JRL Group Liverpool Hurdle report: Sire Du Berlais wears down Flooring Porter
By David Ord
19:25 · SAT April 09, 2022
Sire Du Berlais (16/1) wore down 11/8 favourite Flooring Porter to win the Grade One JRL Group Liverpool Hurdle.
The eventual runner-up blazed his usual early trail but the Paddy Power Stayers' Hurdle winner at Cheltenham couldn't shake off the eventual winner all the way down the home straight.
Sire Du Berlais landed in front at the last and stayed on dourly to beat his rival by a length-and-three-quarters although Flooring Parter was snatched up inside the final 100 yards.
Access to exclusive features all for FREE - No monthly subscription fee
Log in with your existing Sporting Life, Sky Bet, or Sky Games account. If you don't have any of those, it's completely FREE to register!
Elliott said: “He’s tough. We thought he’d run well in the Pertemps at Cheltenham (11th) but that race just didn’t work out for him. That’s great, and I think the long straight really helped him as he got into a lovely rhythm and he jumped great. I don’t know about Punchestown, we’ll enjoy today and see what happens. I suppose it is a bit of a surprise but that’s the game we’re in. I’d say the better ground helped him.”
Flooring Porter’s trainer Gavin Cromwell was philosophical in defeat, with next year’s Festival and a Stayers’ Hurdle hat-trick on the agenda.
He said: “I thought he was a bit gassy and fresh going to the start and then again in the race itself. He got beat, but that’s racing, and he was a length and three-quarters down at the line. I hope we can bring him back to Cheltenham for another crack at the Stayers’ next season.”
Champ finished one place better than at Cheltenham, although he was beaten four lengths by Flooring Porter on that occasion.
His trainer Nicky Henderson said: “He stayed on well from a fair way back. He’s entered in Ireland (Punchestown) but we’ll have to see.”
We are committed to Safer Gambling and have a number of self-help tools to help you manage your gambling. We also work with a number of independent charitable organisations who can offer help and answers any questions you may have.
