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There is no doubt that Cheltenham belongs to the purists, with the four days of the Festival a place for the great and the good of jumps racing. The place where form is studied to the nth degree and a deep knowledge of runners, riders, going and trip all combine to make betting a science as much as an art.

But Aintree. Ah, Aintree is different. Aintree is for the people. Aintree is for the once a year punters, Aintree is for the elderly aunts and grannies and Aintree is for the kids, to enjoy the thrill of watching a backed horse cross the line for the first time and win them a few pounds.

My first Aintree memory was Foinavon in 1967. The horse that my mother told my father to put five shillings each way on but Dad decided that at 100/1 it had no chance and pocketed the ten shilling note, and then slunk lower and lower in his armchair as John Buckingham guided the outsider to victory. Mum elated, Dad red faced, and then the roof caved in.

The following year there was only one horse for a nine year old country lad with a love of the outdoors. To think that a horse could be named after a monster of the swamp, with its blood like colour only enhancing its mystery. It was the only choice for me. So my sixpence each way went on Red Alligator, Brian Fletcher rode him to victory and the boy was hooked on the game.

The National Saturday was a day to be in front of Grandstand for many years to come and the names of those winners in the subsequent runnings still resonate back to a more innocent era: Highland Wedding, Gay Trip, Specify, Well To Do. And then along came Rummy. The 1973 race when he collared the game front running Crisp is still the greatest of all Nationals for me. My bet that day was Grey Sombrero and to see him stumble and hobble away with a fatal injury brought home the highs and lows of this wonderful sport.

Crisp jumped like a stag all the way round and gave Richard Pitman a most wonderful ride. He was gallant in defeat that day and he knew that he would never get close again, but he was aware that he had been part of an historic race and was, and still is, a lovely man and his gesture last year to donate one of his kidneys to a total stranger marks him out from mere mortals.

And so to today. The opener sees Simonsig, winner of the Neptune at the Festival, almost impossible to oppose at one to two on. I will have a small place play on Baby Shine at about 3.3 on Betfair.

The 2.15 Maghull Novice Chase is also a gimme should Sprinter Sacre complete a clear round. He is one to six on so its Australia Day for me for the forecast. The 2.50 Aintree Hurdle is much more interesting with Rock On Ruby, Zarkandar and Oscar Whisky looking the most likely with Thousand Stars also in the mix. I am opposing Oscar Whisky today and fancy Zarkandar to continue his progression. I liked the way that he was stating on over 2m in the Champion and I will have a small saver on Thousand Stars.

In the hors d’oeuvre to the main course, there is a competitive 3m1f handicap chase with some nice prices to play each way. I fancy Chapoturgeon, although he is short enough at 7/2, and three others at bigger prices are Cannington Brook, On Borrowed Wings and Brackloon High.

And so to the Big One. I only play to small stakes and tend to back four or five horses as prices are so big. I am against Synchronised. In fact I have laid him in the place market at 3.8 this morning. He had a tough race at HQ, is not the best of jumpers and can be quite careful early on. If he is out the back then he will struggle to get into the race and of the 17 Gold Cup winners that have run in this race in the same season, only one has won, the wonderful Golden Miller in 1934, and only three others have even placed.

So my selections are: Killyglen, who I backed at 33/1 a few months ago. According To Pete, who may have preferred rain (as would Giles Cross who would like it bottomless, and I am not on him for that reason), Rare Bob and Always Right. Big priced horses are worth backing each way; a few years ago I backed Philson Run at 100/1 and he came fourth, effectively giving me a 25/1 winner.

I won’t be playing in the 22 runner handicap hurdle for conditional jockeys and amateur riders, nor in the 20 runner bumper to close the card (recent winners of this priced at 66/1, 50/1 – The Cool Guy who I actually backed in 2005, 33/1 twice, 28/1 and 25/1).

So good luck today, lets hope we don’t have the spectacle of down horses like last year and enjoy a special day at the races.

Good Luck

Posted by kevlane in Uncategorized

Well Big Bucks made history yesterday without a murmur and now goes Beyond Our Ken, although the fallers spoilt the spectacle of the race somewhat. I am sure that the result would have been the same irrespective of that, as he looked to be travelling so well and could have gone around again without coming off the bridle.

