Blast From The Past: Long Walk Hurdle

This year’s Long Walk Hurdle has an interesting French challenger in the form of one of France’s top hurdlers Alex de Larredya who will be making his British debut. Sixteen years ago, another French hurdler crossed the Channel for the first time for the Long Walk. At the time, Baracouda was a virtual unknown in Britain, but although trained for his entire career in France by Francois Doumen, he ultimately became far better known to British racegoers and punters than those in his native country.

Tony McCoy was to become Baracouda’s regular partner later in the horse’s career, but in the 2000 Long Walk he was associated with his chief rival Deano’s Beeno as stable-jockey to Martin Pipe. A confirmed front-runner, Deano’s Beeno was established as a top-class staying hurdler by then who had finished runner-up in the last two Long Walks under McCoy, though had been turned over at odds of 4/9 the year before by Anzum, winner of the Stayers’ Hurdle at Cheltenham earlier the same year. Deano’s Beeno lined up for his third Long Walk at least as good as ever, having won Newbury’s Long Distance Hurdle by a wide margin for the second year running the previous month, and was sent off the 9/4 favourite to make it third time lucky.

In contrast, the five-year-old Baracouda was, in British terms, still a novice. He had only made his debut the previous March and opened his account over hurdles two months later but had made rapid progress at Auteuil, getting to within half a length of France’s own top-class hurdler Le Sauvignon in the autumn. Baracouda, too, had a regular partner by then, his trainer’s son Thierry. The Doumens had already been successful earlier on the Ascot card in the Grade 2 novices’ hurdle with Ben Ewar, and Baracouda was sent off the 11/4 second favourite in a field of nine.

Deano’s Beeno set off in front as usual, with Baracouda waited with, though in testing conditions McCoy set just a steady pace until pressing on approaching the fifth last. However, Baracouda went with him, the pair pulling clear of the rest going to three out where the result already looked in little doubt. In contrast to Deano’s Beeno who had a tendency to race lazily and was making McCoy work to hold his advantage, Baracouda was pulling double over the favourite. He had idled when winning his previous start, so Doumen was at pains not to hit the front too soon, though that proved easier said than done given how strongly he was travelling.

Once given his head in the straight, Baracouda easily drew clear and just had to be pushed out on the run-in, leaving Deano’s Beeno to finish runner-up for the third year running some fourteen lengths behind with the other finishers Celtic Native, Count Campioni, Audacter, Ballet-K and Serenus strung out behind.  

Within weeks, it was announced that Baracouda had been bought by J P McManus and as a result he became a fixture in the top staying hurdles in Britain for several seasons. In fact, Baracouda remained unbeaten for the next two years until McCoy and Deano’s Beeno finally turned the tables on him in a thrilling edition of the Long Walk in 2002. By then, Baracouda had won the race for a second time, and later the same season he also won his second Stayers’ Hurdle at Cheltenham (the foot and mouth outbreak meant there was no Cheltenham Festival in the season he won his first Long Walk).

Baracouda turned in a virtuoso performance to win his third Long Walk in 2003 by thirty lengths (with the now eleven-year-old Deano’s Beeno back in third) and the last of his eighteen career victories came in the same race a year later when the Long Walk was run at Windsor. By then, he was ridden by McCoy who had become retained rider to McManus.  

A win for Reve de Sivola in this year’s Long Walk would see him equal Baracouda’s feat of winning the Long Walk four times, though J P McManus must have a good chance of winning the race for the first time since the days of Baracouda with Unowhatimeanharry.