Song For Someone

Stayers’ Hurdle, Cheltenham Festival, March 17

1pt each-way at 66-1 with bet365 and Unibet, 33-1 generally

The sub-standard performances of Klassical Dream and Champ in January have thrown the Stayers’ Hurdle market wide open.

It is a real concern that Klassical Dream, a horse with an outstanding record fresh, might have left the race behind after a gruelling prep run when fourth in the Galmoy Hurdle.

There were no obvious excuses why Champ was beaten in the Cleeve Hurdle in his trial and Flooring Porter is now a rightful favourite for the race. He won the Stayers’ last year, is the right sort of age and was massively inconvenienced by the start at Leopardstown over Christmas when beaten just two lengths by Klassical Dream.

However, I can’t imagine his price shortening much before the off and I’m shocked to still see a couple of firms offering 66-1 about Song For Someone.

I’m convinced trainer Tom Symonds has been running his stable star over the wrong trip for a while and he’s simply not a two-miler.

He was flat out for half a circuit to be in contention for the International Hurdle at Cheltenham in December and he needed every yard of the 2m1f trip to finish a half-length second to Guard Your Dreams.

It was a similar story on his latest start in the Contenders Hurdle at Sandown over a furlong shorter, where he looked out of his depth behind Goshen and backers at odds of 5-2 had realistically no chance of collecting.

His RPRs have been regressive this season but I’m sure that is down to running over shorter distances on a run-by-run basis.

Song For Someone’s seasonal return when giving 6lb to Buzz over 2m3½f at Ascot was a really encouraging effort. He set out to make all on his first start after wind surgery and came back at Buzz when headed to fill the runner-up position.

Don’t forget that horse was disputing favouritism for the Stayers’ before injury curtailed his season.

Staying hurdle races at the major spring festivals have a knack of producing winners who were previously campaigned over around two miles.

Nichols Canyon, Yanworth, Identity Thief, If The Cap Fits, Faugheen and Klassical Dream have each charted that path to three-mile Grade 1 success in recent years and I’m adamant Song For Someone can be the latest example.

He is only seven and should have his best days ahead of him, while it is encouraging he has been taken out of the Champion Hurdle and left in this race. I hope connections have the nerve to roll the dice.

Il Etait Temps
Triumph Hurdle, Cheltenham, March 18

1pt each-way at 20-1 with bet365, 16-1 generally

The Triumph Hurdle betting is rightly dominated by Vauban and Pied Piper and the eagerly awaited rematch will be a sight to behold at Cheltenham next month.

I backed Vauban a while ago for this but it is difficult to argue he represents much value at around 9-4 now and the one who appeals as overpriced at 20-1 is Il Etait Temps. 

It is a great indication of the regard in which he is held that Willie Mullins was happy to run him in a Grade 1 on his first start for the yard (he did something similar with the top-class Haut En Couleurs last season), and I thought he showed plenty when third to Vauban at Leopardstown.

By my calculations the RPR of 137 he recorded at the Dublin Racing Festival was the best by a hurdling debutant in Britain or Ireland this season and there should be any amount of improvement to come.

Il Etait Temps was sent off a 40-1 chance in the Spring Juvenile on his first start for 261 days and did plenty right, jumping well and faring best of those held up in the strongest four-year-old contest of the year by some way.

He also has the option of running in the Boodles but carrying top weight in an ultra-competitive handicap wouldn’t be ideal for one with such limited hurdling experience, so I’d imagine he has been earmarked for the Triumph.

I’d be disappointed if he wasn’t at the very least able to close the gap on Vauban with normal progression from first to second run and it makes sense to back him now as I’d be surprised if he wasn’t a single-figure price on the day.