Its Ladies Day today, and some pretty tough handicaps to look at but first up is a novice hurdle and Darlan, second behind Cinders And Ashes in the Supreme, is the stand out favourite on form. However, only one favourite has won this century, Straw Bear in 2006, and whilst I think that Darlan has an excellent chance of making that two, I will add a couple of runners to make a dutch bet, which to me is not only sensible in covering more than one runner, but has also been profitable in these highly competitive championship races.

Vulcanite is a nearly horse and still highly regarded and his second at Newbury in February reads well with the winner finishing fourth in the Supreme. Barry Geraghty takes his chance on Captain Conan (as AP is up on the JP owned favourite) and again, his past form winning the Tolworth on the line from Colour Squadron and Prospect Wells (runs in this) makes him a live contender back to 2 miles.

Next up is a cracking grade 2 novice chase and this looks to me to be between the top two in the betting, Silviniaco Conti and Champion Court, but I wouldn’t rule out Join Together bouncing back. Silviniaco Conti made me a few quid last season, winning three hurdle races in a row before losing after a drop back in trip to 2 miles. He was third of four but only four lengths adrift of Cue Card on his chase debut at Chepstow this term and followed that up with a win in the Rising Stars chase at Wincanton.

Second in the Feltham behind Grand Crus and then fourth in the Reynoldstown at Ascot but not seen since and a couple of months break may have freshened him up. Champion Court is a horse I have always liked and nine races over obstacles (seven at Cheltenham) have yielded three wins including one here in a novice chase in October, and he beat Solix (opposes today) in January and was second in the Jewson to Sir Des Champs. His only run beyond three miles was at HQ where he was well beaten by Join Together, the only runner here to have won beyond 3 miles over fences.

Join Together won two at HQ in the winter beyond 3 miles and something was possibly amiss when pulling up in the RSA. It was thought that the 3m half a furlong on good ground in a grade 1 was a race run too quickly for him and it may be in time that he needs a lot further. A couple of past Grand National winners have won this and he might be one for the notebook for the 2014 or 2015 Grand National.

The Melling Chase at 3.05 again has two principals in Finians Rainbow and Albertas Run and they follow an illustrious list of past winners in Direct Route, Native Upmanship, Moscow Flyer, Monets Garden, Voy Por Ustedes and Master Minded last year. Albertas won it two years ago but he would be the first aged 11 since Moscow Flyer to win it at that age and for that reason alone I want to oppose him today. He has had only two runs this season, less than ideal and others make more appeal.

So its Finians Rainbow for me with a small saver on Wishfull Thinking who was second behind the selection in the Desert Orchid Chase at Kempton over Christmas. His jumping went to pieces after that but he could be a serious threat with a decent round.

The Topham Chase is next up, run over the National fences but just 2m6f in distance. Big prices in this so I am going to dutch three of them in Triangular, who was impressive last time but in unproven in the bustle of a field this size. Bai Zhu, who is 3lbs out of the weights but has won off this sort of mark, and Douglas Julian who is five from 11 over fences and this is his sort of trip.

The Sefton novices hurdle at 4.15 sees 19 lining up for the 3m trip and Fingal Bay is a clear favourite followed by Cotton Mill who was very unlucky at the Festival when unseating at the top of the hill when cruising in behind Simonsig in the Neptune. Fingal Bay beat Simonsig at Sandown, although the latter may have been below par that day, and missed Chetlenham because of a setback. If he is back to his best he may win but three months off after a setback and a first try at three miles puts me off him at about 6/4.

I put up Gullinbursti yesterday but he was taken out to run in this so I have to respect him and include him in a bet with Knock A Hand and Cotton Mill.

The 4.50 is also a fairly tricky 22 runner handicap hurdle with only one favourite winning this century and the prices up to 50/1 for the winning horse. At big prices I am going with Tour Dargent, Dare Me and Hazy Tom for very small stakes.

Nothing in the concluding mares only bumper and I will be back tomorrow with my selection for the big one, as well as the supporting cards.

Good luck !

