TOUGH STREAK
Never-say-die attitude can overcome the ‘fancy Dans’
EVAN WILLIAMS has a pledge for rivals of Silver Streak in today’s Unibet Champion Hurdle: “Our man won’t like down.”
The grey’s never-say-die attitude has won him an army of fans and eight of his 25 starts over hurdles.
The most recent victory came when flooring reigning Champion Hurdler – and 1-5 favourite – Epatante in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton on Boxing Day. Adam Wedge elected to make the running on the eight-year-old son of Dark Angel, who galloped to a six-and-a-half-length win for his first success at the highest level.
“The ground has been key that day. It was genuinely good to soft ground , and we changed the tactics,” says the Vale of Glamorgan trainer.
Unfortunately Wedge will miss today’s ride after suffering a back injury and will be replaced by Tom O’Brien. But Williams is still confident.
Silver Streak was an 80-1 shot when running third to Espoir D’Allen in the Champion Hurdle two years ago and Williams admits: “I couldn’t pretend I thought he was a Grade 1 horse. We had missed the Kingwell Hurdle (at Wincanton) because of the vaccinations for equine flu.
“We thought he could take running in Grade 1 races because even if he got beat it wouldn’t crush him mentally.This fella wouldn’t get daunted — he’d just raise his game again.
“He’s a huge over-achiever, because he just likes winning. You’ve always got the ultra-talented ones that don’t try, and then you get the odd horse or player that achieves far higher than their natural ability because of their dogged determination. “That’s what he’s got.”
Williams concedes Epatante, dual Irish Champion Hurdle heroine Honeysuckle and Goshen deserve their place at the head of the betting. Silver Streak, winner of Kempton’s Listed Racing TV Hurdle in October before being carried out at the second flight of Newcastle’s top-level Fighting Fifth Hurdle the following month, lifted the Christmas Hurdle just 14 days after a fast-closing nose defeat in Cheltenham’s International Hurdle.
“He’s very, very, very tough,” adds Williams. “Normally, I get nervous in the run-up to a big race, but there’s nothing better than being an underdog when you’re going into battle with someone who’s not going to shirk it.
“If any of the ‘fancy Dan’ horses show a weakness, if any of them don’t bring their ‘A’ game, if any of them make a mistake at the wrong time or if any of them falter, they’re going to have Silver Streak sticking his grey nose next to them.” ODDS: 14-1