Hargam

Hargam put up a really nice performance to win the Triumph Hurdle Trial at Musselburgh on Sunday. JP McManus' horse was a 4/11 shot, he was fully expected to win the race, but he still enhanced his Triumph Hurdle claims with the performance that he put up.

He was just about flawless. He travelled really well through the race, his jumping was fluent and accurate with the exception of the first flight, he moved into the race effortlessly, he eased to the front at the second last flight and he won by six lengths, unextended, in a good time, just 0.18secs/furlong slower than Racing Post standard.

A winner over a mile and a half on the flat for Alain de Royer-Dupre, and a close-up fourth in a listed race over nine furlongs, this was the first time that he had encountered good ground over hurdles and, a son of Sinndar, it is no surprised that he was able to put up the best performance of his career on it. On his debut over hurdles, in a Grade 2 contest at Cheltenham's November meeting on soft ground, he went down by just three parts of a length to soft-ground horse Golden Doyen. On his second, back at Cheltenham in December, he battled on well to beat Karezak, after which he was also noted as a Horse To Follow. This was just his third run over hurdles and it was his best. He remains highly progressive.

It is probable that he will progress again between now and Cheltenham. He is obviously in good hands with trainer Nicky Henderson and, although Henderson also has Triumph Hurdle favourite Peace And Co in his yard, you can be sure that Hargam will be trained to the minute for the Triumph. He is proven at Cheltenham and he should get the good ground that obviously suits him well for the Triumph. He is a big player in the race now.

1st February 2015

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