If The Cap Fits is now the second favourite behind Paisley Park to win the stayers' hurdle on the third day of the Cheltenham Festival next March. The horse won the Coral Hurdle at Ascot on Saturday and is now a best-priced +900 with online bookmakers. Only the defending champion is shorter in the betting. The ante-post picture will be clearer after If The Cap Fits and Paisley Park meet in the Long Walk Hurdle back at Ascot on the last Saturday before Christmas.
Paisley Park won the three most prestigious long-distance hurdle races last season. The horse improved for each run and provided one of the stories of jumps racing in 2018/19. Paisley Park is owned by Andrew Gemmell, who is blind. Despite this disability he loves the racing experience and his horse did not let him down. Paisley Park won all five starts and graduated from handicaps to winning graded hurdles, including the most important at the Festival for staying hurdlers.
Harry Fry, the trainer of If The Cap Fits, is keen to take on Paisley Park in the Long Walk Hurdle. The race could emerge as the key trial for the stayers' championship race at Cheltenham in the spring. Fry believes his horse's defeat of Call Me Lord in the Coral Hurdle warrants taking on the current champion. The race distance was two miles and three furlongs and If The Cap Fits stayed on well to beat Call Me Lord, which looked the most likely winner approaching the final obstacle.
If The Cap Fits won a Grade 1 hurdle at Aintree in April. Fry saw similar attributes in his horse at Ascot at the weekend.
“He refused to be beaten as he showed last April at Aintree,” the trainer said, according to the Racing Post.
“The Long Walk Hurdle is four weeks away which is spot on time-wise.
“He's got pace and stays so it's going to be interesting as I think Paisley Park is also being aimed at the race.”
Paisley Park is -149.99 with Coral to win the Long Distance Hurdle at Newbury on Friday, which is another important prep-race for the big one at Cheltenham. The race comes too soon for If The Cap Fits, but Paisley Park still has some tough nuts to crack. Thistlecrack is the second favourite in ante-post betting and is proven over three miles. Uknowhatimeanharry is another potential runner and William Henry could line up in the race. However, Paisley Park has to win with something in hand to justify his position in the stayers' hurdle betting.
If The Cap Fits could be a smaller price for the race without running if Paisley Park does not deliver at the end of the week. The latter horse produced a career-best Racing Post Rating (RPR) of 172 in winning the Cleeve Hurdle over three miles on Trial's Day at Cheltenham in January. If The Cap Fits produced his best RPR when running to 167 in the Coral Hurdle. In theory, the horse has to find five pounds with Paisley Park, but that is achievable because the horse continues to improve.
If The Cap Fits was very good on Saturday and there could be more progress to come, but Fry's horse has some ground to cover to be competitive with Paisley Park. It looks the biggest threat to the champion being the top dog over three miles again. If The Cap Fits never stops trying and no horse would feel comfortable in a battle with him up the Cheltenham Hill. Paisley Park is the king in the staying hurdlers division, but If The Cap Fits has the potential to take his crown.