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24 for Ascot's BGC Long Walk Hurdle
07/12/07

A cracking renewal of the £100,000 Grade One BGC Long Walk Hurdle is in prospect with 24 high-class entries for the three mile, one furlong contest at Ascot on December 22, day two of the BGC Christmas Meeting.

Hardy Eustace
© racing-images.co.uk

Former dual Champion Hurdler Hardy Eustace confirmed he is still very much a force to be reckoned with when taking the Grade Two Coral Ascot Hurdle by half a length from Afsoun on November 24. The pair could clash once again in the December 22 contest, which would be Hardy Eustace’s first attempt at a distance of three miles plus.

Black Jack Ketchum
© racing-images.co.uk

Black Jack Ketchum got his career back on track with a victory in the Grade Two West Yorkshire Hurdle at Wetherby on November 3 and is one of three entries from the Jonjo O’Neill stable along with Wichita Lineman, a dual Grade Two winner at Cheltenham last season and fourth behind Hardy Eustace at Ascot on his seasonal reappearance, and the mare Refinement, successful in the Grade One Champion Stayers Hurdle at Punchestown in April.

In addition to Hardy Eustace, there is one other Irish-trained contender in Sonnyanjoe, trained by Tom Hogan and a highly-progressive performer in handicaps this season.

French handler Francois Doumen, who sent out Baracouda to win the BGC Long Walk Hurdle in 2000, 2001, 2003 and 2004, has entered Millenium Royal, who benefited from the last flight fall of Special Envoy at Haydock on November 24 to land a valuable handicap hurdle, and Kasbah Bliss.

Chief Dan George was a Grade One winner at Aintree last season while the David Pipe-trained Gaspara was successful in Sandown’s Imperial Cup and at the Cheltenham Festival in 2007.

An interesting entry is the Nicky Richards-trained Turpin Green, a high-class chaser at his best who finished third behind Kauto Star in last season’s Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Lough Derg, Temoin, Blazing Bailey and No Refuge second, third, fourth and fifth to Mighty Man in the BGC Long Walk Hurdle last year, are all engaged as is Souffleur who is also entered in the The Ladbroke on the same day at Ascot.

BGC LONG WALK HURDLE
Class 1, Grade 1, £100,000 Total Prize Fund. For four-year-olds and upwards, three miles, one furlong. 1.40pm Ascot, Saturday, December 22. Weights: 11st 7lb. Allowances: fillies & mares 7lb. Entries closed December 5 entries revealed December 6 (24 entries). Five-day confirmation stage December 17, final declaration stage 10.00am, Thursday, December 20. Form fiigures supplied by Weatherbys and are correct up to and including the racing of Wednesday, December 5.

Form Horse Age Owner Trainer
F21323- AFRAD (FR) 6 The Not Afraid Partnership Nicky Henderson
1/15F2-1 BLACK JACK KETCHUM (IRE) 8 Gay Smith Jonjo O'Neill
413F-04 BLAZING BAILEY 5 Three Line Whip Alan King
11101-6 CHIEF DAN GEORGE (IRE) 7 Maurice Chapman James Moffatt
1112-23 GASPARA (FR) 4 P McMahon David Pipe
12143-1 HARDY EUSTACE (IRE) 10 Laurence Byrne Dessie Hughes IRE
03-5113 HILLS OF ARAN 5 David Hughes, Mike Evans and Partners Keith Goldsworthy
3-56113 KASBAH BLISS (FR) 5 Henri de Pracomtal Francois Doumen FR
5-U22F5 KAWAGINO (IRE) 7 K J Pike Seamus Mullins
404-033 LOUGH DERG (FR) 7 W Frewen David Pipe
2522-52 LYES GREEN 6 P K Gardner Oliver Sherwood
312/132- MATERIAL WORLD 9 Southern Bloodstock Suzy Smith
1131//0-5 MEPHISTO (IRE) 8 Andrea & Graham Wylie Howard Johnson
10P-061 MILLENIUM ROYAL (FR) 7 Jorg Vasicek Francois Doumen FR
503/445- NO REFUGE (IRE) 7 Andrea & Graham Wylie Howard Johnson
2/2F01-F OSCAR PARK (IRE) 8 George Ward David Arbuthnot
0/FP510- OSCARDEAL (IRE) 8 Charles Pogson Charles Pogson
2031-61 REFINEMENT (IRE) 8 Michael Tabor Jonjo O'Neill
415112 SONNYANJOE (IRE) 9 Anthony Byrne Tom Hogan IRE
04111 SOUFFLEUR 4 Karen Bowen Peter Bowen
1F-60F2 SPECIAL ENVOY (FR) 5 Walters Plant Hire Ltd Peter Bowen
10/P320- TEMOIN 7 The Unemployables Nicky Henderson
1P235-4 TURPIN GREEN (IRE) 8 Trevor Hemmings Nicky Richards
21112-4 WICHITA LINEMAN (IRE) 6 J P McManus Jonjo O'Neill

