Ante-Post Tip – Swinton Hurdle 07-05-16
Trainer Philip Hobbs could be three-handed in Saturday’s valuable Swinton Hurdle at Haydock. The field includes last year’s impressive winner War Sound who will be racing off an 8lb higher mark on this occasion and needs to put a moderate run in Newbury’s Betfair Hurdle back in February behind him if the son of Kayf Tara is to follow up at the Lancashire venue.
Hobbs’ ten-year-old Cheltenian has proved a great servant over the years but the 2011 Champion Bumper winner appears in the grip of the handicapper at present and likely to find one or two unexposed rivals too good, especially stablemate Wait For Me who is taken to come out on top off what looks a reasonable mark of 139.
Like Cheltenian, Wait For Me had top class Bumper form, finishing third behind Moon Racer and Modus at the 2014 Festival before finding subsequent top novice hurdler Buveur D'Air too good at Newbury. After winning a couple of weak novice hurdles during the winter the six-year-old was thrown in at the deep end, handicap wise, by taking his chance in the ultra-competitive County Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.
The mount of Richard Johnson stayed on strongly up the home straight to finish fourth and with that experience under his belt the Saint Des Saints gelding looks a horse to follow in the months ahead and could easily be competing at Graded level before the end of the year.
Scottish Champion Hurdle winner Ch'Tibello and the lightly-raced Beltor can give the selection most to do.