Christmas Hurdle 2012

2.35 Kempton

williamhill.com Christmas Hurdle (Grade 1) (Class 1)  (4YO plus)

Winner £48,408

Advice: 4 pts win Countrywide Flame (15/8 general)

Cinders And Ashes: Ended last year as the top novice hurdler after beating subsequently impressive Grade 2 winner Darlan in Supreme Novices Hurdle, having previously completed impressive hat-trick on ground ranging from soft to heavy; That made him strong favourite for Fighting Fifth Hurdle but had no answer to charge of Countrywide Flame late on; Can improve for that and ground should be fine but has a 12 length deficit to overcome.

Countrywide Flame: Made use of brutal test of stamina to win Triumph Hurdle going away after several had raced too close to strong pace/ran freely (including promising Dodging Bullets) (form reverse at Aintree but ran with credit if anything) Run well on flat since (third in Cesarawitch) but level above when romping home with 4 runner Fighting Fifth; Won that by 12 lengths and if in same form, must take the beating.

Darlan: Unbeaten in four before his eye-catching effort when taking heavy fall at Newbury in Totesport Trophy (mark of 148; Hadn’t been asked yet, looked full of running) and proved himself top class when second in Supreme Novice Hurdle (behind Cinders and Ashes) and then when winning well at Aintree; Big worry is that he’s not run since because of connections’ desire for better ground and fact that form has him behind Cinders And Ashes but

Dodging Bullets: Promising hurdling debut when second to Grumeti at Kempton and even better when travelling like one of the best in the race in the Triumph, but failing to get up the hill having pulled hard all the way round; Could never get into the race having been badly hampered at Aintree but that retained his novice status and took good vantage when taking condition’s hurdle here on comeback (at one time looked in trouble but drew away), better still even when winning Grade 2 (would have looked better if there was a stronger pace); Speaks lot for his reputation that he runs here instead of staying in novice company but would wanted much better ground.

Get Me Out Of Here: More consistent than ever last season (had tended to take time to find best form in a season since novice days) and impressive reappearance win over 2m at Kempton; Didn’t handle ground behind Oscar Whisky latest and others make more appeal.

Mad Moose: Picked up small place money in International Hurdle but overall quality much higher here.

Punjabi: As good as any in this field on best form, notably when 2009 Champion Hurdle winner (fell in this when cantering still in 2008) but off since April 2010 (Chasing since mooted); Been ready to run for a while but will need to be right at best to land this despite his ablity to handle heavy.

Raya Star: Unbelievable progress from third in Gerry Field Hurdle at Newbury last season, winning Ladbroke/Scottish Champion Hurdle and coming third in Betfair Hurdle; Seasonal comeback was as impressive as any of his performances but put in his place by Oscar Whisky on heavy ground latest and place chance most likely the best he can hope for.

VERDICT: A chance for another Champion Hurdle contender to reveal themselves after the International Hurdle involved arguably the three best hurdlers in the Country on ratings. With the ground as it is, if COUNTRYWIDE FLAME can produce the performance that saw him win the Fighting Fifth so impressively from Cinders And Ashes, then he holds an outstanding chance and he may well have been underrated beforehand in any case. Darlan and Dodging Bullets are horses of immense potential but this ground is a major question mark for both of them.