UPDATED 9:46PM, APR 7 2021
Betway Aintree Hurdle (Grade 1) | 2m4f | 4yo+ | ITV/RTV
The winners of all seven Grade 1 hurdles at last month’s Cheltenham Festival were trained in Ireland and it is therefore no surprise that two of the top three in this market are based in the Emerald Isle.
Abacadabras could not hold a candle to Honeysuckle when second in the Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown in February but it has since turned out that there are not many who can after the mare proved herself outstanding with victory at Cheltenham.
Abacadabras fell at the third flight in the Champion Hurdle and that is a concern. Backing last-time-out fallers in Grade 1 hurdles since the start of 2016 would have yielded a loss of £11.60 to £1 level stakes and only five have won from a total of 43 runners (12 per cent).