NEWS Freebetting Horse Racing Betting
Irish Champion Hurdle
The Irish Champion Hurdle often features the crème de la crème of Irish hurdling talent and often has a bearing on the Champion Hurdle, proper, run at the Cheltenham Festival. The Grade 1 contest, run over 2 miles at Leopardstown Racecourse, near Dublin, has produced six Champion Hurdle winners, with Istabraq (2000) and Brave Inca (2006) going on to complete the double in the same year since the turn of the century. Brave Inca, of course, won the Irish Champion Hurdle again last year, as an 11-year-old, but could only finish tailed off, as a 25/1 shot, at Cheltenham.
This year’s renewal, due off at 2.45 p.m. on Sunday, 24th January, looks sure to be dominated by the younger brigade. The 6-year-old, Solwhit (5/6 with Bet 365 Free Bet and Ladbrokes Free Bet), trained by Charles Byrnes in Co. Limerick, heads the market after three Grade 1 wins from four starts already this season. On his latest start, he beat the 2007 Champion Hurdle winner, Sublimity (8/1 with Totesport Free Bet, Paddy Power Free Bet, Ladbrokes Free Bet and Coral Free Bet) by 2 lengths in a Grade 1 contest over course and distance, with another entry here, Won In the Dark (40/1 with Coral Free Bet) last of the 6 runners, beaten 41 lengths. Solwhit meets both those rivals on the same terms here, so there is every reason to expect him to confirm the form, especially on the forecast “heavy” going, which we know suits him well. He also has statistics in his favour, with 6 of the last 10 runnings of the Irish Champion Hurdle going to the market leader and all 10 going to a horse in the first three in the betting.
Owner Andy Stewart has confirmed that Celestial Halo (5/2 with Coral Free Bet and Ladbrokes Free Bet), runner-up in last year’s Champion Hurdle and trained by champion trainer Paul Nicholls. Mr. Stewart is on the record as saying that Celestial Halo is “probably not good enough to win [the Champion Hurdle]“, but his charge won well enough in a Grade 2 contest at Wincanton on his reappearance and was beaten just 2¼ lengths by the progressive Khyber Kim on his only subsequent start. Khyber Kim looks a bona fide Champion Hurdle contender, at around 11/1, so the fact that Celestial Halo would probably have finished closer, but for pitching on landing and losing momentum at the last flight, augurs well for his chance here. A line through last year’s Champion Hurdle winner, Punjabi (entered here, but more likely to run at Haydock Park on Saturday) suggests that there is little between the two.
The Irish Champion Hurdle is not renowned for winners at fancy prices, so it may not pay to look too far down the list for a potential winner. That said, it is hard to be dogmatic about Solwhit or Celestial Halo and, as such, neither represents any real value for money at the odds on offer. With this in mind, there are one or two entries at better prices worthy of a second glance.
Donnas Palm (7/1 with Paddy Power Free Bet), trained by Noel Meade in Co. Meath, is three from three over hurdles this season, albeit at a slightly lower level and seems to have recaptured her form after losing her way in Grade 1 and Grade 2 contests last year. This, of course, represents an acid test for the 6-year-old gelding, but it is worth remembering that he was beaten just ¼ length by the highly regarded Hurricane Fly at the start of last season. Strictly speaking, even that form gives Donnas Palm about 3½ lengths to find with Solwhit, but the son of Great Palm has looked better than ever this season and his trainer has a good line to Solwhit through Muirhead (50/1 with Bet 365 Free Bet, Totesport Free Bet, Boylesports Free Bet, Sporting Bet Free Bet and Ladbrokes Free Bet), who has finished behind Solwhit three times this season.
Edward O’Grady’s 5-year-old, Torpichen (20/1 with Sky Bet, Boylesports, Sporting Bet, Victor Chandler, Paddy Power, Stan James, Ladbrokes and William Hill), may be a little overpriced after a comfortable win in a Listed race at Naas in December, but has been found wanting in Grade 1 company before, so Donnas Palm looks a much stronger betting proposition. Indeed, 7/1 looks very good value for money (6/1 and 11/2 are the general offers), so snap it up and watch the price shorten between now and Sunday.
