Our Conor - Triumph Hurdle Winner??

Triumph Hurdle Cheltenham - Our Conor

• After his victory in the Grade 1 Juvenile Hurdle at Leopardstown, Our Conor (IRE) has jumped to be top of the market for the JCB Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham in March.

• Last season's contest at Leopardstown provided the 1-2 in the Cheltenham event so this was a great trial for the big day and this years race didn't lack in quality either, with Diakali & Blood Cotil both representing the powerful Willie Mullins yard, being soundly beaten.

• Our Conor is bred by Gerrardstown House Stud and is by Jeremy out of the Sadler's Wells mare Flamands. He started his career on the flat where he won twice and was placed in a Premier Handicap. 

• He has won all his 3 starts over hurdles, all over 2m's but the Triumph Hurdle is not a two-mile contest, like you might presume, it is actually run over 17 furlongs on Cheltenham's stamina-sapping New Course.

Stamina

• So you need a horse with plenty of stamina but Our conor seems to have that, according to his trainer Dessie Hughes. “He finished his race well and it is great to see him staying so well, that's what he'll need for his next race (the Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham).”

• A note of caution is the record of horses trained in Ireland in this race as you have to go as far back as 2002 to find the last Irish trained winner of this race but Dessie Hughes knows how to get one ready for the big day and stats are there to be broken!

• His jockey, Bryan Cooper, said that they always thought he was "quite special" and he said "He showed that he jumps and he travels and can quicken off a good pace as well, so he looks to have everything you need for a Triumph Hurdle horse."

Ground

• And what about the ground? He has been running on soft or heavy in all his hurdle starts but according to Cooper he should handle the likely better ground at Cheltenham. "We actually always thought he would always be better on better ground so hopefully if it does dry up it shouldn't bother him."

• There are plenty of good english challengers and some unknown quantites in the field but Our Conor shouldn't be too far away as he is a top quality horse who looks to have the right attributes and class to be a big player come the 15th of March.

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