There are some similarities between the Point-to-Point track at Barbury Racecourse and the home of National Hunt horse racing, Cheltenham. Both venues are left-handed and undulating, thus putting a real emphasis on stamina.
In the equine hubs that surround nearby Marlborough and Lambourn, racehorses are trained both for running between the flags and under Rules. The powerful stables of Alan King and Nicky Henderson sit side by side with les sestablished but no less talented handlers such as Emma Lavelle and Harry Whittington.
Get a horse with ability into these yards, and they will get the best out of them. Lavelle, who trains just four miles down the road from Barbury, has her stable star Paisley Park back to his very best after regaining the Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot before Christmas in thrilling fashion.
A third career Grade 1 success for this horse saw him reclaim favouritism for the Stayers’ Hurdle at the 2021 Cheltenham Festival, capping what has been a difficult 12 months. Paisley Park, who first landed the Long Walk in 2018, was pulled out of a defence of his crown last year owing to the desperately heavy going.
While a second success in the Cleeve Hurdle at Cheltenham proved no problem for him, he ran well below par at the Festival. Paisley Park was then found to have a heart problem, but returned to the track in the autumn with an encouraging display in defeat at Newbury in the Long Distance Hurdle.
He was then able to reverse that form when meeting Thyme Hill off better terms in the Long Walk. Paisley Park’s abundant stamina kicked in as others tired up the Ascot hill, and he just overhauled his Newbury conqueror by a neck. He'll reappear, all being well, in the Cleeve Hurdle at Cheltenham later this month for his final Festival prep.
While some racehorses relish tough conditions, for others it blunts their speed. Just ask Wantage-based trainer Whittington after stable representative Rouge Vif could only manage third in the Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown.
He excelled on better ground carrying a big weight in a Cheltenham handicap at The Showcase in October. That performance saw Rouge Vif tipped up among Ladies Day predictions for the Festival as a lively outsider for the two-mile Queen Mother Champion Chase.
Grade 1 success continues to elude this talented horse, but he has placed three times at the highest level. The Champion Chase won’t be any easier than the Tingle Creek for Rouge Vif, not least because Henderson’s Seven Barrows superstar veteran Altior has his campaign geared around regaining his crown.
Besides such a clear threat threat close to home at Lambourn, Irish raiders like Notebook, Put The Kettle On – unbeaten in three visits to Cheltenham – and Chacun Pour Soi join Paul Nicholls duo Politologue and Greaneteen in a strong renewal of the two mile division. Paisley Park may have the same problem in the Stayers’ Hurdle despite his prominent place in the betting.
Yards in the Emerald Isle have plenty of talent aiming at the three-mile contest on St Patrick’s Thursday. Gordon Elliott has a particularly strong-looking staying hurdles hand courtesy of Sire Du Berlais and Fury Road, but trainers local to Barbury won’t let the Irish run roughshod over them come the Cheltenham Festival without a fight.
There are some similarities between the Point-to-Point track at Barbury Racecourse and the home of National Hunt horse racing, Cheltenham. Both venues are left-handed and undulating, thus putting a real emphasis on stamina.
In the equine hubs that surround nearby Marlborough and Lambourn, racehorses are trained both for running between the flags and under Rules. The powerful stables of Alan King and Nicky Henderson sit side by side with les sestablished but no less talented handlers such as Emma Lavelle and Harry Whittington.
Get a horse with ability into these yards, and they will get the best out of them. Lavelle, who trains just four miles down the road from Barbury, has her stable star Paisley Park back to his very best after regaining the Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot before Christmas in thrilling fashion.
A third career Grade 1 success for this horse saw him reclaim favouritism for the Stayers’ Hurdle at the 2021 Cheltenham Festival, capping what has been a difficult 12 months. Paisley Park, who first landed the Long Walk in 2018, was pulled out of a defence of his crown last year owing to the desperately heavy going.
While a second success in the Cleeve Hurdle at Cheltenham proved no problem for him, he ran well below par at the Festival. Paisley Park was then found to have a heart problem, but returned to the track in the autumn with an encouraging display in defeat at Newbury in the Long Distance Hurdle.
He was then able to reverse that form when meeting Thyme Hill off better terms in the Long Walk. Paisley Park’s abundant stamina kicked in as others tired up the Ascot hill, and he just overhauled his Newbury conqueror by a neck. He'll reappear, all being well, in the Cleeve Hurdle at Cheltenham later this month for his final Festival prep.
While some racehorses relish tough conditions, for others it blunts their speed. Just ask Wantage-based trainer Whittington after stable representative Rouge Vif could only manage third in the Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown.
He excelled on better ground carrying a big weight in a Cheltenham handicap at The Showcase in October. That performance saw Rouge Vif tipped up among Ladies Day predictions for the Festival as a lively outsider for the two-mile Queen Mother Champion Chase.
Grade 1 success continues to elude this talented horse, but he has placed three times at the highest level. The Champion Chase won’t be any easier than the Tingle Creek for Rouge Vif, not least because Henderson’s Seven Barrows superstar veteran Altior has his campaign geared around regaining his crown.
Besides such a clear threat threat close to home at Lambourn, Irish raiders like Notebook, Put The Kettle On – unbeaten in three visits to Cheltenham – and Chacun Pour Soi join Paul Nicholls duo Politologue and Greaneteen in a strong renewal of the two mile division. Paisley Park may have the same problem in the Stayers’ Hurdle despite his prominent place in the betting.
Yards in the Emerald Isle have plenty of talent aiming at the three-mile contest on St Patrick’s Thursday. Gordon Elliott has a particularly strong-looking staying hurdles hand courtesy of Sire Du Berlais and Fury Road, but trainers local to Barbury won’t let the Irish run roughshod over them come the Cheltenham Festival without a fight.
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