Ace has Golden chance to make the Champion Hurdle frame
THIS season’s Champion Hurdle market is much more complicated than it looks on paper.
Constitution Hill might be a long odds-on shot, but his campaign has been a rollercoaster of uncertainty, with the Henderson superstar having to return from injury, colic and a perceived sub-par gallop at Newbury in November.
But come back he has, with a sensational defeat of Lossiemouth in the Christmas Hurdle and a bloodless win in the Unibet Hurdle on Trials Day in January.
As the 1/2 favourite it’s hard to see something beating him, but there are question marks about those who follow him in the betting.
Brighterdaysahead has been awesome this season, but it looks like she’ll go for the Mares’ Hurdle instead, and the Willie Mullins pair of State Man and Lossiemouth are far from bombproof based on their runs this term.
There’s not much to like about the rest in the market, barring the 66/1, or 33/1 non-runner money back, on offer about GOLDEN ACE.
Followers of this column will know Jeremy Scott’s charge as one of our big successes from last year’s Festival when she was a winning ante-post tip in the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle, beating the aforementioned Brighterdaysahead.
She’s yet to win on two starts this season, albeit she’s ran creditably on both occasions over longer than optimum trips.
Connections have said that she’s no certainty to go to Cheltenham either, but should she win next weekend’s Kingwell Hurdle at Wincanton, they might spot that there are Champion Hurdle places there for the taking.
She loves Cheltenham, has bags of pace for the trip, and just might sneak into the frame if the bigger guns don’t turn up.
POINTERS ANTE-POST
Golden Ace 66/1 e/w Champion Hurdle, Cheltenham Festival