3rd February, 2012 - Posted by Will Stevens - No Comments
Jonjo O’Neill’s smart stayer Synchronised, currently a popular ante-post choice for the John Smith’s Grand National at Aintree on April 14, may miss his intended warm-up for the Liverpool marathon amidst fears that he hasn’t fully recovered from his impressive eight-length win in the Grade 1 Lexus Chase at Leopardstown at the end of December, » Read More
3rd February, 2012 - Posted by Will Stevens - No Comments
The Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle is one of the most competitive handicap events of the whole four-day Cheltenham Festival, this relatively recent addition to the schedule having caught the imagination of punters on both sides of the Irish Sea. Ex-French racer Vendor is the current 8/1 ante-post joint-favourite for the two-mile contest, and not » Read More
3rd February, 2012 - Posted by Will Stevens - No Comments
After a fairly miserable first half of the current jumps campaign the Henrietta Knight team has been in fine form in January with the latest high profile win of the yard’s grand sort Calgary Bay in Doncaster’s valuable listed Sky Bet Handicap Chase being a further illustration that the tremendously popular handler (whose Somersby won » Read More
2nd February, 2012 - Posted by Will Stevens - No Comments
Richard Lee’s in-form mudlark Le Beau Bai looks almost certain to have his next outing in the Betfred Grand National Trial at Haydock on February 18 as he continues his build up to the big race itself at Aintree two months later, writes Elliot Slater. Lee reports the Coral Welsh Grand National hero to have » Read More
1st February, 2012 - Posted by Will Stevens - No Comments
Tom George’s exciting juvenile hurdler Baby Mix, one of three co-favourites for the Grade 1 JCB Triumph Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival on March 16, looks set to put his reputation on the line when possibly coming up against the other two current market leaders for the big race in the Grade 2 JCB triumph » Read More
1st February, 2012 - Posted by Will Stevens - No Comments
Kim Bailey is very much the renaissance man when it comes to training and his career continues to resurrect itself, largely thanks to the excellent training facilities that he now enjoys at his Gloucestershire base. He moved into Thorndale Farm in 2006 and since then his fortunes have very much been on the rise, if » Read More
31st January, 2012 - Posted by Will Stevens - No Comments
The overwhelming presence of the outstanding Big Buck’s in the staying hurdles division has prompted Robin Dickin, trainer of the very useful performer Restless Harry, to admit that in his opinion his charge will be racing for a place at best in the Grade 1 Ladbrokes World Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival on March 15, » Read More
27th January, 2012 - Posted by Will Stevens - No Comments
Domination is a word that can be forever associated with Big Buck’s especially in staying hurdles since switching from staying chases and his ill-fated “fall” in the 2008 Hennessey. Since then his form reads fourteen ones all in row and plenty of decent horses have been fought off in that time. Punchestowns, Time For Rupert » Read More
26th January, 2012 - Posted by Will Stevens - No Comments
Dermot Weld’s smart mare Unaccompanied will go to the Stan James Champion Hurdle on March 13 with serious prospects of winning, according to connections of the talented dual purpose performer, writes Elliot Slater. On January 18 the five-year-old mare was one of 27 horses declared for the feature race on the opening day of the » Read More
25th January, 2012 - Posted by Will Stevens - No Comments
The Ryanair, the newest of the Grade 1 chases at the Festival, may not match the Gold Cup or Champion Chase for quality at the top of the market but it has a much more open look to it, with the best of the entries closely matched and with plenty of form at the meeting » Read More