Long Walk Hurdle Trends 2016

A Grade 1 Hurdle contested at the prestigious Ascot Racecourse, the Long Walk Hurdle is open to horses 4 years old or older and has previously been won by horses such as Reve De Sivola, Big Bucks, Baracouda and most recently Thistlecrack. The race will most likely show us a few horses who are on the Road to the Cheltenham Festival and will head to Prestbury Park in March for the World Hurdle. Click to read our Long Walk Hurdle tips & preview for what is an exciting renewal of the race and as always follow us on Twitter for the latest news and opinions leading up to the weekend’s racing.

• FAVOURITES DO WELL – 6 out of the last 10 winners of the race were sent off as favourite
• ALREADY RETURNED – The last 10 winners had run at least once in the 50 days leading up to the race
• CLASS DOES PREVAIL – 8 out of the last 10 winners had all won a Grade 1 or Grade 2 Hurdle
• FRENCH BREDS DO BEST – 9 out of the previous 10 winners were French Bred
• AGE DOESN’T MATTER MUCH – Since 2000 horses aged from 5 to 10 have all won the race
• NEWBURY FORM MATTERS – 4 out of the last 10 winners had previously won the Long Distance Hurdle at Newbury last time out
• MULTIPLE WINNERS – The last 7 years have only yielded three winners, with Reve De Sivola and Big Buck’s winning 3 renewals each which swings the stats towards their profiles

In a race full of class, its still very hard to get away from Unowhatimeanharry, who is a previous Grade 1 winner and ran a brilliant race to dismiss the Long Distance Hurdle field at Newbury with the minimum of fuss. He would be the pick with all the stats and trends taken into account.

OVERVIEW

In a race that will have a mammoth bearing on the World Hurdle market, it is no surprise that past winners have more often than not been Grade 1 or 2 winners, with that potentially dampening the chances of Un Temps Pour Tout, Kotkikova, Shelford, The Romford Pele, West Approach and Surtee Du Berlais.

If Unowhatimeanharry is to win the race, he’ll have to overcome the fact that no US Bred horses have ever won the contest, although only two have entered the race since its inception. He’s clearly a very classy sort shown by his multiple Graded victories and with 4 out the last 10 winners also winning the Long Distance hurdle last time out, that further boosts his claims.

Fitness is always crucial in a Grade 1 and the fact that all previous winners from the last 10 years had had a run under their belts is no surprise, with all of the field bar Kotkikova having had a pipe opener in various races in the lead up to this race. It is interesting to note that Henderson does think a lot her, but with no mares having captured the race since it became a Grade 1 in 1990, that may be a harder stat to overcome.

Three time previous winner Reve De Sivola would not be the first horse to recapture the race after previously winning it, with Baracouda winning the race in 2000 and 2001, to recapture his crown in 2003 and 2004. He’s sure to make it a test from the front, but no horse over the age of 10 has ever won the race and he’s unlikely to repeat of François Doumen’s prolific horse.

Our Channel 4 racing tips will be live on Friday evening at about 7pm but our Channel 4 racing previews are now available to read. Ascot Racecourse will host some top class action on Saturday and everyone is looking forward to getting stuck in.