Stayers Hurdle 2019 Winner Odds & Predictions

Youngster Paisley Park can live up to the hype

Cheltenham Festival

Cheltenham Festival 2019 – Thursday, March 14th

This is such a fantastic race and it is one of the thrills of the festival’s Championship races because it always seems to be so wide open. You look back over the last four renewals of the Stayers and see that there have been three winners coming home in double figures for punters.

So this may be another wonderful spectacle for which Paisley Park is the 7/4 outright favourite* (betting odds taken from bet365 on March 13th, 2019 at 3:51 pm). Reigning Champion Penhill was a late withdrawal.

Stayers Hurdle 2019 Winner Odds*

Paisley Park 7/4
Faugheen 4/1
Supasundae 7/12
Barcardys 14/1
Kilbricken Storm 14/1
Top Notch 14/1
Black Op 14/1
Bapaume 22/1
West Approach 33/1
Petit Mouchoir 40/1
Wholestone 40/1
Sam Spinner 50/1
Coquin Mans 40/1
50/1 bar
* (betting odds taken from bet365 on March 13th, 2019 at 3:51 pm)

Paisley Park on the rise

There’s a lot to get through here and there are a lot of familiar names lining up in the race as well. Paisley Park is a great youngster here with four wins under his belt already this season. He has flown up the weights because of the progress that he has shown this season. This is something for him to go as favourite in this one. He probably isn’t even at his peak yet.

Back at the Long Walk Hurdle, Paisley Park beat both Top Notch and West Approach on the day, two decent runners. So that is a good measure of what Paisley Park is capable of. He has just looked more and more impressive each time he has stepped up and rampaging success the Cleeve Hurdle was something special.

Faugheen struggling for form

Faugheen is an interesting one here. A popular feature of the Cheltenham Festival but arrives this year with some uncertain from behind him. He priced strongly at odds on in the Morgiana Hurdle and just came up a long way short and then fell in the Christmas Hurdle. Since that big win that he got over Penhill last season after what was a disappointing outing at the Cheltenham Festival, it’s fair to say we haven’t seen the best of him. There are some great youngsters here to challenge him.

Other Contenders

Supasundae is a tough horse to grade. He looks as if he can take on the longer distances some days, other days the shorter distances seem to suit him. He was beaten in last year’s Stayers Hurdle so what he will do in this race is hard to gauge. Still he has taken a couple of decent second places this season, notably one in the Hatton’s Grace Hurdle behind Apple’s Jade, getting towards the three-mile distance that this Stayers Hurdle is.

Bacardys is another interesting one and would likely have placed in last year’s Stayers’ Hurdle but fell at the last. But he was moving well, jumping freely and if he discovers that then he has to pique some each way interest at 14/1 odds* (betting odds taken from bet365 on March 13th, 2019 at 3:51 pm). He’ll probably be more comfortable back on the hurdles considering his foray into chasing hasn’t gone well.

Black Op may be a nice each way option fit at 14/1 as well* (betting odds taken from bet365 on March 13th, 2019 at 3:51 pm). He has come back from failed chasing attempts and he looks far more suited for this staying challenge over the smaller obstacles. In his first trip over this distance, he came third and that was a good effort from him. It hints that he could show up well in this one as a strong outsider option.

Predictions

A great field and the exciting Paisley Park is certainly the one to beat in the field. This is such an great 7 year old with such a high ceiling still to hit. It should be something to watch as he takes on this challenge and we are sticking with him to power through as the winner. For the each way options, there doesn’t look anything wrong with Bacardys and Black Ops, two returning horses to the hurdles.