'It was a nightmare but he won well' - Leighton Aspell with his big-race verdict

The dual Grand National-winning rider analyses the Long Walk Hurdle

The Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot presents a unique challenge of both speed and stamina and is a completely different test from other Graded races in the three-mile hurdling division.

The early part of the race is on the very steep downhill section and that can get horses on the front foot and running keen, which is what happened on Saturday.

The field jumped off without a real front-runner with On The Blind Side, Ronald Pump and Lisnagar Oscar spread out on the front line, but nobody committed to going forward properly.

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Published on 19 December 2021inFeatures

Last updated 16:25, 19 December 2021

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