Exciting Youngster Paisley Park a Big Price for Long Walk Glory

On Saturday afternoon, the Grade One Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot will take place. The usual suspects are among the 11 runners going to post but we also have a youngster aiming to step up and show he can run at Grade One level and that is Paisley Park. The six year old comes here on the back of a win in the Grade Three Betfair handicap hurdle in November, following the same path that Sam Spinner did last season when winning this race.

Sam Spinner is one of the horses against him in this race, and he rose through the ranks at a rapid rate last season. If Emma Lavelle wants to follow the path of any horse with Paisley Park, then she is probably hoping that her horse can do the same as Sam Spinner did.

Another youngster in this race and looking to climb the staying hurdling ranks is Call Me Lord, and he is likely to be sent off as the favourite on Saturday. The Nicky Henderson trained five year old is having his first run of the season, but did win a Grade Two by 16 lengths on his last outing last season. There is every chance he has improved over the summer, and with this division being wide open right now, we are waiting for a youngster to come along and sweep all before them, Call Me Lord could be that horse.

Of the old guard, Unowhatimeanharry, Agrapart, Top Notch and West Approach join Sam Spinner in trying to prevent the youngsters from coming here and taking the crown off them. Unowhatimeanharry won at the grand old age of ten last time out at Newbury, although he is likely to have a lot more on his plate here.

The two youngsters are likely to be the two horses to focus on here and we are desperate for someone to come and take the staying hurdling division by storm this season. If you are looking for a bit of value on Saturday afternoon then Paisley Park is the horse to be on. He comes here in fine form, and is quickly improving through the ranks and looks more than deserving of his place in this field.

There is a lot to like about Call Me Lord and he is another who could take this division by storm this season. However, he is very short in the betting for his seasonal debut, so it is Paisley Park that gets the vote at a much bigger price for his slighlty less fashionable yard. I don’t think we have seen the best of Paisley Park yet, and if there is more to come from him then he is in with a big chance on ratings.