24 entries
2 Irish-trained
2 French-trained

THE BGC LONG WALK HURDLE ROLL OF HONOUR (1965-2005)

run at Chepstow in 2005 and Windsor in 2004

Year Winner Age/Wt Owner Trainer Jockey SP

2005 MY WAY DE SOLZEN 5-11-07 B Windfield, A Longman, J Wright, C Fenton;
Alan King Robert Thornton 12/1

2004 BARACOUDA 9-11-07 J P McManus Francois Doumen FR Tony McCoy 8/13F

2003 BARACOUDA 8-11-07 J P McManus Francois Doumen FR Thierry Doumen 2/7F

2002 DEANO’S BEENO 10-11-07 Axom Martin Pipe Tony McCoy 14/1

2001 BARACOUDA 6-11-07 J P McManus Francois Doumen FR Thierry Doumen 2/5F

2000 BARACOUDA 5-11-07 Roger Barby Francois Doumen FR Thierry Doumen 11/4

1999 ANZUM 8-11-07 Old Foresters P’ship Alan King Richard Johnson 4/1

1998 PRINCEFUL 7-11-07 Robert Hitchins Jenny Pitman Richard Dunwoody 11/4F

1997 PADDY’S RETURN 5-11-07 Paddy O’Donnell Ferdy Murphy Norman Williamson
8/1

1996 OCEAN HAWK 4-11-07 Matt Archer/Jean Broadhurst Nigel Twiston-Davies
Carl Llewellyn 7/1

1995 SILVER WEDGE 4-11-07 Shirley & Bill Robins Oliver Sherwood Jamie
Osborne 7/1

1994 HEBRIDEAN 7-11-07 Peter Deal David Nicholson Adrian Maguire 100/30

1993 SWEET DUKE 6-11-07 Andy Mavrou Nigel Twiston-Davies Carl Llewellyn 7/2

1992 VAGOG 7-11-07 M A Swift Martin Pipe Martin Foster 15/2

1991 Abandoned due to frost

1990 FLOYD 10-11-07 Mike Walsh David Elsworth Graham Bradley 10/1

1989 ROYAL ATHLETE 6-10-08 Gary Johnson Jenny Pitman Dean Gallagher 33/1

1988 FRENCH GOBLIN 5-11-01 Maurice Pinto Josh Gifford Peter Hobbs 3/1

1987 BLUFF COVE 5-10-08 Dickins Ltd Reg Hollinshead Richard Dunwoody 14/1

1986 OUT OF THE GLOOM 5-10-08 Paul Green Reg Hollinshead Peter Scudamore 4/1

1985 MISTY DALE 7-10-08 David Rose Jenny Pitman Phil Tuck 9/4F

1984 KRISTENSON 7-10-08 Ursula Fantasia Roger Fisher Michael Williams 7/2

1983 CRIMSON EMBERS 8-10-11 Pam Smart Fulke Walwyn Stuart Shilston 14/1

1982 MAYOTTE 7-10-11 B Davies Richard Holder Paul Richards 15/8F

1981 Abandoned due to snow

1980 DERRING ROSE 5-11-11 Peter Savill Fred Winter John Francome 7/1

1979 JOHN CHERRY 8-10-11 Milton Ritzenberg Tom Jones Steve Smith Eccles 6/1

1978 KELSO CHANT 6-11-07 Mrs M Richardson Jumbo Wilkinson Steve Charlton
10/1

1977 JOHN CHERRY 6-10-11 Milton Ritzenberg Tom Jones Steve Smith Eccles
11/8F

1976 Abandoned due to frost

1975 LANZAROTE 7-12-05 Lord Howard de Walden Fred Winter John Francome 4/9F

1974 GO BINGO 5-11-12 Guy Reed Sam Hall David Munro 9/4

1973 SOLONING 8-11-08 Mrs C Thornton Fred Winter Richard Pitman 9/2

1972 HIGHLAND ABBE 6-11-12 Mrs K Hankey Les Kennard Mr R Smith 11/1

1971 ST PATRICK’S BLUE 6-11-12 P Aunger David Tatlow Bill Smith 7/2F

1970 ROUGE AUTUMN 6-10-05 Bryan Jenks Fred Rimell Ken White 9/2F

1969 CANDID CAMERA 6-10-06 R F P Ross Ted Goddard Joe Guest 100/8

1968 Abandoned due to waterlogging

1967 Abandoned due to foot and mouth epidemic

1966 SIR EDWARD 6-10-09 R Heaton Ryan Price Josh Gifford 7/2F

1965 MINUTE GUN 8-10-04 Bill Shand Kydd Bill Shand Kydd Richard Pitman 100/8

Race run as a handicap prior to 1971