It Would Appear Rooster Boosters Best Days are Behind Him, but Last Seasons Crop of 2 Mile Hurdlers is the Poorest in Living Memory. It Seems Time for a New Breed to Come to the Fore. One of Last Seasons Top Novice  Inglis Drever  was Earmarked for the Champion Hurdle last year, but Connections Decided on the Novice Event. He was very Unlucky at Both Cheltenham and Aintree Last Year and He can only Improve at 25/1 he is a Cracking Value Bet for the 2005 Champion Hurdle

The Stayers or "World Hurdle" as it is now known has been a Two Horse Race for the Past 2 Years. But  Barracuda is Entering the Veteran Stage and Iris's Gift is Set to Go Chasing a New Name Could Appear on the Roll of Honour. Rhinestone Cowboy was Earmarked for the Champion Hurdle, but He Seemed to Lack the Pace to Win a Top Class Event over Two Miles, but When He was Upped in Trip Last Year He Ran a Cracking Race in the Coral Cup Finishing Third Giving Lumps of Weight Away, Before Going on to Beat the Ex-Champion Hurdler Rooster Booster at Aintree and the Beating the Stayers Hurdle Winner Iris's Gift at Punchestown. He Could Clear Up in Staying Events This Term.

It was a Two Horse Market Last year and I cannot See Anything Getting Near  Aizertiuop  or Moscow Flyer. My Preference is the Former Who Badly Needed the Run When Hacking Up on His Seasonal Debut. The Veteran Moscow Flyer May Be Upped in Trip This Year so Aizertiuop Should Have an easy task re-claiming the Two Mile Chasing Crown.

The Last Three Gold Cups Have been Won by the Great Best Mate, but Last Year was Possibly the Weakest of his Three Victories. Strong Flow is an Exciting Horse but He has had a Serious Injury Which may has Ended his Career, Beef or Salmon Picks up Plenty of Decent Irish Staying Chases, but Seems to Struggle When he Crosses the Irish Sea He has Probably had his Chances. I Tipped Kingscliff at this time last year, but he is another who has suffered with injuries. A Forgotten Horse is Therealbandit he looked top class when winning two Decent Novice Chasing, but His Lack of Jumping Experience was all to Evident When he contested last years Gold Cup after Just Two Completed Chases. He Could Pick Up the Hennessy along with several Decent Handicap Chases. His Gold Cup Odds are  25/1 There are Worse Value Bets Around.

Best Mates Brother Cornish Rebel has always seemed to struggle over hurdles despite being not that far off the best Novices. We Should See a Different Horse Over Fences. He Will Pick up Decent Prizes.  Olly Magern lowered the Coloured of Comply and Die last Time and He Should Run Big Races in Paddy Power and Hennessy. He Jumps Very Well and is a Novice to Follow. Classified Was a Decent Staying Hurdler a Few Years Ago. He Has Had a Year off and If Retaining His Form Should Make a Great Staying Chasers in Time. Fundamentalist Only Beaten Once Over Hurdles and Went on to Win the Staying Novice Event. He Will Be a Potent force this Season. These Four Along With Iris's Gift Should Make a Cracking Season for Staying Novice Chasers. Lets Hope they All Line Up for the Sun Alliance in March. As a Couple of Dark Un's Keep an Eye  on Very Optimistic and Darkness.

Richard Lloyd 18.11.2004