Moon Racer must overcome inexperience after Pipe's bold call

It was a bold call from David Pipe and the owners on Saturday when they opted to run here rather than in the Supreme Novices', but it was an understandable one bearing in mind Moon Racer's age and fragility.

Novice winners of the Champion Hurdle are not such a rarity, but a novice winner with so little racecourse experience as Moon Racer would be unusual.

The 1995 winner Alderbrook might also have run only twice over hurdles, but he was a seasoned campaigner with 21 Flat races under his belt. Make A Stand, trained by Pipe's father Martin to win two years later, had worked his way up through the handicap ranks and had no end of experience.

Pipe, who went close in 2008 with Osana, also ridden by Tom Scudamore, is well aware Moon Racer is lacking in that department, but he is optimistic the 2015 Champion Bumper winner will cope.

He said: "He's in good form and obviously has a lot of ability. What he lacks is experience, but he's been good with his schooling since day one and he was good when we took him to Wincanton for a racecourse school, so that gives you hope.

"He loves Cheltenham and won the Bumper there. He came from a mile back that day, but it wasn't Plan A. He was slowly away from a standing start and got boxed in, but when a gap appeared he grabbed it with both hands.

"I haven't talked tactics with Scu yet, but I'm expecting a decent pace, even though there aren't that many runners."

Pros Very talented and almost certainly has significant untapped potential over hurdles

Cons Famously fragile, so has only limited racecourse experience

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