Ratings Update: Faugheen has nothing to fear from the new Guard

The International Hurdle may have been one of four races at Cheltenham on Saturday which attracted fewer than eight runners, but it was still a contest high in intrigue, largely due to the return of Triumph Hurdle winner Peace And Co. Peace And Co had taken a keen hold in all four starts as a juvenile, but he had managed to display a high-class level of form nevertheless, earning a Timeform rating of 161P. For context, no hurdler with a ‘large P’ still attached to their figure had ever earned such a high annual rating.

The previously-unbeaten Peace And Co spectacularly failed to live up to his star billing, however, as he refused to settle for much of the race and trailed home last of the six runners.

The International Hurdle had look a straightforward task for Peace And Co, and such an abject performance leaves him with serious questions to answer. With doubts about his tractability, in addition to a potential physical problem (reportedly made a noise), the ‘large P’ has been removed from Peace And Co’s rating and replaced with a +.

Even with Peace And Co (161+) disappointing so badly, viewers were still treated to a thrilling finish as the likeable and steadily-progressive Old Guard (155) got the better of Sempre Medici (153) and Hargam (153) in a three-way battle from the last. Old Guard had finished only ninth in last season’s Triumph Hurdle, beaten in excess of 20 lengths by Peace And Co, but he is clearly a different proposition this term and completed a hat-trick of wins at Cheltenham, taking the step up in class from handicap company in his stride.

It is worth noting, however, that the race-fit Old Guard was hard pressed to hold off the returning Sempre Medici who, on Timeform ratings, is only the fifth-string when it comes to Willie Mullins’ Champion Hurdle contenders. Old Guard will need to take another considerable step forward if he is to be competitive in a Champion Hurdle, still 15 lb shy of the level Faugheen has achieved.

Peace And Co had burst onto the scene with a stunning, wide-margin win in the Summit Juvenile Hurdle at Doncaster last year, and it’s not inconceivable that the race will throw up another serious Triumph Hurdle contender as Who Dares Wins annihilated his opponents, seemingly relishing the test of stamina as he stayed on to win by 20 lengths having been just seven ahead at the final flight. Given the testing conditions and his rivals’ relative inexperience, a cautious approach has been taken in rating Who Dares Wins 139p, but he has clearly taken well to hurdling and is a juvenile of some potential. For comparison, he is rated just 1 lb lower than Rashaan (140p), the leading Irish-trained juvenile at present.

Who Dares Wins wasn’t the only Alan King-trained juvenile to impress on Saturday, however, as Sceau Royal achieved a rating of 136 in readily accounting for the well-regarded Adrien du Pont in the opener at Cheltenham. His nimble jumping technique and willing attitude should ensure that he continues to give a good account.

Sego Success (147) made it a hat-trick for Alan King on Saturday, putting up a career-best effort when making all in the three-mile handicap chase at Doncaster. Sego Success seemed to benefit from a combination of forcing tactics and the application of cheekpieces, jumping better than is often the case, and he found plenty to repel all challengers. He looks the type who will benefit from an extreme test of stamina, so it’s no surprise that his price has been cut for the Welsh National.

In the feature handicap at Cheltenham, the Caspian Caviar Gold Cup, Richard Johnson was seen to great effect aboard Village Vic, dominating throughout and conjuring some fine leaps from his willing partner. Village Vic has been rated 143 – 7 lb higher than his previous best – and is sure to remain competitive in valuable handicaps, though his unexposed stable companion Champagne West (152p) could be the one to take from the race as he did well to shrug off a serious error a circuit from home on his way to finishing second.

Also at Cheltenham, 2014 World Hurdle winner More of That (154p) bolstered the good impression he had created on his chasing debut when again scoring with the minimum of fuss. More of That was presented with a straightforward task, up against two inferior rivals, but he got the job done in a solid and professional manner, and is clearly going to be a leading player in any novice chase he contests, his top-class hurdling form marking him down as the one to beat.

Other novice chasers worth noting include Blaklion (146p), who showed a good turn of foot for a stayer to readily brush aside some promising opponents, and the front-running Ttebbob (149p), who clocked a good time when decimating his two rivals at Navan. Ttebbob now looks likely to contest the Grade 1 novice chase at Leopardstown on Boxing Day and is on course to clash with Douvan (150P) and Sizing John (151p) in a race that will go some way to sorting out the pecking order amongst the Arkle candidates.

Cheltenham Festival clues in the novice hurdle division were also on offer as Bellshill (145P) surged to the head of the Neptune Novices’ Hurdle market with an authoritative win in the Grade 2 Navan Novice Hurdle. A winner of the Punchestown Champion Bumper last season, Bellshill has clearly taken well to hurdling and impressed with how readily he put the race to bed at Navan, sealing things quickly with a good turn of foot. Bellshill is currently rated behind stable companions Long Dog (149p) and Bachasson (147p), the pair who fought out the finish to the Grade 1 Royal Bond, but clearly has the potential to rate higher come the end of the season. He is now a best price of 8/1 for the Neptune. There was also significant movement in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle market as the highly-touted Min (133P) ran out an effortless winner on his first start for Willie Mullins, looking an exciting prospect as he readily justified short-priced favouritism. A general price of 5/1 for the Supreme doesn't often much in the way of ante-post value, but Min is clearly a horse to be positive about and is likely to try emulating the same connections' Vautour and Douvan who took in the Moscow Flyer Novice Hurdle at Punchestown in January ahead of landing the Supreme.

Prior to last season’s big success at Punchestown, Bellshill had been beaten by Barters Hill at Aintree, and Ben Pauling’s stable star received another form boost when North Hill Harvey, a horse he had readily despatched on his hurdling bow at Huntingdon, won a well-contested novices’ hurdle at Cheltenham. North Hill Harvey (134p) had clearly benefited from the initial experience, and looked well suited by the drop back in trip placing a greater emphasis on speed, but it’s difficult to forget how easily he had been brushed aside by Barters Hill (135P).

The Grade 1 Challow Novices’ Hurdle at Newbury on December 29 has been nominated as Barters Hill’s next target, and that race forms part of what is a high-class and action-packed period in the National Hunt calendar.

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