The Long Walk Hurdle was first run in 1965 and it was initially a handicap race. It became a conditions race in 1971, and it was given Grade One status in 1990.

Prior to the redevelopment of Ascot Racecourse (2004-2006) the race was run over 3 miles and 1½ furlongs.

Six winners of the Long Walk Hurdle (currently named The Marsh Hurdle) have gone on to win the Stayers’ Hurdle in the same season.

Derring Rose (1980–81), Baracouda (2001–02), My Way de Solzen (2005–06), Big Buck’s (2009–10, 2010-11 and 2011-12), Thistlecrack (2015–16) and Paisley Park (2018-19).

Long Walk Hurdle: Race Trends

• Previous Course Form – 5/10 winners had at least one previous run at Ascot, 3/10 winners had at least one previous win at Ascot.
• Previous Distance Form – 9/10 winners had at least three previous runs over 24-26 furlongs, 9/10 had at least one previous win over 24-26 furlongs.
• Previous Hurdle Form – 9/10 winners had at least 10 runs over hurdles, 10/10 winners had at least three wins over hurdles, 10/10 winners had at least four wins over hurdles.
• Age – 9 of the last 10 winners were aged between 6 and 8-y-o.
• Price – 5 of the last 10 favourites have won, 9/10 winners were in the top three in the horse racing betting.
• Last Run – 6 of the last 10 winners won on their last run before the Long Walk Hurdle, 10/10 winners ran within the last 34 days.
• Rating – 10/10 winners were rated 151 or higher.
• Grade 1 Wins – 8/10 winners had at least one previous win in a Grade 1 race.
• Season Form – 10/10 winners had at least one run that season, 8/10 winners had at least one win that season.

2019 Long Walk Hurdle Contenders:

Agrapart (Nick Williams)

All of his best form has come on soft to heavy going and he should be suited by the ground conditions once again here.

Worryingly all of his hurdling wins have come when going left-handed so a track of this nature could cause problems once again.

A former Cleeve Hurdle winner back in the day, he could well be on the premises if this becomes any kind of a stamina test and Davy Russell is an interesting jockey booking.

L'Ami Serge (Nicky Henderson)

Three-time Grade One winner L’Ami Serge filled the runner-up spot behind Sam Spinner in the 2017 version of this race and returns to competitive action after a 580-day absence.

The nine-year-old has been a great servant to his owners Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, having won a total of eight races from thirty starts under rules, including the Aintree Hurdle, the Grande Course de Haies d'Auteuil in France, and the Gerry Fielden Hurdle on his British debut for Nicky Henderson.

As Henderson goes into this Christmas period without his absolute A-listers, there is every reason to believe that plenty of focus will have been vested in the likes of L’Ami Serge and others to also keep the winning tally ticking over, so do not be surprised if he runs a big race.

Paisley Park (Emma Lavelle)

Paisley Park needs no introduction here having taken this Grade One contest last season during an unbeaten run of five races, which culminated with success in the Stayers' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in March.

The seven-year-old proved he was going to be a force to be reckoned with once again this term with a comeback win in the Long Distance Hurdle at Newbury last month.

Since bursting on to the staying scene at Haydock Park in November 2018, the Andrew Gemmell-owned gelding has been streets ahead of the opposition in this sphere, and on a rating of 169 he is a full stone clear of his nearest rival.

That is the monumental task that faces the rest of the field here and it would come as a major shock if he was turned over at prohibitive odds.

The only external factor that may give his rivals some semblance of hope is that the track could quite easily turn into a real mud-bath, and even the greatest of horses can be vulnerable under such conditions.

The Worlds End (Tom George)

The eight-year-old was an impressive winner in testing conditions on his reappearance at Wetherby but he had to play second fiddle to both Paisley Park and the veteran Thistlecrack in the Long Distance Hurdle at Newbury.

He can be excused the 6lb he had to give away to Thistlecrack but he was beaten fairly and squarely by Paisley Park.

Tom George did have the option of sending his gelding over to Leopardstown for the Christmas Hurdle next week, but has opted to stay at home and have another crack at trying to knock Paisley Park off his pedestal.

The Worlds End has previously shown great tenacity in some of these muddling small-field affairs and if there are any miscalculations by any of his rivals here then he could easily be the one who profits.

Tobefair (Debra Hamer)

After joining Debra Hamer’s yard in 2015, Tobefair clocked up an amazing sequence of seven wins on the bounce and ultimately ended up running in the Pertemps Network Final at The Festival.

It wasn’t to be that day but in the 2019 renewal of the Pertemps he just went down by the narrowest of margins to the favourite, Sire Du Berlais.

Two visits to Cheltenham this season have resulted in a win in the heavy going in October and a third place in soft conditions in November.

