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| Ladbrokes World Hurdle - Thu March 15th 2012 |
cheltenham festival / 2012 news /
Big Buck's On Brink of World Hurdle History
19/01/12
Big Buck's is one of 34 entries for the Ladbrokes World Hurdle on March 15 as he aims to create history by becoming the first horse to win the same race at the Cheltenham Festival four years running.
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Owned by Andy Stewart and his family, he is now unbeaten in 14 starts since reverting to timber and looked imperious last time out in the Long Walk Hurdle.
Paul Nicholls has also entered the Stewart-owned Celestial Halo, Crack Away Jack, Poungach, Tidal Bay, Five Dream and King Of The Night.
Nicky Henderson's Oscar Whisky is the main market rival to Big Buck's and is likely to step up to three miles for the first time in March. Henderson has also entered Bobs Worth, one of the favourites for the RSA Chase.
Willie Mullins poses the biggest numerical threat, with the likes of So Young, Zaidpour, Mikael D'Haguenet, Thousand Stars, Quevega and Mourad engaged. The Colm Murphy-trained Voler La Vedette is another Irish entry.
Another due to take on Big Buck's is Robin Dickin's Restless Harry, who has tried novice chasing this season.
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"He will probably be entered in the Cleeve Hurdle on Festival Trials Day at Cheltenham and he could go for the Timeform Novices' Handicap Chase on the same card. If he didn't run there, I might look at the Rendlesham Hurdle at Haydock instead.
"He never runs a bad race and his Wetherby run at the start of the season was astonishing. I am not quite sure what that was about so I am not sure how to recreate it - I would have thought that the run would have brought him on.
"Going chasing isn't off the agenda with him but the season is getting on and there are such huge prizes on offer with the long-distance hurdles. He got a little bit chopped coming round the top turn in last year's Ladbrokes World Hurdle and I think that he has improved slightly since then."
LADBROKES WORLD HURDLE FACTS
1. The Ladbrokes World Hurdle is one of the youngest races at The Festival. Known as the Stayers’ Hurdle up to and including 2004, it was only introduced with its current race conditions in 1972. Before that, it was known as the Spa Hurdle.
2. The Ladbrokes World Hurdle has been run on the Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of the meeting. It moved to its current Thursday slot in 1993.
3. Its first year of sponsorship was 1972, under the title of the Lloyds Bank Hurdle. There have been four sponsors of the race, Waterford Crystal from 1978 to 1990 and Bonusprint from 1991 to 2004. 2005 was the first year of Ladbrokes’ sponsorship and prize money currently stands at £260,000.
4. The Ladbrokes World Hurdle used to be a favourite with the Irish, who have won it nine times, most recently in 1995 with Dorans Pride. Baracouda provided a first success for France in 2002 and followed up in 2003. In 2004 and 2005, he was runner-up behind Iris’s Gift and Inglis Drever respectively, while in 2006 he ran fifth behind My Way De Solzen. Baracouda’s trainer Francois Doumen also saddled Kasbah Bliss to finish second in 2008 and fourth in 2009.
5. In 2011, Big Buck’s created history by becoming the first horse to win the race three times in succession. Inglis Drever is the only over horse to win the contest three times. He was successful in 2005, but missed the 2006 race due to injury before returning to land both the 2007 and 2008 renewals. There have been three dual winners - Crimson Embers (1982 & 1986), Galmoy (1987 & 1988), and Baracouda (2002 & 2003).
6. Paul Nicholls (trainer of Big Buck’s), Howard Johnson (trainer of Inglis Drever) and the late Fulke Walwyn - with three wins apiece - are the only trainers to have won the contest more than twice. The race was dominated in the mid-1980s by Crimson Embers, trained by Walwyn, and the winner in 1982 and 1986. Indeed, Crimson Embers would have been awarded the race in the stewards’ room in 1985 had his rider not declined to give evidence to the enquiry afterwards, but the trainer won the race anyway with Rose Ravine. The owner, Sally Smart, was ambivalent about the result - she owned both horses!
7. Gaye Chance, the winner in 1984, was a full-brother to the 1983 Champion Hurdle winner Gaye Brief. Both horses were trained by Mercy Rimell.
8. No horse has managed to win both the Stan James Champion Hurdle and the Ladbrokes World Hurdle. 9. A total of 13 favourites have been successful.
10. The smallest field to go to post was eight in 1973, while the largest was 22 in both 1985 and 1990. The current safety limit is 24.
11. Tommy Carberry, Stuart Shilston, Tommy Carmody, Mark Perrett, Charlie Swan, Jamie Osborne and Thierry Doumen each recorded two victories, while Ruby Walsh is the most successful jockey in the race following his three victories on Big Buck’s in 2009, 2010 and 2011. The three-time winner Inglis Drever was partnered by different jockeys for each of his victories – Graham Lee (2005), Paddy Brennan (2007) and Denis O’Regan (2008).
