Structure Hill is ready to begin at extraordinarily shorts odds to beat a most of 4 rivals in Saturday’s BetMGM Combating Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle, and proprietor Michael Buckley admits that does heighten the pre-race nerves.
The Nicky Henderson-trained six-year-old was a superb winner of the Gosforth Park showpiece final season, earlier than happening to land the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton, the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham and the Aintree Hurdle to increase his faultless file to seven.
Buckley mentioned: “Having a 6/1 on favourite is a different sort of pressure, but I’m looking forward to it.
“I had a espresso with William Haggas final week and he mentioned ‘I really feel for you, as a result of you could have these excellent horses and so they come alongside so occasionally for any of us, however there is a completely different strain’.
“He mentioned going for the Queen Anne at 1/6 [with Baaeed] was one of the vital pressurised issues he is ever felt, which is foolish actually, however all you do is consider what can go improper slightly than what can go proper.
“It is a privilege to be given a horse like this. You can buy lots of horses, but it’s a gift if you get something that is so exceptional and it’s a joy and a thrill and the worrying bits are just part of life – I’d rather have those worries than not have the horse, anyway.”
Not solely does Structure Hill possess good potential, however a lot can be made about his apparently bombproof temperament.
“He’s very chilled until the business moments arrive. He’s pretty exuberant when he sees a hurdle, certainly if there’s another horse around, but he is just what he is – he keeps his energy at a low level until he has to use it,” Buckley added.
“It’s a bit terrifying at times, the way he takes off, but I think he just likes to show off. He likes to take off outside the wings and I just hope he doesn’t lose his ability to measure the hurdles properly!
“Individuals appear to like him, so I hope he does his stuff and runs someplace like he did final season.”
With Structure Hill’s top-class stablemate Shishkin additionally set to make the journey to the north east for the Rehearsal Chase, a unbelievable afternoon’s sport is in retailer. However the prospect of plummeting temperatures is a significant fear for all these concerned.
Ought to Newcastle’s fixture fall to the chilly snap, Structure Hill appears set to move straight to the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton on Boxing Day resulting from an absence of alternate options within the meantime.
Buckley added: “I think it’s going to be pretty tough for Nicky, because both horses [Constitution Hill and Shishkin] are going there and if everything goes well with them the idea was that they would both go to Kempton.
“There’s two issues – there’s nothing appropriate between from time to time and there’s no time. It is solely three weeks from Saturday till Boxing Day.”
Watch all of the motion from Newcastle on Saturday dwell on Sky Sports activities Racing with the Combating Fifth at 1.55pm and the Rehearsal Chase at 3.05pm.