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The other major contender to keep your eye on is the perennial appearance of Big Buck’s in the Ladbrokes World Hurdle - a long distance contest over smaller obstacles that this horse has stamped his authority over like few have in history. He hasn’t been seen in the race since capturing it from Voler La Vedette in 2012 as he picked up an injury shortly after conquering the Sportingbet Long Distance Hurdle back in January of that year.
Now that Cheltenham is only a few short weeks away we are really seeing the ante post markets getting down to business as price fluctuations are becoming the order of the day and entries are firmed up for the first stage of their spring festival campaigns. A number of top contenders are in the reckoning for the four day battle in the Cotswalds and plenty will be anticipating the fact that so many key races are absolutely wide open this time around.
He has taken a substantial amount of money in each race he’s run in and looks set to kick on nicely here if he runs up to that par. He has been off since June of 2013, however, and it may pay dividends to side with a fresher runner here who has some recent on-track experience.
Haatheq looks as dangerous as ever and he came home behind Forjatt and Colmar Kid in his last effort at Jebel Ali. He is most notable for coming in second behind Soft Falling Rain in the Godolphin Mile last year and at 10/1, he looks like he could be a major player if he runs back...
Mike De Kock saddles the mysterious Wednaan for this one and he’s only had one run in his entire career - a maiden at Yarmouth last September, but he was able to get the job done and is taking a substantial amount of money ahead of this race. Right now he’s third favourite with a price of around 11/2.
Emirates Flyer lines up with Kieren Fallon booked for the trip and they’ve already got a victory under their belts so far this season and that may make all the difference on the run-in as this talented son of Acclamation takes a significant step up in class but he should be able to handle himself pretty...
Some high quality racing kicks off once again at Meydan on Thursday as the Dubai Carnival is now in full swing and looks set to get even better as we get closer to the penultimate day of the meeting. We have a number of Graded contests and there are some solid betting opportunities to be had for the savvy punter. As usual, the prices are good but the races are deep so expect a few good payouts once we’re through the six thoroughbred contests of the day.
Though Our Conor hasn’t won either of his three appearances this year doesn’t seem to matter much to the punters in the Champion Hurdle ante post market. He is right up there trading as the fourth favourite and that’ mostly because they know what he’s capable of - he captured the JCB Triumph Hurdle by a whopping 15 lengths last year when getting the better of Far West.
Sent off as the 4/1 favourite on the day, he’s got plenty of fans who may be looking at him as a cheeky outsider - a true festival specialist. He’s been behind Hurricane Fly on his last two attempts and...
My Tent Or Yours has quietly carved out a huge selection of fans with his gritty performances and impressive jumping ability. He’s only been out twice this year but has looked excellent on both occasions getting the better of a pair of Grade 1 fields and looking good both times out.
He’s really factored into the reckoning a bit more now that he’s been able to beat The New One on Boxing Day at Kempton. Prior to that he had scored at Newcastle against a fairly solid field when sent off as the considerable 8/11 betting favourite. My Tent Or...
His last contest, where he raced home just a length ahead of Our Conor, saw him make a few mistakes but still buckle down and get the job done on the run-in. This is a tough horse that has gotten better with age - he has learned from mistakes he has made in the past and has the intelligence and guile to know when he’s losing and re-double his efforts.
Many will remember his 2009/11 duel with Solwhit where the pair of them ran against each other for five races in a row. Hurricane Fly got the better of them on all but one occasion - when he came third in the Grade 1 Punchestown Hurdle.
The ante post wagering for the 2014 Champion Hurdle is looking like a very interesting affair an we have a sensational show-down between the top two ante post contenders looming, along with a few outside shots that come into the race with lots of form and could very well hit the line first, themselves. With virtually all major bookmakers placing The New One and Hurricane Fly on absolutely equal footing, it’s going to be really interesting to see where the wagering goes from here in the ante post markets.
The fifth race of the Scoop6 sequence is a field of 12 competing in a 6f sprint that is sure to have a few punters scratching their heads. While not quite as tough to handicap as the aforementioned Betfair Hurdle, it will certainly be a bit of a puzzle if you’re looking to get tricky. It will be hard for many punters to look past the impressive record of Perfect Pasture and that’s why he’s now listed as the co-favourite with Absolutely So, who was originally unveiled as the outright betting selection to win this one.
