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Ladbrokes World Hurdle
Race Conditions
The Ladbrokes World Hurdle (3:15pm) is a Class A Grade 1 hurdle run over three miles. It is open to horses aged four years old and upwards. The total prize fund is £250,000.
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Recent Winners
By staging both the Ryanair Chase and the World Hurdle on the Thursday of the Festival, organisers have ensured that day three lacks nothing in prestige, despite not staging one of the three blue riband events.
In fact, the World Hurdle has taken on increased significance in its own right in recent years, thanks mainly to the exploits of the great French champion, Baracouda. His presence has dominated the race since the turn of the century and he sets the standard by which all great staying hurdlers will be measured. Indeed, it has taken two other top class performers in Inglis Drever and Iris’s Gift to prevent Baracouda from winning an unprecedented four consecutive renewals of the race. The 2004 battle between Baracouda and Iris’s Gift, in particular, will live long in the memory.
The recent resurgence that the race is enjoying is, perhaps, no coincidence. The trend towards better ground at the Festival has meant that the event has become less of a slog and has enabled the classier horses to dominate. Not since Anzum, in 1999, have we seen a double figure price winner of the race.
| Year | Horse | Age | Trainer | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Inglis Drever | 9 | J Howard Johnson | 11/8F |
| 2007 | Inglis Drever | 8 | J Howard Johnson | 5/1 |
| 2006 | My Way De Solzen | 6 | A King | 8/1 |
| 2005 | Inglis Drever | 6 | J Howard Johnson | 5/1 |
| 2004 | Iris’s Gift | 7 | Jonjo O’Neill | 9/2 |
| 2003 | Baracouda | 8 | F Doumen | 9/4JF |
| 2002 | Baracouda | 8 | F Doumen | 13/8F |
| 2000 | Bacchanal | 6 | N Henderson | 11/2 |
| 1999 | Anzum | 8 | D Nicholson | 40/1 |
| 1998 | Princeful | 7 | J Pitman | 16/1 |
| 1997 | Karshi | 7 | Miss H Knight | 20/1 |
| 1996 | Cyborgo | 6 | M Pipe | 8/1 |
| 1995 | Dorans Pride | 6 | M Hourigan | 11/4F |
| 1994 | Balasani | 8 | M Pipe | 9/2JF |
Key Trends
No 5 year-old has ever won, although plenty have been placed.
Only one winner older than 9 (Crimson Embers in 1986).
No Irish trained winner for 13 years.
The last 20 winners finished in the first 4 last time out.
No shock results of late. 8/1 the highest SP in last seven years.
Watch the 2008 World Hurdle:
2007 Review
An emotional victory and one to warn the hearts of all true national hunt enthusiasts as the 2005 champion INGLIS DREVER recaptured his crown in typically game fashion after missing all of last season through injury.
As is his custom, the winner needed to be niggled along by his rider, Paddy Brennan, from a long way out and he was actually under maximum pressure at the top of the hill, but he found some momentum on the downhill stretch of the course and picked up turning for home before staying on gamely to hold off Mighty Man and Blazing Bailey. Although there was less than a length in it at the line Inglis Drever was idling in front and he looked like he’d find more if needed.
His win here was achieved in similar style to that in 2005 when he defeated the great Baracouda. On this evidence, he may in time be recognised as being as good as that great French raider.
Mighty Man was third last year and second here. He would have been an impressive winner if you took Inglis Drever out of the race and is a top class stayer in his own right. He loves decent ground and is even better on a flat track like Aintree, where compensation may await.
Blazing Bailey ran another good race to confirm himself the best young stayer around. A five year old has never won this event, so he ran very respectably given that statistic. He is very tough and genuine, but may prefer slightly easier going.
The same is true of the mare United who just lacked the speed to be competitive on this ground, in this company. However, this was her best effort yet and there are plenty more big races to be won with her.
The big disappointment of the race was undoubtedly the early fall of the hot favourite, Black Jack Ketchum. He took a horrible fall at the third, and the huge crowd held its breath waiting to see if he would get up okay. Thankfully he did, and he seemed none the worse for the incident as he galloped loose. He was on a retrieval mission here after his flop in the Cleeve Hurdle and we’ll now have to wait for Aintree to see if he really is as good as we all thought this time last year.
2006 Review
The feature race of day three, the Ladbroke World Hurdle, was won in thrilling fashion by MY WAY DE SOLZEN.
A huge field had gone to post in search of the £131,000 first prize, but at the business end of the race there were only really five horses in contention.
My Way De Solzen has improved immensely this year for the step up in trip, but he was expected to need softer ground to be able to live with the very best over this distance. Instead, he put up the performance of his life on going which was being dried out all the time by a chilling wind.
He was travelling better than anything turning for home and powered clear of his main rivals approaching the last. However, either through tiredness or lack of company upfront, he idled on the run-in, drifted right and was nearly headed by Golden Cross.
Indeed, he had wandered off course to such an extent that many felt a stewards’ inquiry should have been called to see if he had unfairly interfered with the runner up. Given that the margin of victory at the line was only a nose, it is hard not to have sympathy with connections of Golden Cross, who was clearly not helped by the winner’s manoeuvre. He also met trouble in running before two out, having been held up well off the pace by his Derby winning jockey, Johnny Murtagh.
All the winner does is stay and given his tender years there could be more to come, especially on his preferred soft ground. By contrast, the second is equally effective over shorter distances and his trainer even admitted after the race that a crack at the Champion Hurdle may be an option if ever the ground were to come up soft.
Back in third was Mighty Man, who was sent off the 4-1 favourite. His season, up until now, had been blighted by bad luck, but there were no excuses here. Unlike the winner, he was unable to quicken off the final bend. However, he too is only a six year old and so can continue to improve.
Fire Dragon ran a blinder in fourth. He was the youngest horse in the field and has improved over two stone this season. He has a very bright future but appeared to run out of gas here having travelled like the winner for a long way.
It was certainly encouraging to see so many exciting young horses fight out the finish to this prestigious event, but they’ll all have to go some to get close to matching the achievements of one of the sport’s all time great performers, who may well have run his last race after finishing a very creditable fifth here.
Baracouda is nothing short of a Festival legend and, incredibly, this was only the second time in 27 starts over hurdles that he has finished out of the first two (the first was on his debut in 2000). In that time, he has won over £750,000 in win and place prize money, and won this race, and been second in it, twice.
His jumping was as immaculate as usual and as in previous years he was still cruising on the bridle coming down the hill. However, he seems to have lost the finishing kick that has killed off so many opponents in the past and was unable to match the winner’s turn of foot up the home straight. Retirement beckons, but he has done the sport and his connections proud and it looks like he has handed the baton on to an exciting new bunch of stayers.
Of the rest, Emotional Moment seemed to find conditions much too quick for his liking, whilst Patriarch Express seemed to fail to stay the trip on this stiff course.