The final line up for the £370,000 Stan James Champion Hurdle was shaken up dramatically with the 11th hour defection of defending champion Binocular, but the 2011 renewal still promises to be one of the highest-class of recent seasons.
Currently heading the market at 3/1 with StanJames is Menorah. Trained by Philip Hobbs,the six-year-old is unbeaten in three starts at Cheltenham, including at The Festival in 2010 when he battled to a head success in the Stan James Supreme Novices’ Hurdle. His most recent start came at Cheltenham on December 11, when he was the comprehensive winner of the Grade Two StanJames.com International.
Closely following Menorah in the market at 7/2 with Stan James is Hurricane Fly. A Listed winner on the Flat in France in his youth, the seven-year-old has won nine of his 11 starts over hurdles for Willie Mullins, seven of which have come at Grade One level. A facile winner of the Irish Champion Hurdle last time out on January 23, this will be Hurricane Fly’s first visit to Cheltenham with setbacks having forced him to miss The Festival for the past two seasons. Hurricane Fly will be joined by his stable companion Thousand Stars (25/1), succes sful at The Festival last season in the Vincent O’Brien County Handicap Hurdle.
Peddlers Cross (4/1 third favourite with Stan James) is the only unbeaten horse going into the race, having won all of his seven starts under rules, including the Neptune Investment Management Novices’ Hurdle at last year’s Festival. His trainer Donald McCain is also represented by Overturn (50/1) who enjoyed his biggest success in the Galway Hurdle last summer.
Writing on his blog, McCain commented: “Overturn and Peddlers Cross both run in the Champion Hurdle. Tactics for both horses will be being juggled up until just before the race in the Paddock (afraid no big inside knowledge here!) - things can change dramatically as we saw yesterday with Binocular not being declared, and so it is important for plans to remain fluid. Both horses are in good form and I have complete faith in them to run well for their owner, Tim Leslie. It would be absolutely incredible if Peddlers still has an unbeaten record come 4.00pm, Tuesday 15th March 2011.”
Alan King saddles Mille Chief (14/1), successful in the Grade Two Kingwell Hurdle at Wincanton on February 19 and the Barbury Castle handler is hopeful that the ground at Cheltenham this week will suit the five-year-old.
King told his website: “On the figures, Mille Chief needs to find about 10lb, and, while only time will tell whether he can improve that much, I am convinced that he will show himself a much better horse on better ground.
“It was very deep ground when he won his two races this season, but he is such a good-actioned horse with so many gears and has always worked like something special at home, and, while even without Binocular it looks a hot renewal, we have not lost faith in our fellow and we’ll see how he goes.”
With Binocular missing the race, Oscar Whisky (8/1) is now the sole representative of trainer Nicky Henderson. Owned by Ffos Las founder Dai Walters, the six-year-old has been successful on six of his seven starts with his only defeat coming when fourth in the Stan James Supreme Novices’ Hurdle behind Menorah at last year’s Festival. If he were to prevail it would make Henderson the winning-most trainer in the history of the Stan James Champion
Hurdle with six victories (he is currently tied on five victories with Peter Easterby). Other leading contenders include Dunguib (9/1), winner of the Weatherbys Champion Bumper at The Festival in 2009 and third to Menorah last season. He has had just one outing so far this season, when comfortably taking a Grade Two event at Gowran Park last month.Khyber Kim (12/1) beat all bar Binocular in 2010 but needs to bounce back from a disappointing reappearance when he was a well-beaten fourth in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton Park.
Completing the line-up are Clerk’s Choice (66/1), a winner over the course and distance in October for permit holder Michael Banks and rank outsider Bygones Of Brid (250/1), a Grade Two winner in 2010 but well beaten behind Peddlers Cross at Kelso last time
Latest prices from Stan James: Menorah 3/1, Hurricane Fly 7/2, Peddlers Cross 4/1, Oscar Whisky 8/1, Dunguib 9/1, Khyber Kim 12/1, Mille Chief 14/1, Thousand Stars 25/1, Overturn 50/1, Clerk's Choice 66/1, Bygones Of Brid 250/
