Horse racing betting: December Hurdle

Noel Meade sent over Harchibald for the Stan James Christmas Hurdle at Kempton on Boxing Day and the journey ultimately proved fruitless as the horse renowned for lacking fight went down to Straw Bear by the shortest of margins. Meade sent over Jazz Messenger last year to mop up the Kempton Grade 1 hurdle and although the seven-year-old had a great chance of winning that contest, he is favourite across the board to win the December Hurdle at Leopardstown at 1.55pm this afternoon. Jazz Messenger has shown his versatility this season when taking the 2m 4f hurdle at Navan last time out when accounting for Sweet Kiln. It was a game performance, and anyone who doubts that he wont be equally effective over today's 2m trip should go and watch his performance in the Grade 1 hurdle at Punchestown last month when he sluiced through Soft to Heavy going to take the scalps of three of today's line-up; Farmer Brown, Clopf and Ebaziyan. Many critics of Paul Carberry's mount have said that he has lacked fluency in his hurdling in the past, but that was a top-draw effort against some useful yardsticks, and he looks primed for a big run this afternoon. William Hill go 9/4 about Meade's runner while Ladbrokes are a more wary 2/1. Of the three who trailed behind Jazz Messenger at Punchestown, the bookmakers see Farmer Brown as the biggest threat. The Galway hurdle winner had a excellent summer campaign and although he seems to have improved with every run, the six-year-old went down to Jazz Messenger's stablemate Aimatov at Down Royal. Meade has gone on record to say that he thinks that Jazz Messenger is faster than Aimatov and Farmer Brown therefore looks up against it. The biggest threat to our bet could and should come from dual-Champion Hurdler Hardy Eustace. The former champ was outpointed by Lough Derg to the tune of nine lengths in the Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot just before Christmas. The winning margin seems a lot, but jockey Conor O'Dwyer admitted afterwards that he had given the winner far too much rope and subsequently had no chance from out of Swinley Bottom. Back at two miles - where it must also be remembered that he beat Lough Derg by 12 and a half lengths at Ascot giving him almost a stone earlier in the season - Hardy Eustace will be a different proposition and he certainly looks like the favourite's toughest opponent. Verdict: 1pt Jazz Messenger @ 9/4 (William Hill)