Luccia number 1 for Nicky Henderson
Fugitif won in a very exciting finish at Cheltenham last Saturday. What a sight to see him come from miles back to power up the stiff Cheltenham Hill and reel in long time leader Il Ridoto!
We switch to hurdles today with a Nicky Henderson mare in the lucky last at Ascot.
Luccia ran really well in the Greatwood hurdle and might just run best of the strong Nicky Henderson team of three runners here. She travelled easily down the hill in the Greatwood at Cheltenham and jumped the last hurdle in second place just ahead of the eventual winner Iberico Lord. The winner has gone up 8lbs in the handicap and I think this race sets up much better for Luccia. She didn’t really see out the final furlong in the Greatwood hurdle over the extended two miles on soft ground.
The goodish ground and half a furlong short of two miles trip is ideal at Ascot. Luccia has won twice when encountering good ground and I think she can finally go and win a big pot having consistently hit the frame in her last four races.
The other Nicky Henderson trained & JP McManus owned pair of Iberico Lord & Impose Toi are obvious dangers even off higher ratings. Willie Mullins runs Onlyamatteroftime who has the ability to win a handicap of this nature but is a risky bet having run out on his latest two runs!
Ascot 3:35
1 point each way Luccia 6/1 generally, 4 places.
Past Results
Click to see past Big Saturday Race Preview Tips results
The Betfair Exchange Trophy Handicap Hurdle, is a Grade 3 National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of about 1 mile and 7½ furlongs (1 mile 7 furlongs and 152 yards, or 3,156 metres). It is a handicap race, and it is scheduled to take place each year in December.
The race was first run in Great Britain in 2001 having been staged as The Ladbroke Handicap Hurdle in January at Leopardstown in Ireland prior to that. The Irish race continued under different sponsored titles and is now run as the Liffey Handicap Hurdle. The Ascot race was awarded Grade 3 status in 2013. It continued to be run as the Ladbroke Handicap Hurdle until 2015, and the 2016 running was titled the Wessex Youth Trust Handicap Hurdle. In 2017 the race title promoted the Racing Welfare charity, and since 2018 the race has been sponsored by Betfair.
Winners over past 10 years
| Year | Winner | Age | Weight | Jockey | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| no race 2022 [d] | |||||
| 2021 | Tritonic | 4 | 11-00 | Adrian Heskin | Alan King |
| 2020 | Not So Sleepy | 8 | 11-06 | Tom O'Brien | Hughie Morrison |
| 2019 | Not So Sleepy | 7 | 10-03 | Jonathan Burke | Hughie Morrison |
| 2018 | Mohaayed | 6 | 11-10 | Harry Skelton | Dan Skelton |
| 2017 | Hunters Call | 7 | 10-03 | Jack Kennedy | Olly Murphy |
| 2016 | Brain Power | 5 | 11-11 | David Mullins | Nicky Henderson |
| 2015 [c] | Sternrubin | 4 | 10-10 | Richard Johnson | Philip Hobbs |
| 2015 [c] | Jolly's Cracked It | 6 | 11-03 | Noel Fehily | Harry Fry |
| 2014 | Bayan | 5 | 11-05 | Davy Condon | Gordon Elliott |
Best of Luck,
Nicky