The Betfair Hurdle (Saturday 9 February) is a grade three hurdle run at Newbury over 2 miles and 69 yards, during which runners having to negotiate eight hurdles.
The race was first run in 1963 and has been won by notable types such as Deep Sensation, Make A Stand, Zarkandar, and My Tent Or Yours.
A six-year-old whose price has consistently contracted since the ante-post markets opened, and he certainly fits many of the important statistics. He’s a 141-rated lightly-raced novice hurdler from the stable of Nigel Twiston-Davies, but the lack of a high-class top-weight this year does mean he’ll have to carry 11-4.
Paul Nicholls trained the 2012 winner Zarkander, who was a classy type rated 151, though he only had to carry 11-1 on the day. Getaway Trump isn’t as good as Zarkandar so far, but recent money for him suggests he’s better than his current mark. However, despite being a lightly-raced novice hurdler, he will have to carry 11-5.
His odds have halved in price since the ante-post market opened and it’s easy to see why. The five-year-old novice hurdler is improving all the time and he gets in here nicely on a mark of 132 and with just 10-5 on his back. Jockey Lizzie Kelly also takes off a further 3lb and she also won the 2016 renewal on a similar type called Agrapart.
Nicky Henderson’s seven-year-old isn’t a perfect stats-fit but she is potentially well-handicapped on some of her novice hurdle form from last season, including when fifth to Laurina at the Cheltenham Festival. It’s also interesting that she’s the only entry from a yard that has won the race five-times over the years. Rated just 133 and with 10-10 on her back, she’s expected to go close, with Henderson looking to have preserved her handicap mark for this race by not running her so far this season.
Getaway Trump has some of the best form in the book having run second to the potentially high-class Champ at Newbury last time, and the fourth that day may well have boosted the form if not falling at the last hurdle at Cheltenham next time out. Al Dancer is also respected as an unbeaten novice hurdler from the yard of Nigel Twiston-Davies yard. However, both are set to carry more weight than ideal.
That could leave the door open for one of the potentially well-handicapped pair of Monsieur Lecoq and Countister, especially as carrying a low-weight is often a big advantage on soft ground at Newbury. It’s a tough call between them, and the best-play could be to back both horses each-way.