As this is the richest handicap hurdle in the UK (£88,273 to the winner) and always has more plots than an Agatha Christie novel, I thought it deserves a dedicated thread. The event was established in 1963, and the inaugural running took place at Aintree. The race was originally sponsored by Schweppes, and it was known as the Schweppes Gold Trophy. Ryan Price won the first two runnings with Rosyth and trained four of the first five winners of the race. After Rosyth's second win, following four unplaced efforts in between, his jockey was suspended for six weeks and his trainer warned off. More controversy for Price and the Schweppes followed in 1967 when Hill House tested positive for a banned drug. However it was later shown that Hill House had manufactured his own cortisol. Schweppes' sponsorship continued until 1986 when it was taken over by Tote Bookmakers (later known as totesport). The race was titled the Tote Gold Trophy from 1987 to 2004, and the totesport Trophy from 2005 to 2011. Since 2012 the race has been sponsored by Betfair and known as the Betfair Hurdle. Two winners of the race — Persian War and Make a Stand — subsequently achieved victory in the following month's Champion Hurdle. Currently 50 horses are entered for the 2017 renewal, although the field size is limited to 24 for safety reasons (something to consider when placing an ante post wager). The racecard can be found here. The betting as of 25th January looks like this (best odds from Oddschecker): Ballyandy, Consul de Thaix 8/1 Clyne, Movewiththetimes 10/1 Modus 14/1 Chacun Pour Soi, Peter The Mayo Man, Wait For Me, Winter Escape, Zubayr 16/1 20/1 Bar Clearly Consul de Thaix is well fancied based on his chasing home Champion Hurdle-bound Brain Power at Sandown and Ascot and is set to carry 10-11 (assuming one of the 2 joint top weights Modus and Ivan Grozny run). He is one of several interesting novices, including Ballyandy and Bags Groove, alongside more established horses such as Footpad, Hargam, Clyne and the aforementioned Modus and Ivan Grozny. One I really like at this stage is Robert Stephens' Beltor who won the Adonis as a juvenile and looks like he has been laid out for this off a mark of 135. 25/1 currently available about his chances. What are your views on the race at this stage, which plots are lurking and what whispers are abound?
His official rating being 163 he would be giving Modus 8lbs so I'm not sure how he would get in off 11-08 Ron? Racing post entries here, they have it down to 41 with Ivan Grozny scratched.
Movewiththetimes before following the novice route at the festival. Lovely horse, very unlucky at Cheltenham behind Moon Racer and looks a real developer with time and racing.
JP seems very keen on landing the pot this year, 8 of the 41 still left in belong to him and you'd give a serious chance to at least half of the 8.
What I was getting at Oddy is that Clyne gave The New One a good race in receipt of 8lb and Clyne is in with 11.0
Ones a big field handicap and the other was a small field race, always feel that people overegg finishing positions from one into the other. And vice Verda tbf
Clyne races off 143 due to go up to 148. If TNO ran to anything like 163 then Clyne is very well handicapped indeed and as long as the race hasn't taken too much out of him must have a great chance.
Just looked at the times that day. Wasn't the quickest of races so Clyne may have been flattered. Now, if the earlier maiden winner Neon Wolf was in with 11.0 I would be all over that one
I'm with Movewiththetimes too. Was travelling great at Chelt.. Bazza gave him an 'interesting' ride to finish!
In yesterday’s ‘Weekender’ they were all over Clyne. And the point raised by Don about him being 5lbs ‘well in’ due to him running off his perch at the time the weight were published is highly relevant. 10/1 does, to me, appear more than fair and you would have to conclude he would be quite a bit shorter if with a more high profile barn. But I was a little bit underwhelmed, to be honest, by the entries for such a valuable contest. The ‘Sporting Life’ at one point billed it as My Tent v Moon Racer and am quite surprised, given the yards they are from, that neither was targeted at the heat.
I agree, it does look rather an underwhelming entry but it is a handicap. To think Persian War (11.13), Zarkanda (11.01) and My Tent or Yours (11.02) ran in the race. Must have been good bets. Nothing of that calibre this year
Do you think there is then Nass, or might be? If you have one in mind please share as it could be a good bet
Well bare in mind when they won it, MTOY was rated 149 and came from a Hunts novice Hurdle. Take Movewiththetimes for example, similarly unexposed and runs from 136. Sutton Place comes from graded victory and is unbeaten over hurdles unlike MTOYs. Take Zarkander, won this off 154 whilst Modus current mark is 155. Shows how underrated juvenile hurdles can be. Who knows if there is a star lurking? But there could be something really special lurking. The one I think it could be is the one I put up earlier in the thread.
Consul De Thaix looks a potential star to my eye - has been green as Kermit's helmet to date but has bags of ability
