Long Walk Hurdle: Strong Leader and The Wallpark out to take Crambo’s Ascot crown on Sky Sports Racing

Long Walk Hurdle: Strong Leader and The Wallpark out to take Crambo’s Ascot crown on Sky Sports Racing | Racing News

December 21, 2024:

The final Grade One before Christmas sees some of the top staying hurdlers clash in the Long Walk at Ascot on Saturday, with Hereford, Newcastle and Wolverhampton also all live on Sky Sports Racing.

2.25 Ascot – Strong Leader & The Wallpark headline Grade 1 field

Last year’s Howden Long Walk Hurdle (2.25) saw Crambo get the better of old favourite Paisley Park in a thrilling tussle, but Fergal O’Brien’s seven-year-old now looks to face an even tougher contest 12 months on.

Olly Murphy’s Strong Leader is very much seen as the new leader in this division after landing last season’s Liverpool Hurdle and returning with victory in the Long Distance Hurdle at Newbury last month.

The Wallpark, perhaps Ireland’s next staying star, has been on a remarkable run since July, winning four in a row including when defying a mark of 145 at Cheltenham in October. He steps up into graded company for the first-time but looks capable of better.

Crambo’s best hopes could lie with his record when fresh, but he was a long way behind Strong Leader at Aintree in April.

Third that day was Hiddenvalley Lake for Henry De Bromhead, while Kateira (Dan Skelton), Blueking d’Oroux (Paul Nicholls) and Shoot First (Charles Byrnes) certainly can’t be dismissed. Beauport, Botox Has and Eagle Fang complete the field.

3.00 Ascot – Classy chasers Trelawne & Victtorino clash

The three-mile Howden Silver Cup Handicap Chase (3.00) looks a competitive contest and features defending champion Victtorino.

Venetia Williams’ runner is just 1lb higher in the weights than last year and, having finished an excellent third in the Coral Gold Cup, will be fancied to follow up under Charlie Deutsch.

The Kim Bailey-trained Trelawne made a super seasonal reappearance when seeing off Iroko to land a Graduation Chase at Haydock and rates a huge danger on this switch to handicap company.

The Changing Man ran a cracking race in defeat when runner-up in the Rehearsal Chase at Newcastle on his last start and seeks a first chase success under Sam Twiston-Davies.

3.35 Ascot – Be Aware & Dysart Enos meet again

A fiercely competitive renewal of the valuable Ladbrokes Handicap Hurdle (3.35) features the second and third from the Greatwood at Cheltenham last month.

Dan Skelton’s Be Aware chased home Burdett Road when runner-up on that occassion and this lightly-raced five-year-old is the pick despite a 7lb hike in the weights.

Dysart Enos enjoyed a fabulous novice campaign, winning all three starts and ran with credit behind Be Aware at Cheltenham. Expected to improve for that experience, she must be taken seriously off this 4lb higher mark.

Others to note include Scottish Champion Hurdle victor Favour And Fortune and Paul Nicholls’ unbeaten four-year-old Kabral Du Mathan.

Watch every race from Ascot, Hereford, Newcastle and Wolverhampton all live on Sky Sports Racing on Saturday, December 21

Source link

tags

Abkhazia Afghanistan Africa Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad Chile China Colombia Comoros Costa Rica Croatia Cuba Curacao Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic East Timor Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Fiji Finland France French Polynesia Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Greece Grenada Guam Guatemala Guinea Guyana Haiti Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kosovo Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macau Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Mauritania Mauritius Mexico Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nepal Netherlands New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria North Korea North Macedonia Northern Cyprus Norway Oman Pakistan Palestine Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Republic of the Congo Romania Russia Rwanda Saint Lucia Samoa San Marino Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Korea South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Sweden Switzerland Syria Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Togo Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Uganda UK Ukraine United Arab Emirates Uruguay USA Uzbekistan Vatican City Venezuela Vietnam Western Sahara Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe