Round three: Paisley Park and Thyme Hill to renew epic rivalry in Ryanair Hurdle

3.35 Aintree
Ryanair Stayers Hurdle (Registered As The Liverpool Hurdle) (Grade 1) | 3m½f | 4yo+ | ITV/RTV

A pulled muscle in the run up to the Stayers' Hurdle at Cheltenham robbed Thyme Hill of his chance of gaining revenge on Paisley Park for a last-gasp defeat in the Long Walk at Ascot, but the opportunity now arrives. Can he take it?

The 2021 version of Paisley Park is 6lb short of the peak 2019 class, but the engine is still very much intact and he has become a solid yardstick. He has recorded Racing Post Ratings of 165 on his last three starts, but at the age of nine that was only good enough for one win.

Thyme Hill achieved an RPR of 164 when a neck behind Paisley Park at Ascot and has only 1lb to find. But, crucially, his figures are going in an upward direction and not standing still.

Paisley Park is vulnerable to an improver and Thyme Hill is that, but his profile is one of steady progress rather than rapid headway. He improved only 1lb from his seasonal reappearance win over Paisley Park at Newbury to his defeat on 3lb worse terms at Ascot, for example.

Similar progress would be enough to put him on a level footing with Paisley Park should Emma Lavelle's stable star repeat his consistent recent form, so it’s a fascinating rematch between the two.

The Stayers’ Hurdle at Cheltenham has tended to favour the younger stayers, but older horses have held their own in this race in the last ten years and Solwhit and Big Buck’s won this at the age of nine. Not only is that a positive for Paisley Park, it is also a plus for Roksana.

She finished two lengths behind Thyme Hill and Paisley Park in the Long Walk at Ascot but improved on that when landing a mares’ event at that track next time, earning an RPR of 156. A reproduction of that would give her 2lb to find with Paisley Park when you include her 7lb allowance.

There have been some even older winners, with Maid Equal, Spendid, and Deano’s Beeno scoring aged ten and 11 this century, so maybe the 11-year-old William Henry isn’t out of it.

Whisper won this race twice in these colours and William Henry bids to make it two from two since joining the red-hot Sam Thomas yard that has a 29 per cent strike-rate this season.
Analysis by Graeme Rodway

The decider: Paisley Park v Thyme Hill

We have had to wait just over three weeks longer than we expected for the decider. It was supposed to be staged in the Stayers' Hurdle at Cheltenham, but was switched to Aintree after a late setback to Thyme Hill forced him out of the festival and another tussle with Paisley Park.

The pair first clashed in the Long Distance Hurdle at Newbury in November. Thyme Hill came out on top on that occasion, fulfilling the promise he showed as a novice hurdler when so unlucky in the Albert Bartlett.

There was a length and a half between them there, but the result was reversed in the Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot in December when Paisley Park defied a high of 64-1 in running to gun down Thyme Hill, who hit a low of 1.07 on Betfair. It looked over. It wasn't. May battle recommence.

the recently retired Richard Johnson rides Thyme Hill to victory in the Long Distance HurdleCredit: Alan Crowhurst

Thyme Hill has a new rider with Tom O'Brien replacing the recently retired Richard Johnson and Philip Hobbs reports his staying star to be none the worse for the injury which kept him out of Cheltenham.

Hobbs said: "He's in good form now, he's over the minor injury when he pulled a muscle behind the saddle. We all hope he can run to his best and if he does he should go very close. He's run well at Newbury, which is flat and left-handed, and he's run well at Ascot, which is stiff and right-handed, so I don't think the track really matters."

Paisley Park could only finish third in the Stayers' Hurdle and did not look the same horse as the one who won it in 2019. Emma Lavelle is convinced he is sharper now, though.

Lavelle said: "He’s in great shape and he’s definitely a bit sharper than he was for Cheltenham, which he’ll need to be going around Aintree. He missed his prep race due to bad weather and that put him back, and he’s just been sharper in what he’s done since Cheltenham.

"The way the race developed in the Stayers’ Hurdle he was always on the back foot as he started towards the rear and they went hard off the front. He had to make his ground up while he was going flat out and considering he was in top gear for the last mile and a half to run them down as much as he did was a good performance.

Emma Lavelle (left) with Paisley Park's owner Andrew GemmellCredit: Edward Whitaker

"Obviously you want to win those races but we were very proud of his run. He’s won at Aintree as a young horse, so we’re hoping that’s not a problem. We will need to bring our A-game but we think he’s ready to."

What they say

Nicky Henderson, trainer of Call Me Lord and On The Blind Side
On The Blind Side has had a fantastic season, he's been running so consistently well. We kept him out of Cheltenham to let Paisley Park and Thyme Hill have a dust up and then we'd come here and we've managed to walk in to both of them which is slightly unsatisfactory. Call Me Lord is a high-class horse, he's not proven over three miles but he should get it.

Noel Meade, trainer of Diol Ker
We thought this track might suit him a bit better than the ups and downs of Cheltenham. I'm looking forward to seeing how he gets on. If he jumps good and clean through the race I do think he's got a great chance. He's a very nice horse.

Chris Trembath, part-owner of Lisnagar Oscar
After Cheltenham he was a bit sore, but had a lot of physio and he seems to be going well. We were very hopeful before Cheltenham and were disappointed he fell, which was uncharacteristic. We thought he was tanking along and his run was sort of mirroring the previous year when he won the race. Nothing from behind us when he fell got anywhere near the winner and I think he'd have given Flooring Porter as good a race as anything did. Rachael Blackmore is an exciting booking; she had a fantastic Cheltenham and we're just hoping she might be able to spread some of her magic our way.

Lisnagar Oscar: winner of the 2020 Stayers' Hurdle at CheltenhamCredit: Alan Crowhurst

Olly Murphy, trainer of Thomas Darby
I've been wanting to step him up to three miles for ages, the Coral Cup was a non-event as they went no gallop and he was dropped in. He's got it to do at the weights with a few but he could run well at a big price.

Kim Bailey, trainer of Vinndication
He jumped like a chaser at Cheltenham, so I've put a pair of blinkers on him this time in an effort to make him a bit quicker over his hurdles. The only British horse to finish in front of him last time was Paisley Park. I was delighted with him that day but he does need to be sharper here.

Dan Skelton, trainer of Roksana
The ground was probably better than ideal at Cheltenham and it turned into a bit of a sprint over two and a half miles, and she couldn't win. We'll never run at that trip again and if I had my time again we wouldn't run in the race, but then I don't think she'd have won the Stayers' Hurdle at Cheltenham on the ground either. She's done well at Aintree before and has to take on the big boys again, but she's good at three miles and is fresh and well.
Reporting by David Jennings

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