TWE Hurdling Performance Of The Season

Monkfish

After looking through the chasing performance of the jumps season we have done the same with the hurdling run of the term and again it comes from the Cheltenham festival.

The festival showed off the best of the hurdling divisions from two mile mares and geldings full of pace to the stayers of the group.

A race we believe goes under the radar every year at the four day meeting is the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle and with the line up of horses that entered the contest it was always going to be one of the best renewals for years.

Although Epatante was a superb winner of the Champion Hurdle and Envoi Allen did what he does best in the Ballymore Novices' Hurdle, we thought that the Willie Mullins trainer Monkfish gave the hurdling performance of the season.

The Rich Ricci owned six year old was not highly touted to be the winner of the contest before the Grade One went off finishing second on his seasonal debut and then winning back to back contests with ease but beating weak horses.

However, at the festival he showed a gritty, staying nature that not many people knew he had and when jumping the last slightly behind Fury Road and latest Exhibition, the way he rallied up the hill was superb.

Congratulations to Monkfish and connections.