He wouldn't be my bet Bob, and there's no doubt at all the two you mentioned are vastly superior but one has to return from injury and the other has also been injured in the past. My angle more than anything is he has scope to shorten for those who like to back to lay. I think the drop back to 2m won't do him any harm either, and the clip they'll go in a Champion should suit. I thought he'd go novice chasing but I guess they've seen there's not much to beat at home so you can't really fault their thinking. Looking at the antepost market at the minute is a task finding a definite runner, so many won't be in it!
I'm not convinced Faugheen would beat Annie. Annie was nearly 6 seconds faster on similar going (GS) and arguably had the easier race. Nearly 6 secs faster than standard on GS is bloody fast by any reckoning. My only concern over Annie would be if the going was fast
Odd to see Faugheen as short as 6/4 for the Champion Hurdle and Annie Power 4/1 as all the talk this early on (I know take it with a pinch of salt) is him going down the World Hurdle route which I will be gutted if he does go down that route
I'm surprised they're not now TBH - can't imagine they're taking anything on the market at the moment.
Agree - how would you price up it NRNB? If not NRNB I would be quite happy pushing out Faugheen and trying to get some money if for that in the hope he goes WH route. NRNB i wouldnt want to be bigger than 8/15 as if he were to run in the champion he would piss it.
My NRNB market would probably look something like this: Faugheen 8/11 Annie 6/4 Apple's Jade 6/1 MTOY 10/1 Buveur D'Air 12/1 Yanworth 66/1
Cor blimey, old boy, don’t go advertising those odds to the ‘county set’! You’d be trampled in the rush. By ‘eck it would be Carnage with a capital ‘C’!
I see that Yanworth, ‘the hope of the county’, will debut for the campaign next month in the ‘Coral Hurdle’ run at Ascot over 2 miles 3 and half furlongs. How he performs that day will determine whether Yanworth is then stepped up in trip or reverts back to 16 furlongs.
I'm sick of Beefy and DK being on the fence on this forum so Yanworth wins the Champion Hurdle on the snaff for the forums favourite owner.
Based on past seasons evidence you'd expect Willie might send one over for the Coral Hurdle (won it in 2013 with Annie Power and 2014 with Faugheen) so we should get a very early indication of Yanworth's credentials. I wonder who Willie might send over though? The 2 big early season hurdle races in Ireland (Morgiana and Hatton's Grace) are likely to be the targets for Annie Power and Faugheen so maybe Vroum Vroum Mag might be the one to come to Ascot? Unless of course the great man thinks he could mop up the race with Ivan Grozny or Wicklow Brave or Arctic Fire or .............................jeeesus some talent he has in the yard
Sad to read that his recovery is not going as well as expected - fingers crossed he makes it back or has a happy retirement.
Unlikely in my view. I just have to wonder at what he beat. He always looks impressive in victory but against a top field I just can't see it. Would want to see the form franked in his wins, but it's early days. Much prefer Yanworth from that yard.
Short answer: No Long answer: Rated 149 after Saturdays demolition job, will surely improve into a mid 150s horse but that still leaves him jumping the second last as Ruby's crossing the line, whip raised in jubilation! Out of the 4 year olds the only one I could see in the frame is the obvious one Apples Jade, though Ivanovich Gorbatov has course winning form, and might just work his way into the picture as an outsider at a price (currently 25/1) come March.
The layers have pushed out Apples Jade to a general 12/1 (top-priced 16/1) after her surprise defeat at the hands of Rashaan at Down Royal. Ironically (given her name) she looked jaded and reminded me of Faugheen's reappearance 2 seasons ago when he was beaten by Nichols Canyon. Whether it is all the upheaval of changing yards, lack of fitness or something else she was only capable of one pace up the straight and was readily outpointed by an exposed handicapper in Rashaan.
20th November market check (Bet365 prices): Faugheen 2 Annie Power 5/2 Altior 12 (Chase debut tomorrow would have to be a disaster for him to be even considered a runner) Yanworth 12 () Yorkhill 14 Vroum Vroum Mag 16 Sceau Royal 20 Apples Jade 20 Min, Buveur D'Air, Arctic Fire, Identity Thief 25 Any price the rest. Sceau Royal is over-priced (still). If Buveur D'Air doesn't look any good this will be a Mullins benefit. Nigh on 400 grand prize money for the first 3 home, looks like Willie's to lose.
