Black Jack Will Take Some Ketching In World Hurdle
Black Jack Ketchum heads a list of 35 horses that have been entered for the Ladbrokes World Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.
The eight year old, who remains unbeaten after eight starts and is yet to be tested in a race, will be aiming to emulate his performance in last years Brit Insurance Novices' Hurdle and is already a warm order for the three mile Thursday highlight. Black Jack Ketchum is one of five Jonjo O'Neill entries that includes East Tycoon, Fire Dragon, Refinement and Rhinestone Cowboy who returned to the track late last year after a lengthy absence.
The main threat to Black Jack Ketchum is likely to come from Howard Johnson's 2005 winner Inglis Drever and recent BGC Long Walk hurdle winner Mighty Man who are 5-1 and 6-1 with William Hill. Other notable inclusions are Irish raider Celestial Wave, who won the woodiesdiy Christmas hurdle at Leopardstown, and two time Champion Hurdle winner Hardy Eustace.
William Hills Ben Clarke added: "Its rare that you see odds on shots at the Cheltenham Festival but with eight wins from eight starts Black Jack Ketchum looks a cut above the opposition and will be sent off at very prohibitive odds. He has yet to come off the bridle in a race so we don't know how much he will find when pushed but his performances to date, including at the festival last year, have been nothing short of breathtaking and he will no doubt carry the additional burden of being the English banker of the meeting."
Ladbrokes World Hurdle (William Hill Bet): 8-11 Black Jack Ketchum, 5-1 Inglis Drever, 6-1 Mighty Man, 10-1 Asian Maze, 12-1 Celestial Wave, 20-1 Hardy Eustace, 33-1 Al Eile, Blazing Bailey, Dom D'Orgeval, Fire Dragon, Flight Leader, Irish Wolf, Lord Sam, Lough Derg, Temoin, 40-1 Over The Creek, Powerstation, Redemption, Rhinestone Cowboy, Sleeping Night, Strangely Brown, 50-1 Kasbah Bliss, Labelthou, Material World, Millenium Royal, Our Ben, Princess D'Anjou, Refinement, United, 66-1 Finger On The Pulse, Korelo, 100-1 Easy Tycoon, Overstrand, 200-1 Just Beth, Santas Son.