Posted by kevlane in Uncategorized

Today sees the first day of the last festival of what has been another fantastic jumps season. Attention turns north to Liverpool after the excitement played out in the Cotswolds last month. And today is all about one horse. Will there ever be a better staying hurdler than Big Bucks? Ever? Ever is a long time but as he goes for his seventeenth consecutive win this afternoon, thereby beating Sir Ken’s record from the 1950’s (and no disrespect to Sir Ken, but he did beat a load of trees in several of his races – yes I know he won the Champion Hurdle three times as well – whereas BB has been contesting graded races and the last 15 have all been grade 1’s), history beckons a little after 2pm today.

This is only the ninth running of this race and there are some luminary winners on the board already; Iris’s Gift, the grey that beat the great Barracuda, Monets Garden, another very special grey, Henry Dalys Mighty Man, a horse who never seemed to fulfil his potential but who still won more than half of his 19 starts. And for the last three years, Big Bucks himself. Of the opposition, Smad Place, who ran a cracker to be third in the World Hurdle at Cheltenham behind BB lines up today whilst the mare Voler La Vedette, who was second, doesn’t.

The only other danger is possibly Tidal Bay who has won here but is an enigmatic horse who likes to lay out the back and then come through with a late surge, which is usually too late. So enjoy Big Bucks today, he ought to win with ease given a clear round as you won’t see another hurdler win this many races on the bounce.

In the 2.30 juvenile hurdle, five of the Triumph Hurdle runners from Cheltenham line up again and one of the deadly stats for this race is that nearly all the previous winners had run at the Festival. This race was upgraded in 2004 and that shows in the better quality winners from Lord Brex and Bilboa ten years ago to the more recent roll call of Detroit City, Katchit, Binocular, Walkon and Zarkandar last year.

I think that Countrywide Flame will have difficulty in repeating his Triumph triumph as the race that day was run, as per usual, at a frenetic pace and todays renewal may see a different result with Grumeti fancied to reverse the form. Pearl Swan took a fall at the last when running to a place and if that hasn’t had any ill-effect, would be a real threat. He beat Grumeti back in January but the result was reversed in the stewards room. Nicholls second string (Ruby rides Pearl Swan) is Dodging Bullets who may appreciate the flatter track today but for me, the stables third runner, Hinterland, is also a big danger and with Noel Fehily up, a jockey I have a lot of time for, he will be keen to repeat what he did in the Champion Hurdle with Rock On Ruby and prove his horse is no back number.

Of the remainder, Sadlers Risk won by half the track at Kempton in January and todays course may suit him better than Cheltenham whilst I don’t think, on known form, that the Henderson horse, Lyvius, is good enough. So for me, I am going to dutch each way Grumeti, Pearl Swan and Hinterland.

The Betfred Bowl at 3.05 a 3m1f chase, sees local (to me) dairy farmer Anthony Knott run the most improved horse of the season to take on the big boys. So how will Hunt Ball fare today stepping up to this trip in a grade 1 class 1 race up from handicap company? I really can’t see him winning but then who could have envisaged that a horse would improve from a rating of 69 when winning a class 5 novice chase at Folkestone in November, to winning the Pultney Novice Handicap Chase at Cheltenham off 142 last month. He is now up to 154, a rise of over six stones. Unheard of since I have been following racing. And in this week of Titanic memories, who did he beat in second at Cheltenham? The horse was called White Star Line. You couldn’t make it up.

I have to oppose him today in this company and my fancy lies with Medermit, who was staying on strongly up the hill behind Riverside Theatre and Albertas Run in the Ryanair, and past winner What A Friend. Burton Port didn’t appear to bounce in the Gold Cup but I can’t help thinking that after a year off, this might be one race too many after two tough ones, and Barry Geraghty goes for Riverside Theatre. That horse is favourite today and has to be respected but he too had a hard race at Cheltenham and has done most of his racing over shorter.

I will skip the Hunter Chase as I don’t usually bet on those races. The 4.15 Red Rum Chase is a very open grade 3 handicap and I like the potential of Free World who looks well handicapped to me, although his non-completion rate is a negative. However, that makes him a better price than he would have been and the same applies to De Boitron who is a spring horse and could go well at a big price. His negative is a relatively poor run in the Grand Annual last time but if he wasn’t kicking at home he would surely have been put away for the summer. Dianne Sayers horses have been running well and with two firsts and five seconds in the last couple of weeks from a dozen runners from her small string, I will add her Silk Drum into the mix and dutch the three of them each way.

