Oscar Whisky looks a great bet in tomorrows Aintree hurdle. Ignore his last run, he clearly didn't stay the trip in the world hurdle, but 2m4 on a flat track like Aintree is perfect for him, which was proven when he took this race last year. Rock On Ruby is a horse who's best on undulating tracks like Cheltenham, he was beaten at Kempton by Binocular, and he was thrashed by Spirit Son at last years Aintree festival over course and distance, so there is every reason to oppose the new champion hurdler. Zarkandar should appreciate the step up in distance, but I'm still unsure wether he realy has the class, and he hardly sparkled at Aintree last season, being flogged to beat the mighty Kumbeshwar. Thousand Stars is the only other decent horse in the race, but i don't believe he's as good a horse as he was when 2nd in this last season, finishing behind horse's like Unacompanied, and the most overrated horse in training Oscars Well, back in Ireland. He's been on the go for along time now, and tommorow will be his 8th race of the season. So enough reasons to oppose him. So Lump on Oscar Whisky to win a 2nd Aintree hurdle, which will almost certainly be a treble on the day for Nicky Henderson, with Simonsig looking hard to oppose and Sprinter Sacre looking impossible to oppose.
Take advantage of the Betfair Banker offer - https://promotions.betfair.com/aintree-festival-2012 Oscar Whisky is the banker so you get your money back up to £100 if he's the only horse to let you down. Simonsig, Sprinter Sacre, Oscar Whisky - £100 Win Treble on Betfair.
I agree Shergs! He is the best 2 1/2 Miler at the moment! He will regain his crown come tomorrow afternoon.
Shergs, there's a lot of emotive bias in your logic. Firstly, I could say last year is last year- and Thousand Stars was only just behind Oscar Whisky on two occasions. 'This year,' Oscar's Well was well in front of Thousand Stars when they were both humiliated by Hurricane Fly. Sure , Rock On Ruby ran awful at Aintree last year but so did Peddler's Cross, Binocular, etc.. What it tells me is that top hurdles form is all over the place- but this year's form matters far more, in my opinion. As far as ROR needing undulating tracks, I don't know where you get that from. Preferably galloping tracks maybe, I'll grant you. Oscar Whisky is a good horse but all the vibes say is that top hurdlers are overrated and inconsistent. Yes, Rock On Ruby may be inconsistent tomorrow, but there was nothing inconsistent about the form he took into the Champion Hurdle- which was better than anything apart from Hurricane Fly. As for Oscar Whisky, he'd have been pressed to beat the placed horses in the World Hurdle if it had ended at 20 furlongs, so poorly did he fold- stamina lacking or not. If Rock On Ruby takes the Champion form to Liverpool tomorrow, he'll gallop OW into the ground-fast track or not. Zarkandar frightens a little but second season hurdlers are desperate. There again, I'll only be 'watching' the race. I don't trust any of them. Take it from me, there's only one reliable top hurdler around and the Stewart family chickened out by not going for the Champion. He wouldn't half have set them a merry gallop and put the cat among the pigeons!
Cracking race with 4 top notch horses who can all win. At the prices I'll be backing Thousand Stars, 6/1 is a cracking price about a horse who failed by half a stride to win this last year and who get's his preferred ground for the first time since (at his best trip of 20f). It wouldn't surprise me if Oscar Whisky won this but at 6/1 Thousand Stars is the value in the race for me....
Grizzly, it wouldn't surprise me if Thousand Stars ran really well, although I'm not sure the going is crucial to him- he's won on heavy and very soft going several times. It may well be that he's a "Spring horse" - he's won every year in the Spring (bar one) since 2006.
Fair point Tam, I just get the impression he goes well on good ground and that he can cope with soft ground as opposed to prefering some cut. This has the makings of being the race of the week....
I'm on the treble ............... Simonsig, Sprinter Sacre, Oscar Whiskey I personally think OW is the best 2m4f hurdler around and will win comfortably
Through thick and thin, it's Zarkander for the win I've supported him for 2 seasons so he owes me nowt
Nope. I'm leaving the race alone apart from the above advised treble. I am concerned that Zarkandar has had two hard races when he has been below par physically suffering from the 'Ditcheat plague'. He might win tomorrow but I find it hard to split the big 4 to be honest. I do expect Zarkandar to be much better next season though so he'll be a good one if he can win this tomorrow.
I'm not saying he'll win but I think that to rule ROR out on the basis of last years CD run ignores just how progressive he has been. I do think that this is OW's ideal trip though and he has a cracking chace.
I'm a huge ROR fan, backed him to win plenty in the Champion Hurdle, but the one stat that puts me off backing him tomorrow is that he has 3 times attempted to race again within a month of his last run and lost each time - some may argue that the Champion was 32 days ago but the principal still stands for me. The more I watch the Champion the more I think that was a serious performance and despite there being a longer gap between the two festivals than I can ever remember he's proved he needs some recovery time and he faces 3 top notch challengers tomorrow - he was beaten 20 lengths+ in the novice hurdle at this meeting last year on similar ground and there'll be bigger days ahead for the horse IMO
I love Rock on Ruby, good tactical pace, wonderful engine and a fantastic attitude in a battle. The only thing he lacks IMO is a natural turn of foot, and agility, and when I say agility I mean being able to tackle tight tracks like Aintree, and Kempton. Oscar Whiskey is the best 2m4 hurdler out there, but after having the legs run off of him by Big Bucks, and also not forgetting that he had to be dismounted after the finish in the World Hurdle suggests that he may be over the top after the last race leaving its mark. Can't have Thousand Stars to be honest, a good yardstick, and a wonderful servant to connections, but just seems to fall short at the top level. That leaves Zarkandar who firstly has a first rate pedigree, and this trip would look to be his optimum. Don't think he was given that hard a race in the middle part of the champion hurdle, and was staying on well at the finish. He looks the one to be on, and at 5/2 I'm prepared to give him a chance to upset the other 2 principles.
Joe Lively: Zarkandar certainly was not given a hard race at the at the top of the hill, or thereabouts, in the CH because he ran as flat as a pancake and/or just could not go the pace (latter, probably). I think the correct phrase to describe the end stages for him would be "ran on past beaten horses"? I think Zarkandar can take this, but will not be having a bet. Agree with Tamerlo inasmuch as I wouldn't trust any of them! GL if you have a bet btw!
You may well be right Jongleur, and I think him having run during the time when there was an illness in the PN yard will have had some sort of an effect on him. He was one of the horses found to be suffering after he won the Betfair h'cap hurdle, and I think when horses run when they are ill, it obviously takes more out of them than if they were just having box rest. He may well still have being feeling the effects during the champion hurdle which would suggest why he hit such a bad flat spot/could not go the pace. It's all conjecture, but I think he's the one to be on today.
Joe: Good points. I completely forgot that the PN yard was under the weather during that time. Certainly makes a heck of a difference when there's a bug running around a yard. If Zarkandar is fully-fit he should run a big race. 2-1/2 miles on a flat, easy track, should suit.
I won't disagree completely but he finished quicker than anything in the race, as he did in his Triumph, is this because he excels up the hill or because he needs further ? I don't know the answer but I can't see him being inconvenienced by 2m 4f though around a flat track like Aintree it's questionable which race demands the greater stamina, this race or a true run Champion Hurdle. The sensible bet IMO is to lay ROR but I vary rarely lay horses, I still say Thousand Stars is a big price given conditions....
