The Betfair Hurdle is one of the most valuable handicap races on the British jump racing calendar. Added to this, it’s one of the most prestigious handicaps outside of the Cheltenham Festival. With this in mind, it’s definitely worth winning and a race to target. Irish trainer Lorna Fowler is doing just that with 16-1 shot Colonel Mustard. Scheduled to take place on February 11th, the horse’s trainer is confident of a big run in what will be his main target for the season. Check out our free tips page for daily content across British and Irish racing.
Colonel Mustard (16-1, bet365) is a talented horse who has butted heads with some strong opponents in two starts over fences this term. As a novice hurdler, he finished second to Jonbon at Ascot and third to Sir Gerhard and Three Stripe Life at Leopardstown. He then followed that up with an excellent third in the County Hurdle at Cheltenham, behind a very well-handicapped State Man.
Lorna Fowler said: ‘I think he has improved this year, we know he travels well and he has a huge amount of experience on his side. There are a lot of good horses in there with a big chance, but I think we should take ours.’ She makes a very fair point and if he has improved and the return to hurdles suits, he surely won’t be far away.
There’s no major Cheltenham Festival target for this horse, who may or may not go there afterwards but this race is the be all and end all according to his trainer, who added: ‘The Betfair is a prime target. That’s not on the way to anything, it’s all about that.’
We’re used to Irish raiders winning our best races but this race has been one for the home team. The last 10 winners of the race have been trained in Britain. It would be no surprise if this horse was to break the mould and his trainer is confident that he can put in a huge performance.
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