Grade Two Kingwell Hurdle Guide

This handler does not have many superstars and this five year old could well and truly turn out to be just that having landed the Grade Two Kingwell Hurdle on his final start of last term.

Last season the gelding was a model of consistency winning at Fontwell on debut before finishing a decent third behind Mack The Man and Protektorat in a strong handicap hurdle.

He stepped up to a Grade Three event at Ascot where he was a length behind Supreme Novices' Hurdle second Thomas Darby and he used that experience to win at Kempton.

On his seasonal bow this term the five year old really made his present felt in the division, landing the Grade Two Ascot Hurdle, seeing off last year's winner of the International Hurdle Call Me Lord and Cheltenham Festival winner Laurina.

Symonds believes his gelding although showing clear stamina does not lack pace and he proved this last time out when going on to win the Grade Two International Hurdle at Cheltenham in December.

He showed gritty determination that day, that again he will need in this event and he will be hoping for another big run ahead of the Champion Hurdle in March.

Goshen was a model of consistency during the jumps season last term and raced three four times over timber and going on to win his three events by a combined 68 lengths before his dreaded fall at the Cheltenham festival in the Triumph Hurdle being 10 lengths clear facing the last flight.

Since then he has not been the same horse racing twice on the flat and with the yard looking to exploit his mark of 88 it did not quite pan out with two lesser runs, which saw him beat easily in both events.

After bypassing some big events like the Elite Hurdle at Wincanton, Fighting Fifth at Newcastle and Ascot Hurdle, Moore needed to get his stable star going for the season and he chose the International on Saturday.

However, it now looked to have been the wrong decision with Goshen going on to finish last of the 10 runner field and looking a shadow of the horse that almost bolted up in the Triumph hurdle at last seasons festival.

His below par run was put down to a fibrillating heart following the run and he will need to bounce back to his best to reverse the International form with the market leader.

The five year old son of Nathaniel has been a nice horse for the yard on the flat and over hurdles, with his best run to date coming last season at Doncaster when winning the Grade Two juvenile Hurdle.

This term he has been stepped up in trip and in company and has not handled it well being outclassed at Aintree twice, but two starts ago got back to winning ways at the third time trying 2m4f.

It came in a weak Class 3 Handicap Hurdle at Musselburgh and the form of that did not look that smart until Navajo Pass went to Haydock last time out and landed the Grade Two The New One Hurdle.

He managed to see off the dual Champion Hurdle winner Buveur D'Air and Cheltenham festival winner Ballyandy and that makes him a big player in this event.

Paul Nicholls' chance in the event comes from Friend Or Foe for owners Gordon and Su Hall and he looks to need a big step forward on the face of his form.

The gelding has been consistent this term racing five times over hurdles, placing in four of them and also going on to win two races.

Two starts ago over course and distance he landed a Class 3 Handicap Hurdle and then backed that up at Sandown last time out on heavy ground when another good second.

Although, showing consistent form it has come at handicap level and now stepping into this Grade Two looks slightly beyond him.

The penultimate runner is Esprit Du Large for Evan Williams and the trainer seems to be pulling his hair out with this horse having been a smart novice chaser, but this season looking a shadow of his former self.

Last season the gelding gave a career best performance in December 2019 to land the Grade One Henry VII Novices' Chase at Sandown.

However, since that run he has fell in three of his four events over fences, including in the Arkle at the Cheltenham festival and also last time out at Chepstow.

Williams has now brought the seven year old back over hurdles to get his confidence back, but he will need to be right at it in this field if he wants to be in the frame.

The final runner and the big 300/1 outsider is Calgary Tiger for trainer William de Best-Turner who was an average bumper horse and so far has been an equally average gelding over obstacles.

This season the six year old made his hurdles debut in December at Newbury and finished a weak 10th of 16 runners in a Maiden Hurdle won by Lecale's Article.

Since then he has ran twice more finishing a better fourth of 15 runners behind the expensive Gallyhill, but then took another backwards step at Lingfield in a jumpers bumper finishing way out of contention.

That form is not strong enough to be involved in this race and overall he looks a strange entry.