Philip Hobbs-trained runner beats popular Paisley ParkPair may clash in Long Walk or Cleeve before CheltenhamThyme Hill landed the first blow in what could prove to be a season-long rivalry here on Friday as he held the late charge of Paisley Park, the 2019 Stayers’ Hurdle winner, by one-and-a-half lengths in the Ladbrokes Long Distance Hurdle with McFabulous, the favourite, only third. All three are likely to be aimed at the Stayers’ Hurdle in March, while the Long Walk Hurdle next month and the Cleeve Hurdle in January could also bring two or more of Friday’s protagonists together on the road to the Festival.
It took some time for the field to even break into a canter, and the race was more a sprint up the straight than a test of stamina. Thyme Hill, though, was a comfortable winner on the day and Philip Hobbs confirmed afterwards that the six-year-old is the best long-distance hurdling prospect he has trained. “I’ve never had a horse that was even likely for the Stayers’ Hurdle,” Hobbs said. “There is still room for improvement, he would have been pretty fit today but the run would put him right as well.”