Racing Post

Seven the magic number in recent years

JAMES HILL

The last four winners of this race were all seven-year-olds

Last year’s 50-1 stunner Lisnagar Oscar did not fit many stats, but he did continue one recent eyecatching trend from this age group.

Lisnagar Oscar also continued the good recent record of second-season novices, and Rebecca Curtis’s charge is the third straight winner to have landed this having run in the previous season’s Albert Bartlett.

Perhaps the strongest trend Lisnagar Oscar fitted was the fact he’d recorded a previous top-two finish at Cheltenham. As many as eight of the last ten winners had strong course form to their name.

Verdict

Thyme Hill is a strong fit this year. A seven-year-old in his second season over hurdles with strong festival form, many thought he was unlucky not to win the Albert Bartlett 12 months ago, but he can make amends here. Paisley Park will be attempting to become only the third horse in the modern era to regain his crown in this event; the two who managed it previously were Crimson Embers (1986) and Inglis Drever (2007).

THURSDAY 3.05 PADDY POWER STAYERS’ HURDLE

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Racing Post