Liverpool Stayers’ Hurdle Preview: Echoes of Whisper

With Cheltenham Festival hero Paisley Park a notable absentee – having been put away for the season – Saturday’s Ryanair Stayers’ Hurdle is more open than might have been expected, though it still has a clear favourite in the form of Apple’s Jade.

Gordon Elliott’s mare is on something of a retrieval mission – as she was after the Cheltenham Festival last year – having failed to run anywhere near her form when a well-held sixth in the Champion Hurdle last month. She didn’t appear to relish being taken on for the lead by Melon that day, but had previously been in imperious form with four wins earlier in the season, most notably a 16-length success in the Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown. She clearly has something to prove now (two defeats last spring attributed to being in-season), but she was an impressive winner at this meeting back in 2016 after defeat – admittedly showing much better form than last month – at Cheltenham.

Sam Spinner fared much better last month, an honest front-running second to Paisley Park bringing him back to the form that saw him sent off the 9/4 favourite for that same race 12 months earlier. He was given the type of aggressive ride there that shows him in the best light, though similar tactics will be tough again here and he had a hard race at Cheltenham; on balance, having been a 15-length third to Identity Thief in this race last year, he’s one to take on.

What story it was on Thursday as Paisley Park has won the Sun Racing Stayers' Hurdle at @CheltenhamRaces! pic.twitter.com/WJEFxOfi9i

— ITV Racing (@itvracing) March 16, 2019

Other Stayers’ Hurdle also-rans include Wholestone (19-length fifth), West Approach (well-held ninth), Kilbricken Storm (well-held 11^th on his return to timber) and Nautical Nitwit (last of 19). Of those, course winner Wholestone, who was also second in this race last year, makes easily the most appeal, though it would be no great surprise to see the somewhat temperamental West Approach fare better now returned to a track where races tend to develop a little later.

The Worlds End returned lame after pulling up in the RSA Chase last month but ran a fairly promising race when fourth (on unsuitably soft ground) in this race last year, so is not discounted now returned to more suitable conditions, while If The Cap Fits looks likely to be suited by this first attempt at three miles – he’s run to a smart level on all four starts this season, including when winning the Coral Hurdle at Ascot in November. Owned by Paul and Clare Rooney, he purposely missed Cheltenham and arrives here as a fresh horse who could easily better the fourth-placed finish he managed in the 2017 Champion Bumper at this meeting.

Roksana benefitted from the final flight fall of Benie des Dieux when winning the David Nicholson Mares' Hurdle (by two and a quarter lengths from Stormy Ireland) last month. She ran well when second to Santini in the Sefton Novices’ Hurdle at this meeting last year, but she was a little wayward once challenged for the lead that day, and also hung badly left at Cheltenham, so may not be one for maximum confidence late in the race.

Of the rest, former winning machine Unowhatimeanharry has been absent since flopping in the Cleeve Hurdle in February, the cheekpieces not seen to such good effect as when beating Clyne by two and a half lengths in the Long Distance Hurdle at Newbury in November.

Agrapart’s best form has come under much more testing conditions, while Sykes and Lord Napier will both need to improve as they step out of handicap company. Of more interest is William Henry, a still relatively lightly raced nine-year-old who stormed home to win the Coral Cup (by a short head from Wicklow Brave) last month, building on his fourth in the same race 12 months earlier.

ICYMI

William Henry won the Coral Cup by a nostril ahead of Wicklow Brave.

What a race! pic.twitter.com/nTQjF96Jyt

— ITV Racing (@itvracing) March 13, 2019

William Henry appeared to benefit from a breathing operation when showing career-best form that day, and certainly shaped as if the step up to this trip would be within range. Indeed, the fellow Dai Walters-owned Whisper, Nico de Boinville's first festival winner in the 2014 Coral Cup, went on to win this race both later that season (on his first try at three miles) and the following one, so there is precedent for a big run here from Nicky Henderson’s charge.

Conclusion

Timeform weight-adjusted ratings are dominated by Apple’s Jade and Sam Spinner, in that order, with Gordon Elliott’s mare expected to confirm her superiority if anywhere near her best. At 7/4, though, she isn’t a bet, having run within 10 lb of her best just once (at this meeting in 2016) from seven starts in March and April. The longer trip should suit If The Cap Fits, but at more than twice the price the best bet is an each-way one on William Henry at 14/1. Bar a shocker on his return this season, he has an excellent record on flat tracks and the way he finished his race at Cheltenham offers plenty of hope that this longer distance will suit.

Recommended bet:

Back William Henry each-way in Saturday’s Liverpool Stayers’ Hurdle at 14/1