Stayers' Handicap Hurdle 2020 Tips

The Stayers’ Handicap will be on the same Haydock racecard as the Betfair Chase and we’re looking forward to seeing some of the best three-mile hurdlers battle it out on a relatively flat track for a bid to claim the Stayers’ Hurdle which is scheduled to take place at Cheltenham Festival later in the season.

Imperial Alcazar and Tea Clipper Head the Betting

Imperial Alcazar has yet to be seen at a racecourse this season although the Fergal O’Brien-trained horse has previously served up some impressive performances, most notably when winning at Leicester on 29 January, with that being a Novices’ Hurdle victory over the distance of two miles and four furlongs on heavy ground.

Previously to this, jockey Paddy Brennan had guided the horse to second place in the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle on 1 January and we should expect a spirited showing from a horse who has previously shown bags of stamina when appearing at various racecourses.

Tea Clipper is also near the head of the betting market for the Stayers’ and Tom Lacey could have a seriously talented five-year-old considering that he showed an impressive turn of foot to win the Wasdell Group Silver Trophy Handicap Hurdle at Chepstow, with the horse coming back from a sizeable break to win.

However, you can make a case for several of the horses in the field and this might be all about having an each-way bet, with a selection such as Collooney potentially not too far away after the JP McManus-owned charge recently claimed a victory at Fontwell on his seasonal reappearance to the course.

Honest Vic is another horse who won on his seasonal reappearance and deserves his place among the favourites, with the Henry Daly-trained horse deserving lots of respect for winning the Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle on 24 October and beating plenty of talented horses in the process.

The History of the Haydock Stayers’ Handicap Hurdle

This is not a race with a huge history, having been introduced in 2005 as part of the Betfair Chase day and it has continued to be a prominent race on the card, with this being a Grade 3 encounter which attracts plenty of stellar talent looking to land some prize money for connections.

Paisley Park was a notable winner of the race in 2018 before the Emma Lavelle-trained charge went on to win the 2019 Stayers’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, while Stoney Mountain claimed victory in 2019 and this is a race that has had Grade 3 status since 2011.