Grade One Doom Bar Anniversary 4-Y-O Juvenile Hurdle Guide

Representing Ditcheat for Paul Nicholls, the gelding has had a perfect start to life over timber with an impressive four wins from four attempts.

Making his hurdle debut over in France, he handily dispatched now stablemate Hell Red. Swiftly picked up and moved over to the UK, he made the perfect start to life this side of the Channel when winning at Exeter back in November.

While the form of that win wasn’t the strongest he still easily transitioned to graded company on his next start. Sent off at prohibitive odds he easily brushed aside a small weak field.

His most recent run provided his sternest test to date. Squaring off with Gary Moore’s Nassalam up at Haydock saw the Nicholls charge impressively beat the previous Grade One placed rival.

Although some of his form can be questioned as to how deep it is, he’s done nothing wrong since moving to the UK. Sent off favourite for all three starts he’s obliged every single time.

Now moving into Grade One company he’s certainly got a lot on his plate but has progressed through every challenge faced so far.

Should be bang there.

David Pipe and Tom Scudamore team up with Adagio. The French flat recruit has been highly consistent since switching codes and has chalked up plenty of experience this term.

Making his hurdle debut at Warwick back in November he immediately looked special. Sent off second favourite he comfortably saw off Duke Of Condicote as the two pulled well clear of the remainder.

Looking highly talented, connections moved him straight into graded company. He acquitted himself well but couldn’t get to the impressive Duffle Coat so had to settle for second.

He put defeat behind him quickly and notched a second career victory at Cheltenham’s December meeting. Dipping into graded company again he put in a huge performance to beat Nassalam in the Finale Juvenile Hurdle at Chepstow.

With a Grade One win in the books Adagio was last seen contesting the Triumph Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival. Another consistent performance saw him put in a career best to be second to the highly impressive Quilixios.

Having failed to finish outside the top two all season he always runs his race and is unlikely to be far away. However, on collateral form through Nassalam, he has a couple of lengths to find with Monmiral.

A runner for Donald McCain with young filly Fiveandtwenty. A three time winner on the flat for Mark Johnstone, she didn’t really amass too much in the other code and only peaked at a rating of 81.

Running well over intermediate trips, she was picked up and moved into Juvenile hurdles for her new connections. Dropped in at Musselburgh on her hurdle debut she absolutely spread eagled the field to win by a healthy 26 lengths.

The filly managed to back up her impressive debut win at Musselburgh again in early January, shrugging off her penalty to make all in an average contest.

She completed the hat trick at Musselburgh a month later when claiming listed honours in the Scottish Triumph Hurdle. Beating the useful yardstick of Historic Heart despite a depleted mares’ allowance.

She’s rapidly improving and giving the boys a beating despite not claiming her full sex allowance.

She has only encountered soft ground at Musselburgh in her jumping career, so will have to prove she can perform elsewhere.

Not without hope of hitting the frame. She gets into a good rhythm up front and is hard to peg back.

The first runner for Nicky Henderson is Paros. A gelding picked up after a win in France was quickly sent off a short price favourite on hurdling debut at Sandown.

However he really struggled to settle and pulled his chances away on deep ground. Languishing back in fourth despite being a 4/7 favourite.

Again sent off favourite for his next outing he was disappointing at Doncaster in late February. Going left handed seemed non-negotiable and he hung badly to his right all race.

Tailing off he came home in eighth and 67 lengths behind the winner.

Undeterred from his poor showings, Paros was sent up to Musselburgh where he looked more at home going the other way around and got his head in front for the first time since moving to the UK.

Ridden more prominently he was allowed to set his own fractions up front and wasn’t for catching.

You’d be concerned about him going back left handed after how badly he hung right handed at Doncaster and he’s one probably best avoided until he proves that going this direction isn’t an issue.

Became really expensive to follow on the flat for Ralph Beckett as he hit the post on his first three runs. Finally getting his head in front 1m2f at Goodwood, he finished his flat career with a poor run in a lowly handicap at Redcar.

Picked up by Jared Sullivan and moved to Dan Skelton, he’s switched codes and was tested for quality from the start in his new career as a jumper, having his first run over hurdles in the Adonis Hurdle.

A mammoth task on hurdling debut to contest a Grade Two, he didn’t run badly and was contesting second place turning for home. Either fitness or stamina go the better of him as he slid back through the field to finish fourth of nine.

He’s got a huge task on his hands to make waves in a grade 1 in only his second start over timber. He’s likely to get lost in the shuffle.

Peaking at a respectable 88 on the level for David Simcock, he’s got a very similar story to John Locke as he’s been picked up and moved to Dan Skelton’s yard to go jumping.

Again given a big task on hurdling debut, he ran in the listed contest that was won by Fiveandtwenty. Despite being sent off only 5/1 he was seventh of the eight runners and beaten 52 lengths by the impressive winner who lines up again here.

It wasn’t the most inspiring of debuts, his jumping was poor and he didn't really show much. He’s a big price to get involved here and is unlikely to play a big role.