Source: Racing Post via Twitter
Charli Parcs will be aiming to find his form to deliver a victory at the Racing Welfare Handicap Hurdle at the end of December at Ascot. The French horse had a brilliant start to his career but has not entered the winners’ circle in 2017, despite his pedigree on the track.
The French horse has been considered the leading contender for the meet at Ascot, although given his lack of success, it will be worth keeping an eye out to assess the field from tips at Timeform. There could be an outsider that could knock off Nicky Henderson’s charge to claim the crown, with a talented field competing in the meet.
Charli Parcs began his career with a victory on home soil in the Saint-Raphael Juvenile Hurdle, defeating his nearest rival Poker Play by one length. Owner JP McManus turned the bay gelding into the hands of Henderson after the triumph. In his first outing under his new trainer, the French horse delivered a fine performance at the Introductory Juvenile Hurdle at Kempton Park. With Noel Fehily in the saddle, he dominated the rest of the field to claim the win by eight lengths.
The four-year-old was aiming to make it three wins on the bounce in his next appearance at Kempton Park in the Genius Adonis Juvenile Hurdle. He was making solid progress to close the gap on the leaders after a pedestrian start to the meet, but suffered the first fall of his career two fences from the end of the race.
Henderson’s charge was considered one of the leading contenders for the Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham Festival, despite his fall in his previous outing. However, the French horse struggled to come through the crowded field, and although he tried to mount a charge down the final stretch, the bay gelding could only muster a sixth-place finish.
Source: RPWeekender via Twitter
At the start of the 2017-18 season, Fehily returned to the saddle ay Newbury Racecourse in the Intermediate Hurdle. Charli Parcs had a slow start to the meet and had issues once again making his way through the pack. However, he surged to close the gap on High Bridge in the latter stages of the contest, only to make a crucial mistake that allowed his rival to edge him out by one-and-a-quarter lengths.
Charli Parcs has a strong pedigree for the contest at Ascot, but there will be horses up for the challenge of denying him a return to winning ways. Alan King’s charge Elgin has had an impressive start to the campaign, notching back-to-back victories. The five-year-old began his term with a disappointing run at the Handicap Hurdle at Chepstow, only to bounce back with a strong performance at Ascot to claim the fourth win of his career.
Elgin displayed a clinical edge in his last outing in November at Cheltenham to close out victory in the Greatwood Handicap Hurdle. He was pressed down the stretch by Misterton, but did just enough to win by a neck. The bay gelding will pose a significant threat to the French horse when the action gets underway at Ascot at the end of the month.
