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| Hargam-ble - Hargam looks the best bet to take on his dominant stable mate in the Triumph. |
The race however has been an uncharacteristic success for the Festival Focus series having recommended the last two winners Our Conor and Tiger Roll.
Both years it was a race set to take place this coming weekend that convinced me of their Triumph Hurdle credentials so it may seem strange to be offering up a selection in the week leading up to the Spring Juvenile Hurdle at Leopardstown.
Unlike most years where the Triumph is a race where the picture in my head does not become clear until quite close to festival week though this year I’ve had a horse in mind for the race from very early on in the campaign.
If I’d been clever I’d have posted this up before he went and destroyed an admitted field of no-hopers in the Triumph trial up at Musselburgh on Sunday, but with Peace And Co a clear and worthy favourite, though his stable mate and the horse in question, Hargam’s odds were quite pathetically slashed by the bookmakers in the aftermath of Musselburgh he still sits at a very attractive each-way price of 10/1 with Ladbrokes.
A talking horse before the start of the season, more so than Peace And Co, as a flat bred Hargam is expected to improve for better ground. Though he beat nothing at the weekend it is perhaps no coincidence his best performance to date visually came on his first encounter with good ground.
Bred by the Aga Khan and having shown plenty of ability on the flat, in any other year Hargam would probably be favourite for the race at this point, however as it stands he’s not even first choice for the race in his own yard.
He has however twice visited Prestbury Park to date and run well on both occasions, going down narrowly to the useful Golden Doyen on his British debut having to forfeit both an experience and fitness edge to his conqueror that day.
The form of that race has not exactly been well advertised since, but one month later on his return to Cheltenham he despatched a decent field, including a good barometer for this year’s juveniles in Karezak, in good style.
His Musselburgh romp at the weekend did little but show us he still has four legs, but he couldn’t have done more than he did and travelled with eye-catching ease through the race.
Up against Peace And Co he may simply be playing for place money, but with further improvement likely granted the expected better ground at the festival at 10/1 he looks a tasty each-way bet rating the challenger most likely to spring the upset should the favourite falter in any way.
Peace And Co could not have been more impressive on his British debut, winning a Doncaster Grade 2 hard held motoring clear by some 19l. At Cheltenham on trials day he wasn’t as visually impressive but it was an educational mission to teach him to settle and race in behind horses, which he did, eventually. He was still keen early and suffered some interference before coming up the hill strongly to beat that constant through this season’s big juvenile events Karezak by 3l.
That experience will have been extremely beneficial for his Cheltenham prospects and though there’s still much water to go under the bridge between now and Friday’s first race he looks like being one of the shortest priced favourites of the week, and with good reason.
Willie Mullins could be typically mob-handed for the race, but it’s Kalkir that looks his leading contender. Living up to the hype he bounded clear to land a Grade 3 on his first start in Ireland by 8l, before suffering a surprising reverse at Leopardstown on Boxing Day.
Not seen since, he looks set to try and bounce back from that defeat in the Spring Juvenile at the weekend, and given that race’s recent history of throwing up Triumph horses it would be no great shock if he were to come out of that race and run a big race at Cheltenham.
Top Notch is another exciting dart for Nicky Henderson and messrs Munir and Souede to aim somewhere this season but will they want to take on their own short-priced favourite here? With Bristol De Mai, disappointing at the weekend but having previously looked exciting, also in the same ownership there looks a fair bit of juggling to do.
There are still so many unknowns with the Triumph Hurdle at this point, that said however two juveniles have stood out so far this season and unless a dominant display occurs over the weekend they look the two to focus on for Cheltenham.
Peace And Co is by far and away the most likely winner, but the price is long gone and as a result with conditions likely to suit and more improvement hopefully to come it’s his stable mate Hargam that makes most appeal at what still looks a good price.
Recommendation:
Hargam 0.5pt each-way @ 10/1 (Ladbrokes)
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