The 4.50 is a tight little novice chase and with a clear round I can’t see past Al Ferof as Menorah has jumping issues, although the longer trip may help him today. Cristal Bonus was found to be suffering from an abscess after running poorly at Cheltenham and Ruby prefers Al Ferof anyway. Pepite Rose is a progressive mare and is on a five timer today and she could pose the biggest threat to the favourite.

In the last, a 22 runner 3m handicap hurdle, there are plenty of decent priced horses to get stuck into each way. There are some decent stats to narrow down the field and at the prices I am going with three, all dutched each way. Gullinbursti, Deireadh Re and Houblon Des Obeaux.

Good luck !

Posted by kevlane in Uncategorized

By around 3.30 this afternoon one of three things will have happened (a fourth, a fall, is to awful to contemplate): Firstly, Kauto Star’s recent schooling tumble will have taken its toll and he will be tailed off or pulled up. Secondly, Kauto Star’s stamina will run out at around the three mile mark and he will get up the hill in second or third place. Thirdly, Kauto Star will re-regain the Gold Cup and the roar from Prestbury Park will reverberate around the British Isles like nothing that you have ever heard before.

His return last November at Haydock was one of the most emotional races that I have ever had the pleasure of watching and his fifth King George was a moment for the ages, but should he lift the Cup today then you will be witness to an extremely special moment in jump racing history.

Thursday was a good day for me with several winners, three great races and all horses back safe and sound. I opposed Peddlars Cross who was unplaced; horses with a badly interrupted preparation don’t win Championship races. In that race I Dutched the first second and third each way for a lovely return. I also had the winner of the next at 14/1 as part of a Dutch bet.

I managed to lay the winner in what was a very exciting Ryanair as the favourite Riverside Theatre just got home on the run in from the game Albertas Run (who I backed for a place) and Medermit. In the Big One Big Bucks was awesome. And what an exciting race with the game mare Voler La Vedette looking a real threat. I had the winner in the 4.00 with Salut Flo who won with an all the way success from the front. Notus De La Tour, my other fancy, fell early. I was out of luck in the last.

Today is the trickiest day of the week with field sizes for the races other than the Gold Cup of 20, 27, 20, 24, 24 and 21. The third last is the Foxhunters for amateur riders and the penultimate race is the conditional jockeys handicap hurdle. Use a pin and don’t bet too heavily!

We start with the Triumph Hurdle at 1.30 and I have whittled the twenty down to just, erm, ten possibles. Of the King runners I am going against the grain and fancy Balder Success to beat his stablemate Grumeti but Baby Mix might beat both of them having won here earlier in the season and looking in really good nick at Kempton last time, although only one favourite has won this this century. Pearl Swan will be out to avenge losing the race against Grumeti in the stewards room last time and Gordon Elliot has to be respected when he sends a decent one out so Shadow Catcher won’t be overlooked by me today. I could also add two or three others to the Dutch but will stick with the above mentioned four (not Grumeti).

The biggest field of the day sees 27 line up at 2.05 for the County Hurdle (which used to be the closing race of the meeting) and the last time that I had a winner in this was in 2004 when I backed Sporazene ante-post just after Christmas at 20/1 and he obliged at 7/1 favourite on the day. Since then there has been a 50/1 winner and a couple at 20/1, so you can see how tricky it is. Another Dutch for me with Olofi, Snap Tie (back after almost 900 days off but well handicapped and was third in the Supreme novices in 2008), Sailors Warn and Plan A. More hit and hope than anything.

In the 2.40 Boston Bob is a ridiculously short price at about 11/8 in a field of 20, and although he way win the way he is priced up, I am taking him on today. Admittedly there is a lot of dead wood but I will have a little on Brindisi Breeze and Rocky Creek.

At 4.00 I was going to have a pound on Monkerty Tunkerty but he is not in the final line up so although it’s a no bet race for me, my virtual money will be on Chapoturgeon and Barbers Shop. In the Martin Pipe at 4.40 there are only 24 to sort through and as this is a relatively new race there are no trends of any substance to work on. His son has sent a few runners to try and win this but only managed a third in the three renewals so far. Bourne looks like going off favourite and his beating of Smad Place (third in the World Hurdle yesterday) is starting to carry substance. Toner D’Oudaries has been laid out for this by Gordon Elliot and seems a popular choice. At a bigger price Henderson’s Oscar Nominee was behind Cinders And Ashes (won Tuesday) at Haydock on ground that was probably too soft and Empire Levant was second to Rock On Ruby (won Tuesday) last autumn and the step up in trip looks a good move.

