Gold Cup and Grand National winning jockey Robbie Power believes Honeysuckle will record back-to-back victories in the Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival despite a looming danger.
The Henry De Bromhead trained mare sets the standard as the 8/11 antepost market favourite following her sensational 2021 and Power told our Leon Blanche what he makes of the highly anticipated Grade One contest. Have a watch, below!
He said: “We haven’t seen Honeysuckle since she won the Hatton’s Grace, but we will more than likely see her at the Dublin Racing Festival next month. She deserves to be as short as she is. She is still unbeaten and is going to be very hard to beat if she gets to Cheltenham in one piece.
“We haven’t seen Appreciate It since winning at the Cheltenham Festival last year as he suffered a setback and I think he is too short at 7/1. He was very impressive last season, but we haven’t seen him and we don’t even know when we will see him.
“I’d imagine it will be at the Dublin Racing Festival or the Red Mills Hurdle at Gowran and if he goes and wins either of them then he will shorten to win the Champion Hurdle.
“The biggest danger to Honeysuckle is last season’s juvenile Zanahiyr who ran a cracker at the Leopardstown Christmas Festival. Teahupoo who won impressively at Limerick at Christmas and Quilixios both have each-way chances, but Zanahiyr at 14/1 appeals to me in a strongly run race over 2 miles."
Robbie’s Champion Hurdle Picks
8-11 – Honeysuckle
14-1 – Zanahiyr (danger)
Bet on Cheltenham, HERE.
The Henry De Bromhead trained mare sets the standard as the 8/11 antepost market favourite following her sensational 2021 and Power told our Leon Blanche what he makes of the highly anticipated Grade One contest. Have a watch, below!
? Honeysuckle, the horse to beat in the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham?
— BoyleSports (@BoyleSports) January 13, 2022""
?️ Let's find out whether @Robbie_Power_ agrees. Here's his tips & predictions, chatting to @BoyleSportsLB ?
Bet here ? https://t.co/aZvJlFEGY9#Cheltenham2022 #Racing #AntePost pic.twitter.com/30iJWZhn48
He said: “We haven’t seen Honeysuckle since she won the Hatton’s Grace, but we will more than likely see her at the Dublin Racing Festival next month. She deserves to be as short as she is. She is still unbeaten and is going to be very hard to beat if she gets to Cheltenham in one piece.
“We haven’t seen Appreciate It since winning at the Cheltenham Festival last year as he suffered a setback and I think he is too short at 7/1. He was very impressive last season, but we haven’t seen him and we don’t even know when we will see him.
“I’d imagine it will be at the Dublin Racing Festival or the Red Mills Hurdle at Gowran and if he goes and wins either of them then he will shorten to win the Champion Hurdle.
“The biggest danger to Honeysuckle is last season’s juvenile Zanahiyr who ran a cracker at the Leopardstown Christmas Festival. Teahupoo who won impressively at Limerick at Christmas and Quilixios both have each-way chances, but Zanahiyr at 14/1 appeals to me in a strongly run race over 2 miles."
Robbie’s Champion Hurdle Picks
8-11 – Honeysuckle
14-1 – Zanahiyr (danger)
Bet on Cheltenham, HERE.