International Hurdle Preview
At a glance it is safe to say Saturday’s International
Hurdle has not delivered the same pre-race buzz as it has in previous years.
Known as a stepping stone to the Champion Hurdle, usually it is a coming of age
for the younger pretenders and a chance for the more exposed horses to prove
their worth. Without a doubt the two principals this year are British trained
Zarkandar and The New One, the pair are totally equal in terms of official
ratings (both 167), which indicates it should be a very interesting battle
between these two. Other notable entries at this stage are the intriguing French
duo Albert Hall and Seebreeze D’Ho (who add a whole new dimension to the race) along
with Jumps Road for the Tizzards, the Tim Vaughan trained Hawkhill and quirky Welsh
Champion hurdle victor Court Minstrel.
At 1-2 I believe The New One is pretty short, and as his
namesake suggests, he could well be too short against the tough and consistent
Zarkandar, although admittedly conditions aren’t in his favour and looks more exposed.
Yet he has the ability to win this race, as he did so last year beating the
likes of Grandouet and Rock On Ruby. The Azamour gelding is likely to be
targeted at the World Hurdle in March, so it does seem that The New One should
be winning here over the shorter trip of 2m1, as it appears he is aiming for
Champion Hurdle glory. In Zarkandar’s defence, he ran a mighty race giving
Annie Power 11lb at Ascot last time, and contrary to common belief, he did not
wear the blinkers last term because he was un-genuine- and proved so in no
uncertain matter when battling for a brave 2nd place. Court Minstrel
is undoubtedly talented, but even a return to form can’t really see him winning
here, and nothing from his last two outings has opposed this view. I wouldn’t dismiss
him completely but as we have begun to get to grips with his character, it may
be wise to look elsewhere for dangers.
A month ago we saw the Irish bred Dell’ Arca triumph in a
competitive Greatwood hurdle after never racing in Britain before (this would be
the case should Seebreeze D’Ho win on Saturday). However on ratings him and
Albert Hall have in excess of 20lb to find, and with both Zarkandar and The New
One posting good efforts first time out, it looks an unlikely scenario. The
last and only time Albert Hall ran in the UK was at Kempton and he was pulled up
in a race won by Bourne. The form speaks for itself and will be nowhere good
enough here. It is likely the French pair are entered to grab a share of the
prize money and the same could be said for Hawkhill and Jumps Road respectively.
It’s a shame a race of such calibre has only attracted low levels of attention
and clearly owners have missed an opportunity, at least to gain some prize
money, but it promises to be a fantastic days’ sport nevertheless (seeing as
there is top class action elsewhere on the card). I’m convinced, as always is
the case, Prestbury Park will not fail to deliver.
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