The nine-year-old can certainly handle himself in the yuckiest of goings so do not underestimate this popular syndicate horse.

Papagana (Oliver Sherwood)

Papagana slammed her rivals by twelve lengths in a Listed mares' novices' hurdle at Doncaster back in March before returning this season to win a similar contest at Kempton, this time by nine lengths.

She’s clearly a very talented mare and at the age of six she is the youngest competitor in the field.

It’s very interesting that Sherwood is running her in this race rather than keeping her confined to races for her own sex, so he must rate her highly - she could be subject of a heavy gamble on race day.

Who Wins The 2019 Long Walk Hurdle?

It’s almost impossible to oppose the favourite on Saturday but at an each-way price let’s give The Worlds End another go at reversing the placings with Paisley Park.

888sport suggests: The Worlds End (e/w).

*Credit for the main photo belongs to Mark J. Terrill / AP Photo*

Michael Jeffrey Jordan has GOAT listed as one of his many nicknames on Basketball Reference. That tells you all there is to know about his status in basketball history.

Jordan’s case as the greatest basketball player has won over many – it is LeBron James against His Airness, a duel that divides generations and has filled hour upon hour of talk-show discussion.

Some of the Jordan arguments are chorused on the aforementioned chat-shows. Others are overlooked. Jordan’s impact on the NBA, as a business and a product, is phenomenal, and he continues to make millions a year on the back of his Hall of Fame career.

Iconic doesn’t do Jordan justice. His name transcends basketball in a way few athletes manage.

Count The Rings

Individual greatness only elevates a player to a certain level. If team glory doesn’t follow, their legacy will often be smaller than they may deserve.

Jordan had team success by the bucketload, winning six rings across two spells with the Chicago Bulls. Robert Horry is the only non-Celtic with more championships than Jordan and his robin, Scottie Pippen.

The ‘six rings’ argument might be shallow, and often oversimplified, but it’s also an undeniable fact. Jordan led a team to an unprecedented era of dominance (once again, post-Celtics).

Sport is about winning ultimately, it’s about lifting trophies. Jordan did that as the star player better than anyone other than Bill Russell.

It’s the most common discussion point when Jordan is pitted against James. The Los Angeles Lakers might be a title favourite in this season’s NBA betting, but James only has three championships to his name.

Many would say that gap needs to close before he can truly threaten Jordan’s GOAT status. Another player in the discussion for greatest ever, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, matched Jordan’s six rings (one with Milwaukee and five with the Lakers) over his 20-year NBA career.

Jabbar wasn’t the undisputed best player on those teams, however. As great as Pippen was, the Bulls were Jordan’s team, and he was the player who took responsibility for winning games in the fourth quarter.

Jordan = Clutch

Without getting bogged down in clutch time shooting percentage and comparing moments against one another, James is Jordan’s only rival when it comes to delivering the game-winning moments in the dying embers.

The shot against Utah in 1998 is the moment most well-remembered, but it’s not the only example. That dagger against the Jazz secured Chicago’s sixth title – and their second three-peat.

Nine years previous, Jordan delivered a similarly devastating shot to knock the Cleveland Cavaliers out in the first round.

Our all-time NBA starting five featured Jordan and James. Jordan was known for his self-belief in clutch moments, an unwavering desire to take the shot.

It didn’t always result in the best basketball play, but that helped him shrug off the occasions when it didn’t work out.

Underrated Defence

James’ defence – until 2019/20, anyway – has been on the decline in recent years. He has coasted on that side of the ball in his second Cleveland stint and his first year in Los Angeles.

In contrast, Jordan never developed such a reputation. His Airness was named in the All-Defensive first team on nine occasions, including the 1997/98 campaign, which was his age-34 season.

James’ peak defence may well be superior to Jordan’s, but James managed his workload in a way that Jordan didn’t choose – or perhaps need – to.

Jordan was a Defensive Player of the Year candidate throughout his career – the Bulls were first, fourth and fourth in adjusted defensive rating in the three full seasons following his sabbatical.

Impact On NBA

Jordan ‘saved the NBA’. As much as dynasties are criticised, the NBA has seen ratings increase when there’s a big, bad dominant force beating everyone before them. The Chicago Bulls generated that feeling, and Jordan’s ascendance from third overall pick in the 1984 NBA draft to become one of the most famous people in the world drew attention to the NBA in a way few envisaged. The 1992 Dream Team played a significant role in the growth of the league.

It exposed Europeans in particular to NBA stars in a way they hadn’t been before. Jordan, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson were the faces of the league at that point, and the Bulls’ dynasty was the first taste of the NBA for many fans. If Jordan had left for baseball permanently, or his career had taken a different path, there’s no doubt the NBA would look very different today.

*Credit for the main photo belongs to John Swart / AP Photo*