Sol lights up Leopardstown with sparkling performance in Toshiba Irish Champion Hurdle

Solwhit has once again cemented his place at the head of the Cheltenham Champion Hurdle market with a scintillating performance today.

Hopes are now high that this stable star of Charles Byrnes, owned by the Top Of The Hill Syndicate and sourced by bloodstock agents PEAK BLOODSTOCK Ltd. can reward his growing fan base with a top performance in March.

In a race which was run at a true pace, Solwhit, travelled in his usual stylish manner, jumping both accurately and fluently throughout. He never seemed to be in any real trouble, and when the questions were asked he picked up well to defeat some serious rivals.

Solwhit looks to have all the answers to the Champion Hurdle question, his ability to travel in a fast run race, his ability to jump at pace and his ability to stay a tough 2 miles. Having won at the top level over hurdles and also a  November Handicap on the flat, he has gone from strength to strength over the past 12 months, and what once looked like a pipe dream of winning the big one in March is now becoming a real possibility.

Indeed, his November Handicap win at Leopardstown, was the second time that PEAK BLOODSTOCK Ltd., who sourced the horse in France, have landed that prize, having been successful with Lounaos in 2006, and although Lounaos ran a very creditable 4th in the AIG that season, and River Liane, who was 3rd in 2009, have both enhanced PEAK BLOODSTOCK’s reputation, it is Solwhit who has flown the flag at its highest for this young and enterprising bloodstock agency.

French bred horses have had a remarkable impact on racing over the past 5 years, with France now rivalling Ireland as an outstanding source of NH Cheltenham winners. Their record in the championship races over the past NH seasons is evident for all, and although it can be a struggle to prise some of their best horses from France, the success of these French breds has paid great dividends.

Solwhit is perhaps unique, in that he is not from one of the top French stables, and was in fact trained by Claude Dondi in Belgium. He also never ran at Frances top track, Auteuil, having achieved his sole success on his debit over hurdles at Enghien, a faster track and less demanding than the gruelling Auteuil surface. If not for PEAK BLOODSTOCK’s depth of contacts in France and Belgium he might never have been discovered until a later stage of his career, and he may indeed have left the best behind by the time he was pounced on by Ireland and the UK’S top trainers.

Much credit is due to the patient approach which his Irish connections have taken with this talented horse, and with the big one now just around the corner, Solwhit will have Irish, French and Belgium fans among those who hope he can continue his winning ways.