Christmas Hurdle tips: Yanworth a Boxing Day cracker at Kempton
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Festive horse racing is here, so Coral experts give their Christmas Hurdle tips from Kempton with Yanworth bets favoured over the New One odds this Boxing Day.
Yanworth bets rule Christmas Hurdle tips for King at Kempton
Yanworth impressed when winning on seasonal reappearance and can further enhance his Champion Hurdle claims with success in Boxing Day’s Grade 1 Christmas Hurdle at Kempton (14:40).
The Alan King trained gelding had some top form to his name in bumpers, including when fourth to Moon Racer at the Cheltenham Festival, and won his first four starts over the obstacles last season in facile fashion.
In the last of those on Festival Trials day at Cheltenham, Yanworth took the step up into Grade 2 company in his stride when strolling to a seven-length success over the highly-regarded Shantou Village.
After being held-up in the early stages by jockey Barry Geraghty, Yanworth scythed through the field like a knife through butter without being asked any sort of question.
Awesome display followed by cracking effort in Neptune
It was then just a case of what the six-year-old would find when Geraghty pushed the button, and the answer was plenty as he quickened clear instantly when asked on the run-in to win with consummate ease.
It was an awesome display, and Yanworth went on to round off the campaign with a fine 1 3/4 length second to Yorkhill in the Grade 1 Neptune Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival. He was forced wide to challenge and made a couple of costly errors, but still retained huge promise.
Judged on that effort, Yanworth looks an exciting prospect for this season and that view was confirmed when he won the 2m 3f Grade 2 Coral Hurdle at Ascot last month.
Pleasing return in Coral Hurdle
He looked a little ring rusty, but jumped well in the main despite going left at some of the obstacles. After travelling powerfully throughout, Yanworth stayed on strongly following the last to assert close home and win going away by 3/4 of a length from Lil Rockerfeller.
Yanworth scored with more in hand than the winning margin suggests, and is sure to come on a bundle for that outing.
The JP McManus owned son of Norse Dancer is also a strongly traveller blessed with plenty of speed, so the drop back to 2m should hold no fears.
He is currently with 8/1 third-favourite with Coral in the ante post betting for the 2017 Champion Hurdle. Punters can back Yanworth bets with full expectation he should take this en route to a crack at the feature contest on the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival on Tuesday, March 14th.
The New One odds say he’ll go well
The New One has finished runner-up in the Christmas Hurdle twice, behind My Tent Or Yours in 2013 and when beaten seven lengths by Faugheen 12 months ago, so looks sure to make a bold bid to make it third time lucky.
Trained by Nigel Twiston-Davies, the gelding showed he was showed he was no back number when running on strongly to beat My Tent Or Yours by 3 1/2 lengths in the Grade 2 International Hurdle at Cheltenham earlier in the month
This eight-year-old doesn’t get the respect that he deserves for a horse that’s won 14 of his 22 races over the obstacles. He looked a desperately unlucky loser when third in the 2014 running of the Champion Hurdle when getting badly hampered at a crucial stage.
The New One is also a three-time course an distance victor, and his odds may also appeal because he hails from a yard that continues to churn out the winners.
Related
Coral’s top tip: Yanworth rates a solid bet to get the better of The New One to confirm himself a leading contender for the 2017 Champion Hurdle.
