Courtesy of Sportinglife.com Nicky Henderson says Oscar Whisky is "99.9% certain" to run in the Ladbrokes World Hurdle at Cheltenham. Third in last year's Stan James Champion Hurdle, Dai Walters' charge is set to step up to three miles for a clash with Big Buck's despite also being entered in the two-mile contest again. Plans for him have changed after the Welsh Champion Hurdle was lost to the cold-snap and he could take in an unconventional prep-race. "He's in very good form and is in one of the jumper bumpers at Kempton on Friday and I haven't ruled that one out yet," the trainer told At The Races. "Trouble is I'm running out of options for him but he isn't a horse I'm desperate to have a run. He's 99.9% certain to go to the World Hurdle." What are peoples thoughts about this? Personally i think they might have missed a trick not entering it in the Champion Hurdle, think it could get closer to the FLY than the Bank of Bucks, or am i barking up the wrong tree?
When I read "World plan for oscar whisky." I thought he might be on his way to Australia for the Birdsville Cup.
They know they can't beat Hurricane Fly so they might as well try and beat Big Buck's instead. He probably can't do either but at least there is the possibility that he can beat Big Buck's.
I certainly think he will give Big Bucks his biggest test and if we get a slowly run affair he could do him for speed at the end, unlikely but more possible than most of Big Buck's challengers. The disappointing thing is that they never allow Big Bucks to attempt the champion. We know he is the best staying hurdler the world has ever seen and well done on that Mr Stewart, but as he's years tick by what use is there in simply allowing us to see that again and again and again rather than see if he is also one of the best hurdlers we have ever seen, or even send him chasing again. It is like Sir Henry Cecil getting a frankel but only ever letting him contest group 2's so we can all delight in never having seen a better group two horse. At 3 miles big bucks is unbeatable, but how about at 2 miles against the best? how about having to jump fences? Just how good is he ? we dont actually know because if you made a list of all the horses he has beat it would look good but not special.
Grand Crus couldn't get near him last year, do we think Oscar Whisky is a better horse than Grand Crus ? I agree Big Bucks is the best staying hurdler in history but he was meant to be a Gold Cup winner until they realised he couldn't jump fences, not sure he'd have the speed to go with the best of them over 2m. I know from a conversation I was fortunate enough to have with Andy Stewart months ago that he thought Nicholls gave up on fences for both Big Bucks and Celestial Halo too early, Bucks could end up with half a dozen World Hurdles...
Oscar Whiskey has always looked like a 2m4f horse to me and yet there is no 2m4f "championship" hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival. For me a glaring omission on their CV but that's a different story. Stepping him up to 3 miles for the first time in the World Hurdle against a horse who is unbeaten in 15 in that discipline smacks of desperation. I would swerve Cheltenham entirely and aim him at the Aintree race he won so well last year. He doesn't HAVE to run at Cheltenham, does he?
Having had a fortune on Big Bucks to remain unbeaten this season at 3/1, I'd obviously rather see Oscar Whisky in the Champion Hurdle. Whatever anyone says Grands Crus gave BB a problem at Cheltenham last season. My gut instinct tells me that Grands Crus is a better horse than OW, but we will never know until he goes over 3 miles. I just hope it's a truely run race, and not a slow tactical affair, as although I still think BB will get to him up the hill, you just never know as OW is a fast horse even over 2 miles
I don't think Oscar Whisky will be the biggest danger to Big Bucks. The real danger would be Thousand Stars if logic holds out and he's sent to the World Hurdle.
Oscar Whisky beat Thousand Stars in the Champion and Aintree Hurdle last season, so I don't realy get your point. As someone who wants a BB victory, I fear OW more as we know over 3 miles TS isn't going to beat BB, but knowone knows for sure how well OW will cope with the step up, for all we know it could be the making of him. Nicky Henderson wouldn't run him in the 3 miler if he had doubts about his stamina
I don't want to start another one here Shergs but I get the point about Thousand Stars. He was gaining all to way to the line at Aintree. The extra distance could be a huge factor. Couldn't see him winning though. He'd have to come on 10lbs for the extra distance which I doubt is going to happen. I think Zaidpour could turn out to be the best horse in last years Supreme but don't like his price now after beating VLV last time out.
Now I can tell you that Shergar will not like that one bit! I was so impressed with his win in the Royal Bond that I had to give him a chance in the Supreme at the price. In the end he wasn't good enough but I get the feeling that Mullins thought he wasn't quite right all of last spring, which might explain his reverses. He looks good this season but Ruby and Willie have both said he needs soft ground to be seen to best effect so it might be that he never shows his best form at Cheltenham. The Mullins horse that is interesting for me is So Young for me. Beat Trifolium comfortably last time and we all know what he has done since (when settling better). He looks like he'll stay 3m (winner over 2m6f on soft) and should have finished closer than he did in the Neptune last year showing he handles good ground well. It will be interesting to see where Mullins sends him at Cheltenham because both the Champion and the World Hurdle have been mooted as targets which must give an indication into the regard in which he is held.
Simples. Thousand Stars is proven over the trip when beating Grands Crus et al over 3 miles at Autieul last season. Oscar Whisky is taking a step into the unknown. Based on...?
I got burnt fingers thinking Master Minded could make the transition from 2 and half miles to 3 miles, He clearly didn't. This question as to be posed about Oscar Whisky. He hasn't been overly extended in his last two starts at Cheltenham over 2 and half but is it enough for Me to think he can bother Big Bucks? Not at all... Grands Crus was rated 169 over hurdles a full 4lbs clear of Oscar Whisky and in the lead up to the race he couldn't have been more impressive winning the cleeve by 10 lengths pulling his back teeth out all the way round, And I can see why people get the impression he gave Big Bucks a race at Cheltenham because of how close he got to Big Bucks in the run in but I don't think its as clear cut as that. If you look at the tactics used by Ruby Walsh now he as sat off the pace and played his cards late this year whereas in the World Hurdle last year he hit the front turning in and was almost dawdling up the run looking awkward and to the eye it would have appeared he was under pressure but jumping the last he kicked on and put the race to bed, Grands Crus was never in front of the superstar and didn't have the class to do so. Lets not forget Ruby even dropped his stick before the last... The form and class was shown at Aintree where he annihilated a field and Grands Crus on the bridle. If the opinion that he gave Big Bucks a race at Cheltenham is taken seriously then wouldn't Big Bucks have won doggidly and laboured over Grand Crus and not on the bridle? Maybe Big Bucks had that much in hand at Cheltenham he won by the necessary distance and left abit in reserve and hes tended to do since switching over hurdles hence the reason he won with such ease at Aintree and why Grands Crus looked over the top, Both runs kept him at 174 and he looked to have that much in reserve its difficult to put a number on what he can run! Its almost unbelievable... I do think Grands Crus is the best horse Big Bucks as faced by a distance but even he didn't have the neccesary ability to topple the Nicholl's superstar. Oscar Whisky is a good horse but hes a 165-170 horse at best and even if he did manage to run to a stone above his shown ability in the World Hurdle I don't think it would be enough to beat Big Bucks who on all known form will always find more when posed the question! Hes certainly capable of running into the high 170's I feel if he needed to, I don't think Oscar Whisky can. Big Bucks will win the World Hurdle again this year by 1-2 lengths in hand. Not much more to add to that...