Your get out race is the last at 5.15 the Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Chase and apart from last years 40/1 shot, has tended to be won by horses towards the top of the betting and Kid Cassidy has been heavily backed today. A Henderson horse, ridden by AP and owned by JP McManus can’t be ignored. Astracad is expected to run a big race and it would be great to see Lucy Alexander become the first professional lady jockey to win aboard De Boitron.

And so to the Gold Cup at 3.20. My heart says Kauto but Ruby didn’t sound overly confident about the trip on Racing UK this morning and I notice that he is drifting slightly from 5.5 to 5.9 on Betfair and from 9/2 to 5/1 generally. However, this horse has amazed and confounded so many times that he is impossible to write off. Its interesting that two seasons ago the Gold Cup was billed as a big rematch between Kauto and Denman and no other runner got a mention. Imperial Commander spoiled the party with the Ditcheat horses back in second and third. Could this year be the same? Could Synchronised, Burton Port, Weird Al or Midnight Chase put in a classy round and shock the public? On paper form no, as this is racing Blue Riband and not since 1999 when See More Business got up at 16/1 has there been a double figure priced winner.

With three possible front runners in the field in Carruthers, Midnight Chase and The Giant Bolster the pace will be strong but horses fall, horses get brought down or interfered with and luck plays its part. Long Run is the horse for the trip, has been primed for this race and is the defending champion but he hasn’t looked the same horse this year as he did last year. Did last years race take more out of him as a six year old than we realised? Is he, like many French-breds, now past his peak and with his best year behind him? Part of the reason that only one French-bred horse has won the National in the last one hundred years is that their precocity is not usually extended beyond two or three seasons.

Of course, there are exceptions to the rule, Kauto being the main one, and maybe Long Run will go on to be the super horse he is expected to be. Sam Waley-Cohen has gone from hero to zero in a twelvemonth, as after his triumph last year he got a ban for taking the wrong course at Fakenham and only got his first winner of the season in the Argento Chase when Long Run beat stable mate Burton Port. Plenty has called for Geraghty to take the ride but that isn’t likely.

Of the other runners I will be backing Midnight Chase each way without the first two in the market, so I will collect if he finishes third, fourth or fifth. Synchronised will stay all day but he may prefer a bit of cut and his jumping can be fiddly whilst Burton Port may bounce after a hard run following a year off. Weird Al has run well here but has also bled here too.

So I shall be watching Kauto from behind the sofa, just like I used to watch Doctor Who in the 1960’s and will be screaming if he is in front coming up the hill. Whatever he does, he owes nothing to anyone and we may, just, possibly, see history being made this afternoon.

Enjoy the racing. Good luck.

Posted by kevlane in Uncategorized

Half way and about break even on the bets so far. Tea For Three won the first but I didn’t bet on it, I never do. I got Simonsig all wrong, storming home alone after the main threat Cotton Mill refused at the top of the hill when travelling well. I note that the Racing Post put up Simonsig as their lay of the day and I obviously laid the wrong grey. I am not sure what happened to Grands Crus but he ran poorly. In the RSA I did back Bobs Worth and Join Together, the latter not jumping fluently and tailing off. I also laid First Lieutenant who made me sweat a bit on the run in.

In the extremely eventful Queen Mother I laid Big Zeb who never featured and backed the winner, Finians Rainbow. In the Coral Cup none of my original selections even placed but I did add the winner to my Dutch as lots of money came in late for Son Of Flicka. Kazlian placed in the Fred Winter but I couldn’t have picked the 40/1 winner, and I was very disappointed with my bumper horse. I strongly fancied Sir Johnson in that race but watching Racing UK in the morning they analysed the previous Festival bumper races and in many of them the winner ran wide and kept out of trouble. Sir Johnson got boxed in on the rail, got bumped two or three times at the top of the hill and faded out of contention. He is better than that, so watch out when he goes hurdling.

