 |
 |
| Champion Hurdle Trial |
| Superform Runners, Betting, Form, Statistics |
| racingbetter information |
daily updates and |
| CALL 090 66 421034 Calls cost £1.00 per minute at all times |
cheltenham festival / 2007 news /
Bonusprint.com Champion Hurdle Trial
14/01/08
 |
The 10-strong entry for the Grade Two Bonusprint.com Champion Hurdle Trial is headed by the Nick Gifford-trained Straw Bear, conqueror of Harchibald in the Grade One Christmas Hurdle at Kempton on Boxing Day, as well as last season’s victor Afsoun from the Nicky Henderson yard, who was subsequently third to Sublimity in the Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham.
Others who are engaged include the classy Sue Smith-trained Mister McGoldrick, runner-up in both 2005 and 2006, as well as finishing fourth in 2004 and 2007, last season’s classy novice Astarador and his Howard Johnson-trained stablemate Percussionist, along with useful chaser Regal Heights, Gardasee, Torkinking and Azulejo.
The tremendous six-race card also includes the £35,000 Grade Two
J W Lees Novices’ Chase (2.30pm) over two and a half miles for
which the top-class Johnson-trained Tidal Bay could bid to extend his
unbeaten sequence over fences to five, as well as the £30,000 Grade
Two Anglo Irish Bank Novices’ Hurdle (12.55pm) over two miles.
GROUND
The ground at Haydock Park is currently heavy, with further rain expected
this week.
Clerk of the Course Kirkland Tellwright said today: “The forecast
is for a mild week with temperatures maybe touching zero on Wednesday
or Thursday in isolation.
“The ground is heavy and significant rain is expected, but we are optimistic of racing on Saturday at this stage.”
RACE PROGRAMME, HAYDOCK PARK, SATURDAY, JANUARY 19, 2008
Time Race Distance Prize Money
12.55pm Anglo Irish Bank Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 2) 2m £30,000
* 1.25pm Bonusprint.com Champion Hurdle Trial (Grade 2) 2m £50,000
* 2.00pm Peter Marsh Chase (Limited Handicap, Grade 2) 3m £75,000
2.30pm J W Lees Novices’ Chase (Grade 2) 2m 4f £35,000
3.05pm Sporting Index Handicap Chase 2m £12,500
** 3.40pm Red Square Vodka "Fixed Brush" Novices'
Hurdle 2m 4f £6,000
* BBC Televised Races
**Channel 4 Televised Race
HISTORY OF THE BONUSPRINT.COM CHAMPION HURDLE TRIAL
The Bonusprint.com Champion Hurdle Trial, run over two miles, has grown
into an important trial for hurdling’s greatest prize, the Smurfit
Kappa Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham in March, as well as becoming a high-class
race in its own right.
First run in 1981, the inaugural winner was the Peter Easterby-trained
Starfen, who went on to finish fourth behind his stable companion, the
great Sea Pigeon, in the Champion Hurdle. Easterby’s son Tim, who
has now succeeded his father, was in the saddle. Peter Easterby again
won the race in 1987 with Nohalmdun.
Gaye Chance, the 1982 victor, went on to land the Stayers’ Hurdle
(now Ladbrokes World Hurdle and previously sponsored by Bonusprint) at
Cheltenham two years later, while in 1983 the winner Ekbalco was scoring
at Haydock after landing Cheltenham’s Bula Hurdle (now the Boylesports.com
International) and the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton Park.
Humberside Lady became the first mare to win the Haydock contest when
she was triumphant for Newmarket-based Geoff Huffer in 1986, while Vicario
Di Bray defeated the previous season’s Champion Hurdle winner Celtic
Shot in 1989.
Bank View caused a 33/1 upset in 1990 for trainer Nigel Tinkler, while in 1992 the race produced its first subsequent Champion Hurdle winner in Granville Again. The gelding fell two out when going well in the Champion Hurdle that year but made amends when defeating Royal Derbi by a length at Cheltenham in 1993.
Gordon Richards’ tough campaigner Jinxy Jack triumphed in 1993,
while 12 months later the contest was won by a mare for a second time
in the shape of Flakey Dove, who is so far the only horse to have won
the Bonusprint.com Champion Hurdle Trial and the Champion Hurdle in the
same season.
The talented grey Relkeel was the facile victor in 1995, with the 1996
running going to the game 1994 Triumph Hurdle heroine Mysilv, who subsequently
ran twice at the Cheltenham Festival that season, finishing sixth in
the Champion Hurdle and second in the Stayers’ Hurdle.
Mistinguett came home four lengths clear of Dato Star in 1997, and Malcolm Jefferson’s runner-up, winner of the 1995 Champion Bumper at Cheltenham, went on to land the Haydock contest in 1998 and 2000.
