- 1,612
- 9
- 38
My concern is: Can Teahupoo carry his excellent form this season into the spring festivals? I just cannot banish the memory of him tailing off in the Champion Hurdle or at Punchestown.
I just don't know what to make of those runs. Was it the trip? The ground? A combination of both? Or, is he a horse who struggles to carry his form into the second half of the season? He is still only a six-year-old meaning he was five taking on peak-form Champion Hurdlers like Honeysuckle so maybe he is just stronger this season and, so, can carry his form later into the campaign?
These are the questions we need answering, but we won't find out until the Stayers' Hurdle where he is likely to encounter much quicker ground than the going at Fairyhouse (Hatton's Grace) and Gowran (Galmoy Hurdle). Maybe spring ground is the issue as he clearly goes well in heavy, but Gordon says he isn't a heavy topped kind of horse and doesn't seem too bothered by better going.
Strengths - I think he is the best horse in this year's race.
Weak spot - An end-to-end type gallop might stretch his stamina to the max and he must prove himself in the spring.