Our Champ

Our Champ put up another big performance in finishing third in the Gerry Feilden Hurdle at Newbury on Saturday. The early pace was strong from flagfall, and Our Champ was right up with it from early. The first three broke clear of the main group of runners from early in the back straight, they had a four or five-length gap on the rest of the field jumping the final flight in the back straight. But, while two of the three horses who raced in the breakaway group faded to finish ninth and 13th of the 13 runners respectively, Our Champ jumped into the lead at the third last flight, and travelled well in front to the second last. He came under a ride between the final two flights and, ultimately, he couldn't see off Navajo Indy or Queen's Gamble, who had both been ridden patiently. But he did well to keep on as well as he did to finish third behind them.

Seventh in last year's Betfair Hurdle on unsuitably heavy ground, Chris Gordon's horse put up a career-best performance on his last run before Saturday when he got home by a nose from the progressive Break My Heart in a handicap hurdle at Ascot. Raised by 5lb by the handicapper for that win, he proved here that he was up to a mark in the mid-130s, and a 1lb hike for Saturday's run was fine. He will be of interest now in another good two-mile handicap hurdle. He is at his best coming off a strong pace, so these big-field handicaps suit him well. He holds an entry in the Ladbrokes Hurdle back at Ascot at their Long Walk Hurdle meeting just before Christmas and, proven at the track, he will be of interest in that, as long as the ground doesn't come up bottomless, as it sometimes can at that meeting, although, encouragingly, the last two renewals have been run on good and good to soft ground.

Newbury, 30^th November 2024