2m½f (2m87y) (Old) Hallgarten And Novum Wines Juvenile Handicap Hurdle (Registered As Fred Winter) (Premier Hcap) (GBB) (Class 1) (4yo)
Perilous as ever, this is not a race to get carried away with. I fancy HOT FUSS to be best handicapped and capable of improving way beyond a mark of 122 if he can tidy up his jumping. He’s rated 93 on the flat, and a good rule of thumb is add 45 to give an idea of where their ceiling might be over hurdles, which gives him scope to improve around 16lb in this discipline. That would be a very loose case to make, but his form from earlier in the season with Triumph Hurdle favourite East India Dock (146) reads incredibly well – and he genuinely would have been a coin flip to beat him if he hadn’t made jumping errors over the last two flights. I’d say it’s all down to his jumping, as the horse is definitely well handicapped and the return to good ground is going to really suit him.
1pt win Hot Fuss @10/1, 16:40 Cheltenham Festival, Tuesday
Leave a comment