Time flies when you’re having fun and with the Cheltenham Festival just two weeks away, here is the fourth instalment of the ante-post focus. This column focuses on the exploits of Philip Hobbs’ Defi Du Seuil, who looks to hold oustanding claims of winning the JCB Triumph Hurdle at this year’s Festival.
Defi Du Seuil arrived at Hobbs’ yard after winning a contest at Lyon Parilly racecourse by seven and a half-lengths after which he was dutifully snapped up by owner JP McManus.
Sine then, the four-year-old son of Voix Du Nord has taken all before him with five easy successes under rules in Britain which have led him to the summit for the betting in the Triumph Hurdle, run on Gold Cup day and deservedly so.
A facile five-length winner of a maiden hurdle at Ffos Las in October, the French-bred gelding took the step up to Grade Two company in his stride at Cheltenham in November, scoring by one and thee-quarter lengths before returning to Prestbury Park in December to win by the same distance under Barry Geraghty.
At Chepstow next time, despite not jumping with great fluency, on his favoured soft ground, Hobbs’ charge routed a decent field in the Grade One Future Champions Finale Juvenile Hurdle by 13 lengths which served to reinforce his talent. An easy winner back at jump racing HQ last time by nine-lengths at odds of 1/5 on Festival Trials Day was a perfect warm-up for the Triumph and he looks sure to go close at the Festival.
With one of his main dangers Charli Parcs disappointing at Kempton Park on Saturday, Gordon Elliott’s Mega Fortune, a Grade One winner in Ireland looks set to be the main danger. However, Defi Du Seuil’s versatility given he has won on good and soft ground suggests he should take a lot of beating. Whilst he has already run five times this season, he looks to have his racing well and should go very close in this event.
