Plumpton Tips: Hayley Moore’s Horses to Follow on Sussex Champion Hurdle Day
The Sussex Champion Hurdle day at Plumpton on Sunday promises to be an exciting event, with a number of top-class horses competing in various races. Sky Sports Racing’s Hayley Moore has provided her expert tips on which horses to follow, and we take a closer look at her selections.
According to Hayley Moore, writing for Sky Sports Racing, the opening race on Sunday, the 1.50 Extech Cloud Computing Mares’ Maiden Hurdle, looks like a good opportunity for Jasmine d’Airy to come home in front. As Moore notes, “She ran a good race in defeat last time at Ffos Las in a mares’ handicap hurdle, where the six-year-old tried to make all but was just a bit keen.” With the sharper track at Plumpton suiting her better, and front-runners generally doing well at this venue, Moore is hopeful that Jasmine d’Airy will finally get her head in front. Ben Sutton, a 5lb-claimer, will be back on board for trainer Harry Derham.
In the 2.20 Mayo Wynne Baxter Novices’ Handicap Chase, Moore is pinning her hopes on Jolyjump. The six-year-old will have cheekpieces on for the first time, which Moore believes will bring about further improvement. While the Class Four contest features some in-form horses in opposition, such as Bob Bob Ricard and Alien Storm, Moore notes that Jolyjump’s latest effort at Southwell has been boosted by the form of his third-placed finisher, Chestnut Pete, who has since won at Hereford.
The feature race on Sunday’s card, the 4.05 BetGoodwin Sussex Champion Hurdle Handicap Hurdle, looks set to be a brilliant renewal, with four horses lining up for Willie Mullins. Absurde appears to be the standout of his quartet after a good run at the Cheltenham Festival, but Moore believes that Spirit D’Aunou, who finished fifth behind Absurde, has a good chance of running a big race. As she notes, “Spirit D’Aunou wasn’t all that far away from him that day, however, running a great race to eventually finish fifth.” With blinkers going on for the first time, and potentially more rain ahead of the Class Two handicap, Moore thinks that Spirit D’Aunou could be a good bet.
In the 4.40 BetGoodwin Top UK Online Bookie Handicap Chase, Moore is impressed by Shakeyatailfeather, who ran a great race at Cheltenham earlier in the week. While this represents a quick turnaround, Moore believes that the six-year-old has already shown that he can win over further than this trip, and going back up in distance shouldn’t pose a problem. However, running under a 7lb penalty will be a tough ask.
Finally, in the 5.15 Phoenix Cycles Remember Ray Prior Handicap Hurdle, Moore is hoping that Busy Being Busy will put in a career-best performance. A winner of his last two outings for trainer Stuart Edmunds, Moore expects this lightly-raced five-year-old to keep on progressing. With the form from his last win at Fakenham working out well, and the extra furlong on offer not posing a problem, Moore thinks that Busy Being Busy has a good chance of success.
As Sky Sports Racing notes, “Watch every race from Plumpton – live on Sky Sports Racing.” With Hayley Moore’s expert tips, racing fans can make informed decisions about which horses to follow on Sussex Champion Hurdle day.
According to Sky Sports Racing, these are the horses to follow on Sussex Champion Hurdle day at Plumpton on Sunday. With a range of exciting races and top-class horses competing, it’s set to be a thrilling event.
