Strong Leader booked for Cleeve Hurdle outing before spring plans

Strong Leader is on course for the Cleeve Hurdle at Cheltenham later this month having undergone a wind operation following his disappointing run in Ascot’s Long Walk Hurdle.

A Grade One winner of the Liverpool Hurdle for Olly Murphy last spring, the eight-year-old made a winning return at Newbury in the Grade Two Long Distance Hurdle before being sent off favourite for Ascot’s pre-Christmas staying hurdling feature.

However, Strong Leader was unable to make his presence felt, weakening out of it before two out and finishing some 75 lengths adrift of back-to-back winner Crambo, as he came home last of the 10 runners.

Having been found to have a wind issue, he has since had his palate cauterised by renowned expert Ben Brain and is back on track ahead of his intended next assignment at Prestbury Park on January 25.

“”He’s in good form and I’m really happy with him – he’s now back in full work and aiming for the Cleeve all being well,” said Murphy.

“He’s had his palate cauterised and Ben Brain the wind specialist thought that would help things.

“I would have been more disappointed if he had finished third or fourth at Ascot to be honest, but he just didn’t run his race and he’s come out of it with an excuse and the wind issue.

“I said before the Long Walk I didn’t want to have an excuse and you need to turn up with your A game in those Grade Ones, but he did come back with the wind issue and he’ll head to the Cleeve and we’ll find out a bit more about him then.”

Strong Leader was a gallant third in the Cleeve Hurdle last year, beaten just over a length in a thrilling finish to the Trials day contest, headed only by the winner Noble Yeats and now retired stalwart of the division Paisley Park.

A general 20-1 for the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle in March, Murphy believes this year’s Cleeve will indicate whether they go on to have a crack at the day three feature of the Cheltenham Festival or again bide their time and attempt to recreate last year’s Aintree heroics.

“It’s such a wide-open division and every horse in that division can beat each other, but on his day we know what he can do and hopefully we can get him back to the form he was in at Aintree last year,” continued Murphy.

“Every horse is entitled to an off day and he had an off day and came out of it with an issue, so hopefully the Cleeve can be a nice stepping stone on the road to the spring. He ran well in the Cleeve last year

“I think the Cleeve will give us a good idea if he’s a horse for the Stayers’ or we freshen him up and head to Aintree again fresh.”