CHELTENHAM 2008 - CHAMPION HURDLE update

TIPBITS

Key Races
The December Festival Hurdle at Leopardstown has seen six of the last ten winners. Runners in this seasons race who look to be contending the 2008 Champion Hurdle are Hardy Eustace and Jazz Messenger.

AIG Europe Champion Hurdle
The AIG Europe Champion Hurdle 1-2 filled the same spots in the 2006 Champion Hurdle. 6 of the last 11 Champion hurdle winners took part in the AIG Europe with four doubles being completed.

Sizing Europe is looking to add to the list this year after beating Hardy Eustace by an impressive 8 lengths.




Champion Hurdle 2007
You might want to watch the 2007 race a few times as 5 of the last 8 Champion hurdle winners had filled a place in the previous years race. Sublimity was unlucky not to make that stat 6/8 as he was hampered by a loose horse at the turn in 2006. Will Sublimity win back to back Champion Hurdles or can Afsoun turn the form around? - cheltenham-betting.co.uk




Champion Horses Have Recent Form!

With the big championship races (The Gold Cup, World Hurdle, Champion Hurdle and Queen Mother) you can rule out horses which didnt finish in the first three on their latest start.
31 of the last 32 winners of these races all ran in the first three on their most recent run.

Age of Championship Winners
Out of the last 32 Championship winners at the Cheltenham festival, 28 were aged between seven and nine. A great tip which will rule out a lot of runners. - cheltenham-betting.co.uk

Favorites 5-13

But only 2-10 if you exclude ISTABRAQ's 3 wins on the trot in the race


Key Trends

21 of the last 24 winners won last time out.

All 73 five-year-olds since 1985 have been beaten.

13 of the last 16 winners had finished 1st or 2nd at the Cheltenham Festival before.

15 of the last 17 winners started in the first 5 in the betting.

EBAZIYAN 100 e/w @ 25/1

This horse won last years Supreme Novices Hurdle after showing very little during the winter.

It was nominated by Willy Mullins as his selection for a Cheltenham Yankee bet in the Racing Post some months back.

The horse has been ignored possibly because of the poor record of Supreme Novice winners in the Champion Hurdle race.

However last years winner of the Champion Hurdle SUBLIMITY, at a price of 16/1, finished 4th in the 2006 Supreme Novices Hurdle .

In a recent interview with W. Mullins he said "Based on his form last winter you would not have fancied EBAZIYAN to win the Supreme Novices Hurdle, but he did.

EBAZIYAN is a spring horse and needs GOOD ground, anything the horse achieves on heavier going in the winter is a bonus".



Update - 28 JAN

A very impressive performance by SIZING EUROPE in the AIG Champion Hurdle in SOFT ground BUT there is still 6 weeks to go before C-day!!

EBAZIYAN btn 15 lengths in ground that was never going to suit, and now available @ 33/1.

SIZING EUROPE had the race run to suit this day with a strong pace and he is an out-and-out galloper.

EBAZIYAN comes good in the spring and as long as he gets GOOD ground at Cheltenham I can see him finishing a lot stronger than on this occasion!!

Only time will tell, but Willie Mullins didn't seem that bothered after the race when interviewed.

There was an interview with Dave Duggan on ATR on the subject of the Champion Hurdle and he mentioned a Dark horse in Ireland that could be the 2008 winner of this race.

Today (23 Jan) I read Noel Meade may run NICANOR in the race, subject to a positive result from an x-ray next week of a slight crack in a cannonbone.

Could this be Dave Duggans Dark Horse??