Horsebetting.com experts give their 2018 Welsh Champion Hurdle betting tips for the 2m feature contest at Ffos Las on Saturday, 20 October. Silver Streak has a progressive profile and, from the foot of the weights, looks worth a wager to land the spoils. Last year’s winner The New One has become well-treated, so rates the main danger. Le Prezien, meanwhile, represents red-hot trainer Paul Nicholls, who has a good record in the race and figures on handy mark, so looks a solid each-way option. Read our in-depth 2018 Welsh Champion Hurdle betting tips preview for more details on these horses’ chances in this cracking handicap.Silver Streak has a super chance in Welsh Champion HurdleSilver Streak has a progressive profile and looks decent value to land the feature race at Ffos Las on Saturday, the 2m Welsh Champion Hurdle (16:25). This Evan Williams trained five-year-old has won four of his 11 starts and also made the frame on three occasions.
In the last of those successes back in May, he put in a tremendous performance when beating Chesterfield by three-quarters of a length in the valuable 16-runner Swinton Handicap Hurdle at Haydock. After racing in mid-division, Silver Streak began to make a move going well three from home. He then got badly hampered at the second last and that appeared to have put paid to his chances.
However, once gathered up again by jockey Adam Wedge, he came from three lengths down at the last and powered up the long run-in to get up close home and score a shade cosily in the end. Given how the race panned out, it was an effort which could be upgraded and one which suggested there was even better to come from the son of Dark Angel.
The assessor has raised Silver Streak 7lb for that success, but a revised rating of 139 should not be beyond him given that he is lightly-raced for his age and clearly going the right way. His last four wins have also come after a break, so an absence of 161 days is not a worry as he clearly goes extremely well fresh.
Silver Streak also has a 40 per cent strike rate over the 2m trip of this, is versatile as regards ground and once again has the services of Wedge in the saddle. Off joint-bottom weight of 10st 4lb he also receives a massive 20lb from last year’s winner The New One, who heads the betting at the time of writing.
Taking everything into account, this race looks tailor-made for Silver Streak and there is nothing not to like about his profile. He looks a hurdler to follow this season and therefore had to feature as the main selection in our 2018 Welsh Champion Hurdle betting tips preview.The New One out to retain crownNigel Twiston-Davies trained stable star The New One showed great battling qualities to land the spoils in this 12 months ago, so looks sure to make a bold bid to retain his crown. The now 10-year-old has been a tremendous servant over the years, plying his trade at the highest level and winning 17 of his 34 starts over hurdles. In doing so, he has amassed career earnings of over £1,000,000.
After landing this off a mark of 160 by three-quarters of a length from Clyne, the veteran went on to chase home My Tent Or Yours in a Grade 2 at Cheltenham and was then far from disgraced when beaten 2 1/4 lengths by the brilliant and now dual Champion Hurdle winner Buveur D’air in the Grade 1 Christmas Hurdle at Kempton.
The New One then failed to fire at the Cheltenham Festival when a distant 12th of 15 in the Grade 1 Stayers’ Hurdle, and it was a similar story on his final start of the campaign when pulled-up in the Grade 1 Aintree Hurdle won by L’ami Serge at the Grand National meeting. He now has something to prove, but this does represent a return to much calmer waters.
Believe it or not, The New One is also able to race off 1lb lower than when landing the spoils in this last year, so is back on a handy mark. Many have also been quick to write him off in the past, but he has so far proved them to be wrong and bounced back.
If it comes down to a battle, then The New One certainly won’t shirk the issue and on the pick of his form is a worthy favourite. However, giving lumps of weight away all-round is no easy task and, at the odds on offer, there are enough reasons to suggest he is worth taking on in this.Le Prezien the each-way puntTrainer Paul Nicholls has his team in red-hot form and his sole representative is Le Prezien. This JP McManus owned seven-year-old is better known as a chaser these days, but now switches back to the smaller obstacles off a potentially lenient mark, so makes plenty of each-way appeal.
The gelding was a very smart juvenile hurdler in 2015-16, winning three of his eight starts and finishing placed on four occasions. He ran his best race in defeat when a cracking 2 1/4 lengths runner-up to Yorkhill in a Grade 1 at Aintree.
Le Prezien had his attention switched to chasing after that and has developed into a really useful handicapper. He has won three times and enjoyed his finest hour in the last of those when asserting after the last to readily beat Gino Trial by 4 1/2 lengths in the 22-runner Grand Annual Chase at this year’s Cheltenham Festival off a mark of 150.
He got put up to 157 for that taking victory, but is able to race off 6lb lower over hurdles. Off a rating of 151 he could be very well-in at the weights, and Nicholls has a good record in the race having won it three times courtesy of Vol Solitaire (2002), Saphir Du Rheu (2014) and Silsol (2015).
So, taking everything into account, there is lots to like about the chances of Le Prezien in this. It very hard not to him finishing out of the first three and it would be no shock if he won. Hence he had to feature at the each-way punt in out 2018 Welsh Champion Hurdle betting tips.Your Next Bet
