Great judgement of pace is my view Chaninbar, but you could also he was lucky he had the horse with the gears to make up that ground. During his interview he said he effectively conceded the ground rather than fight for his position. But that just tells me that he had that confidence due to knowing the horse he had, a Choisir afterall, so was always likely to have the toe at the business end. He does do these fantastic rides more often than anyone else though so it's safe to say luck probably ain't a factor! Do you believe Big Buck's would have the same chance in March with either jockey on?
After yesterday I'm pretty convinced BB will win the World Hurdle in March with STD in the saddle. The way he hurdled was superb. He just doesn't lose any momentum at all. Interesting that Paul Nicholls had no issue with the ride or the tactics employed. You could say that he was never going to criticise STD given the controversy surrounding his appointment but Nicholls doesn't often conceal his true feelings post race. Ruby is a fantastic jockey though no doubt about that.
It looks a dreadful race to be fair should Annie Power head Champion Hurdle. Big Buck's could well end up with nothing to beat in it but getting beat yesterday by the 155ish rated Knockara Beau would clearly temper enthusiasm slightly. He's not the shoo-in he usually was and if the mare turns up he won't be winning in my opinion.
