Wednesday 27 January 2010
EBADIYAN, an €18,000 purchase at the Goffs Horses in Training sale in October 2008, is on course for the Cheltenham Festival after a success in the Listed Limestone Lad Hurdle at Naas last Tuesday. Oliver Brady’s charge can be considered most unlucky at last season’s Festival, as he ran out when leading the field in the Triumph Hurdle, won by fellow Aga Khan-bred ZAYNAR. EBADIYAN returned to winning ways when staying on gamely under a strong ride from John Cullen to take the two mile, three furlong Listed contest. The grey is a grandson of Irish Oaks heroine Ebadiyla and the family has already shone at Cheltenham thanks to his three-quarter brother Ebaziyan, winner of the Gr 1 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle.
EBADIYAN holds entries in both the Gr 1 Champion Hurdle and World Hurdle at Cheltenham in March. In the former, his biggest danger could come from ZAYNAR, while another Aga Khan graduate among the entries is Kargali, a Listed winner and Gr 3 third on the flat. Mourad, who finished third in last season’s Triumph Hurdle and recently ran out the ten-length winner of a hurdle contest at Punchestown, could also represent the Aga Khan studs breeding operation in the World Hurdle.
The tough and versatile Afsoun has won on the flat, over hurdles and over fences during an illustrious career and he is still performing at the top level as he proved with a third place in the Gr 2 Champion Hurdle Trial at Haydock Park on Saturday. Afsoun is not entered in the forthcoming Champion Hurdle, but the son of Kahyasi took third place in the 2007 edition.
Also at the weekend, Sinndar’s daughter Sweetheart opened her Pattern account with victory in the Grade 2 1942 Was A Vintage Year Mares’ Hurdle at Ascot. The dual-purpose six-year-old has now won three hurdle races to add to her four flat successes, and she was going one better in the Grade 2 event in which she had taken second place a year earlier.
Updated on 27/01/2010
