Big Buck’s and Grands Crus Confirmed For Liverpool Hurdle

The two premier staying hurdlers on the UK National Hunt circuit are set to lock horns once again as Big Buck’s and Grands Crus square off in the Liverpool Hurdle this Thursday at Aintree. Like many high profile hurdle contests over 3m, Big Buck’s has put his stamp squarely over top of this race – capturing the last two iterations of this contest.

As the field enters the final declaration stage, both top contenders remain in the running and Big Buck’s looks to be taking a fair amount of money with a price hovering around 4/7 while Grands Crus is appealing to some and trades as the clear second favourite with a 7/2 listing.

It was a tight contest between the two in the World Hurdle with Big Buck’s experience and form proving the difference as Grands Crus pushed him all the way – only for Big Buck’s to find much more on the run-in during the final 100y. The stand-out effort by six year-old Grands Crus earned him a solid 169 official rating as his partnership with Tom Scudamore continued to progress.

Big Buck’s retained his 174 OR following the World Hurdle score.

Other notables confirmed for the race include upstart Coral Cup winner Carlito Brigante who trades at a solid 8/1 price tag. Karabak, Sentry Duty and the talented Khyber Kim are all floating around 16s while Knockara Beau (who was vanquished by Grands Crus earlier this season in the Cleeve Hurdle) sits at 25/1. The firm outsiders include Possol and Won In The Dark at 66/1 while Gwanako trades at 100/1.

The race sets the stage nicely for the day’s feature – the totesport Bowl Chase where Denman takes on a talented field of contenders.