Unibet International Hurdle
Grade 2, Cheltenham 15:00
£140,000 guaranteed,
4yo plus,
2m 179y, Class 1  
Saturday 11th December 2021

FormRatings

1 Guard Your Dreams 5/1
2 Song For Someone 3/1
3 Hunters Call 16/1
7 ran Distances: ½l, ½l, 9½l
Time: 4m 2.98s (slow by 5.98s)

Guard Your Dreams, trained by Nigel Twiston-Davies, battled on bravely up the hill to land the Grade Two contest in a driving finish.

Olly Murphy’s veteran Hunters Call appeared to have the race in safe keeping as he travelled smoothly into contention on the bridle.

He jumped the last in front but Guard Your Dreams had yet to be asked for a serious effort and engaged top gear on the run to the line.

Having shrugged off that danger, Guard Your Dreams knuckled down stoutly for Sam Twiston-Davies to keep last year’s winner Song For Someone at bay by half-a-length.

Twiston-Davies said: “We won this a few times with The New One and Ballyandy was narrowly beaten once or twice, giving weight to good horses. It’s very pleasing to be back here again.

“We’ve had two seconds in novice chases today and we’d have been happy with second here. According to the handicapper we couldn’t win, but we did.

“He’s just a nice, young horse who is improving. He toughed it out and galloped to the line.

“We’ll definitely look at the Champion Hurdle Trial at Haydock. I think the Champion Hurdle – the Irish have got a say in that, but we’ll think about it.”

QuinnBet

Unibet International Hurdle (Grade 2)
£140,000 guaranteed, 4yo plus, 2m 179y, Class 1
7 ran
Going: Good to Soft

POS. DIST HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY SP
1     Guard Your Dreams 5 11-0 Nigel Twiston-Davies Sam Twiston-Davies 5/1
2 ½ Song For Someone 6 11-6 Tom Symonds Aidan Coleman 3/1
3 ½ Hunters Call 11 11-0 Olly Murphy Sean Bowen 16/1
4 9½ Heaven Help Us 7 10-11 Paul Hennessy Danny Mullins 13/2
5 12 Ballyadam 6 11-3 Henry De Bromhead Rachael Blackmore 5/1
6 3 Sceau Royal 9 11-6 Alan King Daryl Jacob 11/4F
7 43 Wilde About Oscar 6 11-2 Dan Skelton Harry Skelton 20/1

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