Three Horses, Three Jockeys and The Cheltenham Championship Hurdle
They sound like the names of characters from a fantastic tale about some mythical exotic land or maybe one of those computer generated fantasy worlds that are turned into blockbuster movies. With names like Zaynar, Punjabi, and even, Binocular, the horses that will be running in the Smurfit Kappa Champion hurdle at this year’s Cheltenham Gold Cup Tournament don’t only have fantastic names, but they have winning in their blood. Add to this the fact that Nicky Henderson’s stable is filled with at least as many talented jockeys, the story of this year’s race seems to be destined, at least as far as Henderson is concerned, to have a happy ending.
Barry Geraghty had a choice to make before the racing rosters were finalized for the Smurfit-Kappa. He might have opted to ride Zaynor, a horse that is a horse with a great deal of talent and promise. Instead, he opted to stick with his old pal, Punjabi. After all, he rode Punjabi at Kempton where both horse and rider took home accolades. When asked about this decision, Geraghty stated that, “After a lot of hard thinking, I’m going to stay loyal and ride Punjabi in the Champion Hurdle”. He went on to add, “I couldn’t get off the reigning Champion Hurdler when he’s in such good form.” Both are sound arguments for what may be, deep beneath it all, a sentimental decision. Some jockeys develop a special bond with a certain horse. One cannot help but suspect that this is the case with Geraghty and Punjabi.
Nicky Henderson seems pretty happy with having three horses and three good jockeys in the same race. With Geraghty on Punjabi and McCoy riding Binocular, the opportunity to ride Zaynor fell to Andrew Tinkler. Henderson could not be more pleased at the situation and more hopeful of all three doing well in the race.
Geraghty waxed poetic about how well Punjabi ran at Kempton, calling the feel of the horse “unbelievable” and noting that this horse just seems to come into his own when springtime rolls around. He was quick to assure everyone that his decision was not meant to cast any shadow on Zaynor, a horse that he states any jockey would be proud to ride. Still, as his rider points out, Punjabi is a horse that has experience in the big races and knows how to turn up his performance level when the stakes are high.
Geraghty is thrilled for pal, Andrew Tinkler, to have a chance to ride a fantastic horse like Zaynor in the Champion Hurdle. In his words, Andrew “deserves the chance on a well-fancied ride in a championship race”. After all, Andrew and Zaynor have some history too. The horse and jockey team managed to pull off a win at Ascot early in the season. As for the opportunity to see how well they’ll do at Cheltenham, Andrew Tinkler and Zaynor will soon know the outcome.
The Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle is a Grade 1 Race with its participating horses that at least four years old. The course is run over a distance of 2 miles and 110 yards making use of the “old course” at Cheltenham where improvements and additions earned the course its name. Moreover, the Champion Hurdle is one of those races where horses that have won in the past have a tendency to enjoy repeat success. Examples of this phenomenon are Istabraq’s winning three times consecutively and Hardy Eustace winning the Hurdle twice.
The Smurfit Kappa Championship Hurdle ranks without a doubt among the most prestigious hurdling events in the world of horseracing. A list of its past champions reads a bit like the who’s who of top-named horses. Legends who have won include Hatton’s Grace, Persian War, Lanzarote and, of course, National Spirit. These great winners went on to have events named in their honor. The first step toward realizing that dream, for the horse, the owner and the rider, would be a win at Cheltenham, and maybe this year Punjabi will make his mark.
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