Baracouda - has the class to prevail.

By Simon Holt

Betting Box Tipping Guide

BETTING BOX
FIXED ODDS
	4pts Baracouda (3.15) at 5/4 (totalbet and ukbetting).	Best staying hurdler for many years and can win this for a third time.
	4pts Our Vic (2.35) at 9/4 (Sporting Odds).	Class act and sticks out as banker material in the race.

Baracouda is looking for his third stayers' hurdling crown in a race that is now known as the Ladbroke World Hurdle.

He is one of the best staying hurdlers we have ever seen probably.

He has a lot of qualities, including tremendous stamina.

He jumps brilliantly and is very quick over his obstacles but at the end of the day he stays better then most horses.

Last season he ran another tremendous race against another exceptional stayer when second to Iris's Gift.

Perhaps at the age of 10 he is not going to be getting any better but he does have a defeat of Crystal D'Ainay and Rule Supreme to his credit at Windsor in December.

If Tony McCoy can time things as well as Thierry Doumen used to then he can just pounce up the hill.

He is not going to be easy to oppose.

I would be encouraged by the step up in trip for Inglis Drever.

He has won over 2m5f and is a high-class horse.

He has form that would have entitled him to run in the Champion Hurdle so it is quite significant that connections have opted to run in this race.

The only thing I did not like about his last run at Wincanton when he won the Kingwell Hurdle was his jumping.

He went badly left there throughout and it got more and more pronounced as the race went on.

You would just worry about his slickness over the hurdles - he is not as experienced as Baracouda - and that may just the prove the decisive factor.

Emotional Moment has done nothing wrong after winning his last three starts.

On the ratings he has a bit to find and you would think he has an each-way chance at best even though he is in fine fettle.

Looking at the other races on Thursday, I think we have a potential banker in the Daily Telegraph Trophy.

With Kicking King now going for the Gold Cup, Our Vic looks to have a very strong chance.

He is currently around 2/1 or 9/4 and I could see him going off at very short odds on the day.

He is held in tremendously high regard by trainer Martin Pipe and would probably have won the Bonusprint Gold Cup at Cheltenham before Christmas but for falling at the last.

This trip looks ideal for him and he is a horse of huge talent.