Ante-post 
/ Matt Gardner / 08 February 2012 / Leave a Comment 
Final Approach (right) winning the County Hurdle.
"Taking advantage of the drop in class, Final Approach easily won a Cork minor event early last month, confirming his well-being, and he looks sure to outperform his current odds of [13.0]..."
The Betfair Hurdle takes centre stage on "Super Saturday" at Newbury and, although football fans may picture the likes of Manchester City taking on United on days billed as such, the Betfair Hurdle promises to be every bit as competitive as any local derby...
Last year's winner Recession Proof does not feature in Saturday's renewal, but 2010 victor Get Me Out of Here does, alongside fellow JP McManus-owned gelding Darlan. It is an interesting comparison between the two, as Nicky Henderson's Darlan is at the same stage of his career as Get Me Out of Here was when winning what was then the Totesport Trophy, having won a bumper and three races over hurdles.
Get Me Out of Here landed the pot off an official mark of 135, whereas Darlan is faced with a rating of 146. In addition, Darlan is technically 3 lb "wrong" at the weights, as the handicapper has since reassessed his mark with the runner-up at Taunton, Jump City, disappointing since, dropping Darlan to 143.
Whilst Darlan is clearly open to improvement, his Timeform weight-adjusted figure of 159p (bottom-rated) leaves him with plenty to find with a number of the principals.
Get Me Out of Here is yet to record a victory since that day in 2010, but his latest performance when second to Oscar Whisky in the Relkeel Hurdle at Cheltenham suggested that he has returned as good as ever. However, the abiding memory from that run was how awkward he looked under pressure and his application in a finish must now come under scrutiny.
Looking back to the Cheltenham Festival last season, his second placed effort in the County Hurdle (very smart performance) would make him of definite interest, but it is his conqueror from that day, Final Approach, that makes more appeal for this race.
The Willie Mullins-trained six year-old had just two rivals behind him when jumping the penultimate flight at the Festival, allowing the principals to make their moves before staying on strongly and being value for considerably more than the winning margin.
He went on to contest a Grade 2 and a Grade 1 over longer distances in France, performing creditably in both, before shaping as if in need of the run on his seasonal reappearance in the Hatton's Grace at Fairyhouse. Taking advantage of the drop in class, he easily won a Cork minor event early last month, confirming his well-being, and he looks sure to outperform his current odds of [13.0].
Heading the Timeform weight-adjusted ratings is Paul Nicholls' Champion Hurdle hope Zarkandar, the unbeaten winner of last season's Triumph Hurdle who will be racing for the first time since Aintree last season. He is currently the [9.8] third favourite for the Champion Hurdle and could well be a handicap "good thing" off a mark of 151, but in reality he makes little appeal at the [4.5] presently available given his delayed comeback.
Clearly, this is not the main target for the season, and whilst his innate ability may be enough to see him to victory, anyway, you are in effect chancing that the five year-old has made the expected improvement.
Behind Zarkandar in the Triumph was the Colin Tizzard-trained Third Intention who, at Taunton last time, produced the sort of performance that his seasonal bow at Cheltenham had hinted towards, finishing second to the smart prospect that is Ranjaan in what looked a competitive event. Third Intention comes out second best on Timeform ratings, just 1 lb behind Zarkandar, and a repeat of his Taunton effort would see him go close, making him of definite interest at the [17.0] currently available for the win and [4.4] for a place.
Of the others, the Tom George-trained Olofi runs consistently well in races of this ilk but he has not got his head in front since 2009 and is opposable on that basis. Raya Star and Alarazi finished first and third respectively at Ascot in what was a muddling affair, resulting in form that is not easy to trust, and it is difficult to make an excuse for Alazrazi's laboured affair next time up.
Off a low weight, Abergavenny would be of interest with the promise of his Cheltenham third still fresh in the mind. However, with ground conditions far from predictable at present and the possibility that the five year-old may prefer a sounder surface, he is difficult to nail down as a selection at this stage.
The Betfair Hurdle and, indeed, Newbury's entire "Super Saturday" card, makes for compelling stuff and is enough to have any National Hunt fan salivating at the prospect. Zarkandar could well come out and prove himself to be a definite Champion Hurdle challenger, but you are taking his fitness on trust and he is short enough in the betting to avoid. Final Approach would appear to be the other most likely winner, the big-field scenario seemingly ideal, and it is entirely plausible that he still has improvement in him. Third Intention is also worth keeping on side at a decent price, with his form behind Ranjaan particularly appealing.
Recommendations
Back Final Approach @ [13.0]; Back Third Intention @ [17.0] in the win market and [4.4] in the place market
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