Every Sunday up until the Cheltenham Festival we'll be asking you to get involved in one of the key questions facing Prestbury Park punters. First up - Epatante. Get involved!
Is Epatante the Champion Hurdle bet? Send your thoughts in via twitter @SportingLife, Facebook or on email to racingfeedback@sportinglife.com.
The reigning Champion
On March 10 2020 Epatante became the fifth mare to win the Unibet Champion Hurdle. She didn’t take on a previous winner of the race following the unfortunate passing of 2019 victor Espoir D’Allen and the injury to stablemate and dual winner Buveur D’Air, but she did ensure a fourth successive win in the race for owner JP McManus whose green and gold silks were carried to glory by those two horses, as well.
It couldn’t be said she hurdled every flight without fault, but she was quick and low like so many of Nicky Henderson’s Champion Hurdlers – she was the fifth individual winner of the race for the Seven Barrows trainer and he was winning the trophy for the eighth time in total. “She was always travelling quite well,” Henderson said afterwards. “I was always pleased with where she was. She has the gears.”
The form
It looked an up-to-scratch renewal at the time and the way the form has worked out backs up the initial impression. It was run in a quicker time than the Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle won by Shishkin – although he was hampered and carried 4lb more – with the field well spread out as over 55 lengths separated the first home and the last.
Epatante did her own bit to boost the form by winning the Fighting Fifth at Newcastle in November, although Silver Streak, a 12-length sixth in the Champion Hurdle, was carried out at the second flight. Evan Williams’ grey went on to finish a nose second to Song For Someone in an International Hurdle at Cheltenham that was missing three obstacles due to the winter sun, before switching to front-running tactics in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton where he beat Epatante by over six lengths.
While Epatante and Silver Streak have boosted last year’s Champion Hurdle form, the runner-up Sharjah also helped to give it a really solid look when he won the Grade 1 Matheson Hurdle at Leopardstown over Christmas for the third time. He travelled as well as Epatante at Cheltenham and could well be the pick of the Irish challenge this time around – at least, of those that can’t run in the mares’ race, anyway.
The doubt
If Epatante was an up-to-standard winner of a good Champion Hurdle, how important a factor was her defeat to Silver Streak at Kempton?
Having beaten the same horse in the same race the year before and at Cheltenham (comfortably), it’s natural to come to the conclusion she wasn’t at her best at Christmas. With that in mind, if she does bounce back to her best at Cheltenham – and, given she’s trained by Nicky Henderson, she probably will – then the form could well be turned on its head once again.
But her Kempton defeat highlighted her vulnerabilities. She flattened the third last which didn’t help, while different tactics helped an old rival get the better of her for the first time and that will alert other old adversaries, particularly the Sharjah camp.
The odds (Sky Bet – correct at 1000 GMT 10/01/2021)
- Epatante – 2/1
- Sharjah – 6/1
- Aspire Tower – 9/1
- Silver Streak – 10/1
- Saint Roi – 12/1
- Honeysuckle – 14/1
- Abacadabras – 14/1
- Song For Someone – 16/1
- 20/1 BAR
The Sporting Life verdict - Ben Linfoot
Is Epatante the bet? That’s a good question as I’d say she is still the one to beat and I’d say she still deserves to be favourite, as well, but is she the bet? That’s a different question and, on balance, I’ll be taking her on.
I’m very much presuming the Irish horses will be involved at this stage and if they are then the challenge looks to be a strong one. We have further evidence of Sharjah’s strong credentials now and I’d love to see Honeysuckle in this race, while I wouldn’t give up on the younger pretenders like Saint Roi and Abacadabras yet, either.
As for the Brits, it will be interesting to see if Silver Streak takes up a front-running role back at Cheltenham, while his International Hurdle conqueror, Song For Someone, though not a certain runner, looks sure to be a big player if he does turn up.
Then there’s the return of Buveur D’Air to look forward to. He’s 10 now – and there hasn’t been a double-digit aged winner of the Champion Hurdle since Sea Pigeon in 1981 – but he’s obviously lightly-raced in recent years and would clearly be a threat to all if anywhere near the best of his old form.
It looks a potentially stronger Champion Hurdle to me. And while she remains the one they all have to beat, those odds of 2/1 and 9/4 look short enough nine weeks out considering the likely opposition and her own vulnerabilities.
Is Epatante the Champion Hurdle bet? Send your thoughts in via twitter @SportingLife, Facebook or on email to racingfeedback@sportinglife.com and the best will appear here
Your Verdicts...
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Paul Stephenson: "She’s a mare, and it’s not uncommon for mares to throw in the odd bad race. She did it last year too, at Cheltenham. She’s still the one to beat, but have an each way saver on Silver Streak just in case."
Simon Cliff: "Sharjah, if ridden nearer the pace this year, could be the one to topple Epatante, who in Barry Geraghty's comments post-race after winning last year's Champion Hurdle, was the third string if Espoir d'Allen and Buveur d'Air had been available to run."
Grant Lucock: "Silver Streak is interesting and good value at 10/1, if adopting front running tactics again. Epatante was never travelling at Kempton, but Silver Streak was superb. He’s been a hold up horse for the whole of his career and is totally unexposed as a front runner."
Mark Craven: "Epatante is still a massive player, I still like Saldier who beat Sharjah at level weights in 2019. Aspire Tower, Goshen and Silver Streak cannot be written off."
Alex Dunigan: "I agree with the overall assessment that Epatante should be taken on. I think Sharjah seems to have improved, even at 8, and won't get such an exaggerated hold-up ride this time. Silver Streak will have to front-run (could he be the new Rooster Booster?) and decent pace see much-improved form from both Saint Roi and Abracadabras. Don't forget the latter almost beat the 'wonder horse' Shiskin last year. At current odds of 5/2 I will lay her all day."
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