'I'd have been surprised if Nico hadn't stuck with him' - can anyone stop Iberico Lord in £150,000 handicap hurdle?

The purse for the lucrative Betfair Exchange Trophy has returned to the pre-Covid levels of 2019, yet we have the smallest turnout over the past decade.

That is either indicative of a lack of high-class two-mile handicap hurdlers in training or, perhaps the likelier conclusion, an over-obsession with the Cheltenham Festival.

Faivoir collected £56,000 for landing the 24-runner County Hurdle at Cheltenham in March. Were he to defeat his ten opponents at Ascot, his connections will take that home with another £30,000 to go with it.

While racing fans can bemoan the field size, the calibre of horse running is not in question. Take out Faivoir (eight) and Onlyamatteroftime (seven) and the rest are either five or six and possess the kind of profiles that typically carry so much muscle in major handicaps.

Six of those ran in a Grade 2 or Grade 1 in their first season over hurdles, a group that includes Welsh Champion Hurdle winner Nemean Lion, Gerry Feilden scorer Hansard and Greatwood victor Iberico Lord.

The Greatwood stands out as the most valuable formline among those three major 2m handicap hurdles and Iberico Lord's Cheltenham effort fared well on the clock.

The concern for those siding with the favourite is a different surface. The only time Iberico Lord encountered ground likely to resemble that at Ascot, he floundered when a warm order for last season's Supreme Trial. There could even be mileage in stablemate Luccia, a speed mare who was third in the Greatwood, being better suited to this test despite what jockey bookings tell us.

The market clearly suspects there will be a day in the aptly-named Onlyamatteroftime. He was sent off the 7-2 favourite for the Greatwood but, for the second successive occasion, inexplicably ran out. Perhaps that quirkiness is factored into his price less than it should be. Punters taking similar odds about Altobelli are not only backing one who sits on a tempting mark, but putting their faith in a youngster with a superior temperament.

Altobelli impressed the clock-watchers with a dominant novice display at Carlisle in February before finding a Grade 1 assignment at Aintree coming too early in his development. His strong-finishing second to Knickerbockerglory here 49 days ago can be deemed a near-perfect prep. With the exception of Faivoir and outsider Teddy Blue, that is the only course form on offer.
Race analysis by Robbie Wilders

Lord leads Nicky Henderson trio

Iberico Lord will look to break new ground by becoming the first Greatwood Hurdle winner to double up in the richest handicap hurdle staged in Britain this season so far.

Rarely do horses feature in both big handicaps with Cause Of Causes, best remembered for his performances in cross-country races, and Silver Streak the only two to make the frame in the Cheltenham and the Ascot race.

Yet JP McManus's leading hope, who surged clear of Lookaway by two and a half lengths at Cheltenham, is clearly fancied to break the duck with Nicky Henderson's stable jockey Nico de Boinville selecting him to ride over stablemates Luccia and Impose Toi.

Luccia: smart mare is one of three runners for Nicky HendersonCredit: Edward Whitaker

That pair are major rivals to Iberico Lord here. Impose Toi is on a hat-trick after his impressive performance at Cheltenham last month, while Luccia, long held in high regard, was a promising third in the Greatwood.

Henderson said: "Nico sticks with Iberico Lord and I think you have to; I'd have been surprised if he hadn't. Mind you, Impose Toi was good at Cheltenham too and Luccia was only just on Iberico Lord's coattails in the Greatwood and gets a fair bit of weight back, which brings her into it. It's a very big prize and usually you would expect a few more runners."

Altobelli primed for long-held target

Harry Fry ran the hugely promising Gidleigh Park at Newbury on Wednesday and hopes to complete the week in style with Altobelli in this £150,000 prize.

Like Wednesday's impressive winner, Altobelli looked a high-class talent as a novice and warmed up for this with a fine second over the course and distance last month. He was only put up a pound for his solid effort behind Knickerbockerglory.

Fry said: "We've had this race in mind for a while and deliberately ran him over the course and distance in November to give him the experience of a handicap and this track. I thought he ran well, it should have sharpened him up too.

"He's in really good form with himself at home. It's a hugely competitive race, as you'd expect, but hopefully he can be very competitive."

What they say

Gary Moore, trainer of Hansard and Teddy Blue
Hansard is a lovely horse who seems very, very well at home. I was delighted with his win at Newbury. He has lots of weight to carry, but I think there's more to come. Teddy Blue is also in great order and the drying ground will help him.

Dan Skelton, trainer of Faivoir
He's a standing dish in these races and he's won a couple of them, including the County. He's not an easy horse to predict, but he's in good form after his good run last time.

Nigel Twiston-Davies, trainer of Moveit Like Minnie
I'm looking forward to him and I don't see why he shouldn't run a very big race with Finn [Lambert] taking 5lb off. If the handicapper is right, he should be bang there.
Reporting by James Stevens

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'We need to see a bit of form on the track' - can Grade 1 winner Shan Blue reignite his career for Dan Skelton? 

It's hard to ignore the Blueking D'Oroux form of Bois Guillbert - analysis and quotes for Haydock handicap hurdle 

Blackjack Magic 'has a strong chance' - analysis and quotes for an ultra-competitive handicap chase 

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