Tiger Jet

Tiger Jet did really well to win the Challenger Stayers’ Hurdle Series Final at Haydock on Saturday, given how keen he was through his race. Steadied at the back of the field and along the inside early on by Henry Brooke, he was keen down the back straight first time, and he pulled his way up into fifth place by the time they left the back straight. Still keen up the home straight with a circuit to run, he travelled well down the back straight final time along the inside. He was crowded out of it a little on the inside at the final flight in the back straight, and he was shuffled back to about eighth place as they started around the home turn. He picked up well in the home straight though, jumped into fifth place over the third last flight, joined the leaders at the second last, and jumped the last a length in front before staying on well up the run-in to beat The Changing Man by three lengths, with another three lengths back to the third.

Plenty went wrong for Brian Ellison’s horse through the race, he was keen and he was shuffled back in the field at a key stage, and his jumping wasn’t overly fluent on occasion, so it was to his credit that he was able to win with such authority from a progressive and well-supported rival, with the pair of them nicely clear. It was his first run back after a short break, and he seemed to appreciate the step back up to an extended three miles and the return to better ground. The handicapper has raised him by 7lb for this to a mark of 118, but that mark should be well within range on this evidence. He is not obviously unexposed, he has raced 11 times over hurdles, but he has plenty of scope for progression as a staying hurdler, especially on goodish ground. This was just his fourth race over a distance in excess of two miles and six and a half furlongs, and he has won two of them, both on good to soft ground. All his best runs are on flat, left-handed tracks, but he will be of interest now in another three-mile handicap hurdle on goodish ground. The Pertemps Network Long Distance Handicap Hurdle at Haydock on Swinton Hurdle day next month looks like an ideal target now.
Haydock, 8^th April 2023