2m½f (Old) JCB Triumph Trial Juvenile Hurdle (Registered As The Prestbury Juvenile Hurdle) (Grade 2) (Class 1) (3yo)
This may not be the deepest Grade 2 Juvenile Hurdle you will ever find, but it’s an intriguing contest all the same. The current favourite, Blueking D’Oroux, a French import for Paul Nicholls, for whom you should always respect when running juveniles of this profile. But he looks very short on his first start in the UK having only raced on extremely soft going in France and with plenty of headgear typically worn, which has been removed for his first run. He may turn out to be a good thing, but there are enough reasons to take him on.
SCRIPTWRITER looks like he could be a classy recruit to hurdles having earned a mark of 102 on the flat for master trainer, Aiden O’Brien, with four runs for the Coolmore team. Scriptwriter posted some fine efforts on the flat including a fifth place to 2000 Guineas winner Coroebus in a Group 3 and his first start over hurdles was quite taking at Sedgefield, winning with a lot in hand despite running green. He should have taken plenty of experience from that run.
Scriptwriter’s jockey/trainer combination of Paddy Brennan and Milton Harris won this race with a fine horse in Knight Salute last year and they could have another decent operator in the line-up here.
Of the others, Mr Freedom made some appeal and has a lot of hurdling experience, but I’m not sure he’s quite good enough to win at this level. Whilst Perseus Way could also be in the mix, but only ran up to a mark of 82 on the flat and has to defy the fact that this will be his first run over hurdles.
1pt win Scriptwriter @7/2, 12:35 Cheltenham, Saturday
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