David Nicholson Mares Hurdle

June 17, 2011
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Cheltenham Festival
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Cheltenham David Nicholson Mares? Hurdle

Cheltenham Festival race guide – David Nicholson Mares? Hurdle

Quevega. The wondermare who has dominates this Mares’ hurdle for the last three years. Many people’s banker of the festival, it is hard to see anything troubling Willie Mullins’ eight-year-old as she bids for her fourth consecutive success at the Cheltenham Festival. Dermot Weld’s Triumph Hurdle runner-up Unaccompanied still holds an entry for the race over 2m4f and rates best of the rest. Swincombe Flame will represent Nick Williams and she must be respected.

Ante- post Quevega’s to lose?

It’s really difficult to envisage Quevega not completing the hat-trick here should connections enter him in March. Willie Mullins’ 6yo mare took the £90,000 prize money last year by a comfortable four-and-a-half length margin and was more even more impressive twelve months earlier bolting up by fourteen lengths. However, the flip side is that she’ll be no sort of price such is her record in this race. She previously justified odds of 6/4 (2009) and 2/1 (2008) so it would be no surprise to see her go off at odds on this time – definitely the one they all have to beat. If you are cautious about taking Quevega on at odds against, by all means chance on a longshot because 20/1 Whiteoak rewarded those value punters in the first ever David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle.

Facts and Stats

Stats for this race are obviously few and far between because there has only been three runnings. But as ever keep a look out for horses from the top stables, Jonjo O’Neill and Donald McCain Jnr are just two to have on your side. Horses from these yards rarely lack the rigours and demands of any race and it is more than likely they will go in search of the £90,000 on offer for the winner. Trial races for this hurdle are worth noting and the Festival Hurdle at Punchestown provided a warm-up for French import Quevega last time so it will be interesting to see if she can make this another stepping stone towards success. She looks a real star of the future this horse and a good showing in this and she could certainly go onto bigger and better things.

The race, named in memory of former National Hunt jockey and trainer David Nicholson, will be the first of the 2011 festival to be ran on Cheltenham’s new course. The runners will still turn left-handed as they head towards the stand finish. This trappy affair will be the final chance to win some of your money back but it should also put the gloss on a terrific inaugural day’s racing.