdle (14:55) and hopes will be high that it might deliver a late Christmas present by unveiling at least one of the more promising novice hurdlers in Britain.

It is a race that has been the scene of such unveilings in the past, with Denman remaining the poster boy for it, but others previous winners such as Champ, Thyme Hill and Bravemansgame have all flown the flag of the race high in more recent years.

With the highest-rated runner in this year's renewal currently holding a rating of 136, it might seem a tall ask for this field to contain a runner that reaches comparable heights to the pick of the previous winners of the race, but many of the leading contenders are unexposed and open to more improvement, so one wouldn't like to rule out the possibility before we see how it plays out.

In terms of potential pace, there are plenty of candidates to push forward. It's Hard To Know has made all the running to win his first two starts over hurdles. Regent's Stroll made much of the running to make a winning hurdling debut last time. Wendigo made most to win over hurdles last time. Electric Mason made much of the running on his latest start over hurdles. Bill Joyce has helped push the pace in his last two starts over hurdles.

Denman relation may require more of a speed test

The above mention of Denman wasn't just a box-tick mention either, as one of the leading contenders for this year's renewal of the race has a very direct connection to the great horse, as Regent's Stroll is out of a half-sister to Denman.

Mind, Regent's Stroll is clearly a very different type to his close relation Denman who never ran in a bumper and only once ran over shorter than two-and-a-half miles in his illustrious career.

Regent's Stroll is clearly a sharper type of horse having won both his starts in bumpers including the valuable Goffs UK Spring Sale Bumper at Newbury in March. Owned by Chris Giles at the time, that owner subsequently dispersed his stock and Regent's Stroll was the headliner of that sale when realising £660,000 for an ownership group that kept the five-year-old with Paul Nicholls.

High expectations will always follow such price tags, but Regent's Stroll made a strong start to his season in a maiden hurdle at Newbury in November. Soon in front, Regent's Stroll took a good grip and jumped neatly in the main. He looked to be well in control until getting the second-last hurdle quite wrong, which gave his rivals a sniff of a chance, but Regent's Stroll soon recovered and drew right away from his opposition under hand-and-heels riding up the run-in to record an impressive victory by just shy of 10 lengths.

For all the positive visual impression of the performance, it did seem to lack a little in substance of form. Even more so, it was a performance that showcased more speed than stamina. Viewed in isolation, he didn't look to be crying out for the step up to this longer trip.

He is undoubtedly a promising horse, but his price is more so based on that promise rather than substance at this stage.

Skelton's Lion can roar to Grade 1 success

One that has a bit more robustness to his form is the Dan Skelton-trained The New Lion.

The five-year-old is also unbeaten in all three of his starts, though two of his victories have come over hurdles. It was the latest of his wins in a novice hurdle at Newbury that advertised his promise particularly well.

While that was "just" a novice hurdle, it was stronger than that status suggests and would certainly not have looked out of place with Graded status attached to it. Considering that, The New Lion's performance in travelling best and winning in fine style reads quite well in the context of this race.

Unlike Regent's Stroll, The New Lion has already exhibited an ability to be fully effective over this mid-range trip and the promise of there being potentially more to come is obvious. Conditions will pose no problems and with him being a straightforward ride, he looks to have an excellent chance of maintaining his unbeaten record.

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