Lizzie Kelly

FESTIVAL-WINNING JOCKEY

NEWBURY’S Challow Hurdle has thrown up some good winners in recent years, including today’s Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase hope Thyme Hill and Friday’s Boodles Gold Cup contender Bravemansgame.

This season’s Paul Nicholls-trained winner HERMES ALLEN looks well up to that standard and he can prove that in the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle. Nicholls has made no secret of how much he thinks of Hermes Allen and, equally tellingly, jockey Harry Cobden has described the gelding as the best novice hurdler he has ridden.

The Challow Hurdle form has also been franked, with runner-up You Wear It Well easily winning a decent race since. The fourth and fifth-placed finishers have also won since the Challow. That race was run on soft ground, which means today’s going holds no fears for Hermes Allen. He is also a fair price due to Willie Mullins having some popular runners.