Versatile performer Master Beveled triumphed in 1999, while trainer
Martin Pipe won his second Bonusprint.com Champion Hurdle Trial with
Rodock in 2002, following on from Granville Again. The 2003 renewal went
to the Noel Chance-trained Flame Creek, who won easily by 13 lengths
from October Mist.
In 2004, the 2003 Champion Hurdle victor Rooster Booster defeated Hasty
Prince by seven lengths. The popular grey went on to finish second to
Hardy Eustace when attempting a second Champion Hurdle success later
in the campaign.
Inglis Drever prevailed by eight lengths from Mister McGoldrick in 2005.
Inglis Drever formed part of a great double on the day for owners Andrea
and Graham Wylie, trainer Howard Johnson and jockey Graham Lee, with
Lord Transcend taking the Peter Marsh Chase. On his next start, Inglis
Drever became the latest winner of the Bonusprint.com Champion Hurdle
Trial and went on to claim Cheltenham Festival glory in March when he
was successful in the Ladbrokes World Hurdle, a race he again won in
2007.
The 2006 renewal saw a first Irish-trained success in the Bonusprint.com
Champion Hurdle Trial, as the John Queally-trained Al Eile produced a
gutsy effort on his seasonal reappearance to edge home by a neck from
Mister McGoldrick, finishing runner-up for the second year in succession.
Al Eile has subsequently won Grade One events at Aintree and Leopardstown.
Last season Afsoun recorded a comfortable nine-length victory over veteran The French Furze and went on to run a fine race in the Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham, finishing third behind Sublimity.
BONUSPRINT.COM CHAMPION HURDLE TRIAL ROLL OF HONOUR
YEAR HORSE AGE/WT OWNER TRAINER JOCKEY SP
2007 AFSOUN 5-11-08 Trevor Hemmings Nicky Henderson Mick Fitzgerlad 11/8F
2006 AL EILE 6-11-12 Michael Ryan John Queally IRE Timmy Murphy 5/1
2005 INGLIS DREVER 6-11-08 Andrea & Graham Wylie Howard Johnson Graham
Lee 4/5F
2004 ROOSTER BOOSTER 10-11-13 Terry Warner Philip Hobbs Richard Johnson
5/4F
2003 FLAME CREEK 7-11-06 Martin Wesson Partners Noel Chance Seamus Durack
9/4
2002 RODOCK 8-11-02 Chris, Basil & Rosie Batterham Martin Pipe Tony
McCoy 15/8
2001 Meeting abandoned due to frost
2000 DATO STAR 9-11-11 Kath Riley, M Guthrie, Joe Donald Malcolm Jefferson
Lorcan Wyer 11/8F
1999 MASTER BEVELED 9-11-07 Mrs E J Williams David Evans Glenn Tormey
12/1
1998 DATO STAR 7-11-03 Kath Riley, M Guthrie, Joe Donald Malcolm Jefferson
Lorcan Wyer 9/2
1997 MISTINGUETT 5-11-02 John Duggan Nigel Twiston-Davies Carl Llewellyn
8/1
1996 MYSILV 6-11-02 Elite Racing Club Charles Egerton Jamie Osborne 10/11F
1995 RELKEEL 6-11-10 Brigadier Roscoe Harvey David Nicholson Adrian Maguire
4/6F
1994 FLAKEY DOVE 8-11-05 John Price Richard Price Richard Dunwoody 9/2
1993 JINXY JACK 9-11-07 Mrs B M McKinney Gordon Richards Neale Doughty
9/4F
1992 GRANVILLE AGAIN 6-11-10 Eric Scarth Martin Pipe Peter Scudamore
1/2F
1991 Meeting abandoned due to frost
1990 BANK VIEW 5-11-08 Bank View Hire Ltd Nigel Tinkler Graham Bradley
33/1
1989 VICARIO DI BRAY 6-11-08 Peter Hopkins Jonjo O’Neill Mark Dwyer
11/1
1988 Meeting abandoned due to snow
1987 NOHALMDUN 6-12-00 Ulceby Farms Ltd Peter Easterby Lorcan Wyer 2/5F
1986 HUMBERSIDE LADY 5-11-06 Humberside Enterprises Ltd Geoff Huffer
Mark Dwyer 4/1
1985 Meeting abandoned due to frost
1984 Meeting abandoned due to frost
1983 EKBALCO 7-12-00 Tawfik Fakhouri Roger Fisher Jonjo O’Neill
8/13F
1982 GAYE CHANCE 7-12-00 Mary Curtis Mercy Rimell Sam Morshead 7/2
1981 STARFEN 5-11-12 F Ballard Peter Easterby Mr Tim Easterby 5/2
