Horse Racing Tips

Long Walk Hurdle Tips 2024: Runner-By-Runner Guide

8 months ago

| BY Steve Mullington

The Ascot card on Saturday 21st December is headlined by the Long Walk Hurdle. This Grade One race is often used as a stepping stone towards the Stayers’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, so it’s well worth noting down the result.

Here is your runner-by-runner guide to the 3m½f contest:

Beauport (Nigel Twiston-Davies)

The eight-year-old is an established chaser these days and hasn’t jumped a competitive hurdle in public since April 2022. This race may be being used by the team to preserve his handicap mark but it’s a strange decision to run him in this nevertheless. There are Pineau De Re vibes everywhere with this entry!

Blueking d’Oroux (Paul Nicholls)

Last season Paul Nicholls’ youngster won the Masterson Holdings Hurdle at Cheltenham, before getting one over on Saturday’s favourite Strong Leader in the Coral Hurdle at Ascot. There is no logical answer as to why the five-year-old should be trading at 12/1 when the market leader is 9/4 based on their last encounter, so this could well be your each-way bet to nothing.

Botox Has (George & Josh Moore)

After winning the Rendlesham Hurdle in heavy going at Haydock last February, Botox Has’ form has seriously dwindled. Comprehensively beaten by The Wallpark at Cheltenham in October, it’s hard to see where a turnaround of that result would come from?

Crambo (Fergal O’Brien)

According to connections, Crambo is on course to defend his Long Walk title on Saturday. The form of the seven-year-old tailed off following his first Grade One win and he missed his intended reappearance at Newbury. Do you keep the faith or not?

Hiddenvalley Lake (Henry De Bromhead)

Grade 2 winner Hiddenvalley Lake, who finished third behind Strong Leader at Aintree, makes his first start of the season. The fact that they run here instead of other Christmas engagements is interesting.

Shoot First (Charles Byrnes)

Charles Byrnes’ Shoot First has won two of his three outings over three miles, including a competitive Grade 3 handicap at Haydock last time out. He may not have reached his ceiling just yet.

Strong Leader (Olly Murphy)

Murphy’s horse recorded his first career Grade 1 success last season when claiming the Liverpool Hurdle on his final outing. He returned with an impressive three-and-a-half length victory in the Long Distance Hurdle and is a worthy favourite.

The Wallpark (Gordon Elliott)

Having won his past four starts, The Wallpark landed a competitive three-mile handicap at Cheltenham and tackles Grade 1 company for the first time. No Irish trainer has ever taken the Long Walk so you may want to bear that in mind.

Eagle Fang (William Durkan)

Formerly trained on the Flat by Keith Dalgleish, Eagle Fang was bought for 55,000 guineas by the William Durkan stable. After a nice victory at Naas he went straight to the Fred Winter where he was beaten by 58 lengths. He looks much stronger now as a four-year-old and could possibly scramble a place if he’s on song.

Kateira (Dan Skelton)

Dan Skelton’s mare was well and truly turned over at odds-on in the West Yorkshire Hurdle, then bounced back in a fairly weak Listed hurdle at Kempton. She will need to run her best ever race to be a factor here.

Prediction: