Evergreen Paisley Park 'tanking' as he aims to take down Marie's Rock and lay an early marker in Britain's staying division

The Long Distance Hurdle is traditionally the first major examination for Britain's leading staying hurdlers and will help establish a much-needed early pecking order. Usually someone is inconvenienced by the race's penalty structure given its Grade 2 status, and this season Dashel Drasher is the beneficiary at the expense of Paisley Park and Marie's Rock. 

The popular ten-year-old tops the pile on BHA ratings with a mark of 159 and gets 6lb from the 157-rated Paisley Park, while he concedes 1lb to Marie's Rock, who is rated 152.

If the BHA's figures are to be believed then Dashel Drasher, who unlike the other big players is race-fit, can hardly be deemed the third likeliest winner as the initial market suggests. 

However, Dashel Drasher's excellent runner-up finish in the Stayers' Hurdle in March is realistically an anomaly on his profile. It is 7lb clear of his second-best hurdles Racing Post Rating and his peak performances always coincide with slower ground, a concern with Newbury likely to serve up a quicker surface. Jeremy Scott's flagbearer has not looked the same since that gutsy Cheltenham effort either.

Paisley Park has a strong association with the Long Distance Hurdle as he boasts form figures of 1232 in it. He evidently relishes Newbury's long straight but is well exposed, and the opposite is true of Marie's Rock in the staying game.

An unstoppable, thriving Sire Du Berlais was Marie's Rock's only deterrent to striking on her first attempt at three miles in the Liverpool Hurdle. This distance seems her true calling.

She is arguably the only runner in the field aside from lightly raced stayer Hugos New Horse, who surely has too much on his plate for Paul Nicholls, with the potential to progress a good few pounds past their BHA mark.
Analysis by Robbie Wilders

Marie's Rock sets out on Stayers' Hurdle path  

You have to go back to 2000 and Bacchanal for the last time Nicky Henderson won the Stayers' Hurdle but the master of Seven Barrows is hoping Marie's Rock can develop into a bona fide contender for the the stayers' crown at Cheltenham in March.

Only Sire Du Berlais, winner of last season's Stayers' Hurdle, finished in front of Marie's Rock on her first attempt over three miles at Aintree in April and Henderson is confident in her ability over longer distances.

"Her only blip last season was at the festival but she ran very well over three miles at Aintree and that's why we're starting here over the same trip," said the trainer. 

"She worked at Newbury last week and that went great. She'll likely come back in trip for the Relkeel on New Year's Day but Aintree showed she gets three miles well and the campaign will be geared around staying races."

Paisley Park 'tanking' in his work

Paisley Park will make his fifth successive appearance in the Long Distance Hurdle and the way he worked in a recent gallop at Newbury has given connections confidence that there is plenty of spark left in the former Stayers' Hurdle winner.

A neck second to Champ last year and the winner in 2019, Paisley Park will turn 12 on January 1 but has been working with more pep in his step compared to last year, when many of trainer Emma Lavelle's horses were not at their best.

Paisley Park: winner of the race in 2019Credit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

"He was tanking when schooling in the week and he's certainly been in very good form," said Lavelle. "He likes Newbury and Barry [Fenton] was delighted when he went there last week. He said he gave him a better feel there than he had last year and he loved it. 

"God knows what the ground is going to be like but he seems to handle most things and it will be great to get some sort of guide to where we are with him."

What they say

Jeremy Scott, trainer of Dashel Drasher
Although he's got a reputation for loving deep ground, I think without having had a run it was just a bit too much at Wetherby. He's actually run some good races on better ground and, if we can recapture some of that form from last season, we shouldn't be a million miles away.  

Deborah Cole, trainer of Flight Deck
It's hard to find races for horses with his rating and these bigger races seem to be getting small fields, so why not have a go? It's a little bit daunting taking on some of the big guns but he's very well and we're happy to take our chance.

Paul Nicholls, trainer of Hugos New Horse
He's in the deep end a bit, but I've been thinking this would be nice to run him in for a while. For whatever reason he flopped at Cheltenham and I still don't know why. You can put a line through that and I hope he can run well.

Patrick Neville, trainer of Mahons Glory
I've had him since the spring and I've been happy with him so far. He was entered at Carlisle on Sunday but we thought we'd take our chance in a better race and smaller field. With a bit of luck he might pick up some nice prize-money.
Reporting by Lewis Porteous

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