On to today, World Hurdle day. Big Bucks goes for his sixteenth win on the trot to equal Sir Kens record from the 1950’s. Big Bucks has been running in the championship races to run up his sequence (opposition would all be out of the handicap were he to run in one) whereas Sir Ken, without denigrating what he achieved, did beat a bunch of trees in several of his races. Its hard to say who the best ever is, as you cannot compare different eras. I would love to have seen Big Bucks take on Barracouda and Ingles Drever, as well as Sir Ken.

Thinking about how older winners in different sports would have fared against their modern counterparts recalls one of crickets funny quips. Sir Donald Bradman, when in his twilight years, was asked if he would still have a batting average of almost 100 if he went out and faced the then powerhouse West Indies fast bowling quartet. No, said the Don, it would only be about 60. Really, said the surprised questioner. Well, replied the Don, I am 73 !!

There is a cracking start to the card at 1.30 in the Jewson Novice Chase (not to be confused with past runnings of the Jewson Handicap Chase). Peddlers Cross has had an interrupted preparation for this and I will oppose him at about 3/1, with plenty of others lining up to take him on. Sir Des Champs looks progressive and talented and you can never ignore a Mullins runner in a race like this. Cristal Bonus is a wonderfully flamboyant jumper and made for Ruby, and a switch to a left handed track should suit him even better after his Kempton win (ran well at Chepstow before that) but the question is, does he need softer going to be seen at his best? The likeable Nick Williams saddles For Non Stop who was behind Cue Card two runs back and then beat Micheal Fips last time (runs today) with the third horse Our Mick placing here on Tuesday.

And then there is both Champion Court trained by Martin Keighley and a course winner, and Solix from the on-fire Henderson yard to add to the mix. I will Dutch Sir Des Champs, For Non Stop and Champion Court.

The Pertemps Final is another imponderable 24 runner handicap and all the winners of the last eight years have been double figure odds with two at 50/1. Buena Vista, winner for the last two years, is back at his eighth Festival and has been laid out for this and I have had lots of different whispers about various horses, such as Sergeant Guibs, Cape Tribulation, Barwell Bridge and Rick. Maybe a very small Dutch as some of these are big prices.

The eagerly awaited Ryanair Chase at 2.40 sees Albertas Run going for his third win on the trot in this, and the roll call sees some top horses taking this such as Imperial Commander, Our Vic and Fondmort. I want to take on Riverside Theatre (sorry Jimmy Nesbitt) as he may bounce after running just three weeks after a year off, seems to run better on flat tracks (loves Kempton) and has won 7/10 right handed but just 2/6 left handed. I am going to have a nibble on Albertas as I would love to see this tough, honest horses take this, and add two at bigger prices in Captain Chris and Great Endeavour. Captain Chris has been disappointing this season but looks a spring horse and the drop back in trip by 3f from the King George should suit. Great Endeavour won the Paddy Power here in the autumn and is also worth an e/w at 11/1.

Can Big Buck be beat? I hope not. He is a wonderful horse. I can’t back him at 8/11 but he has a real threat in Oscar Whisky who was third in a Champion Hurdle over 2m and has won over 2m4f. Will he get 3m up the hill? Who knows but at a bigger price for either an each way or place only I will have a shilling on Dynaste at 20/1 or bigger.

The 4.00 is a 22 runner handicap chase, formerly known as the Mildmay Of Flete, and I like both the Pipe runners in Salut Flo and Notus De La Tour. There was a 66/1 winner in this in 2008, the wonderful Mister McGoldrick, so at bigger prices, both Fine Parchment and Gansey (trained by Mister McGoldrick’s trainer) may be worth a second look. We follow that with the closing race at 4.40, a 23 runner handicap chase for amateur riders, the Kim Muir. No bet in this for me but Swing Bill and Brackloon High would be my picks if I was tempted.

Enjoy the racing. Good luck.

Posted by kevlane in Uncategorized

Its Ladies day today and the feature race is the Queen Mother Champion Chase, horses going almost flat out for two miles, although the golden era for this race was some seven or eight years ago when the amazing Moscow Flyer, Azertyuiop (how I love typing that word across the keyboard) and Well Chief did battle. They also competed in the Tingle Creek at Sandown and made great viewing.

A reasonable day yesterday with Cinders And Ashes taking the first at 10/1, Menorah a successful place lay in the Arkle, won in astonishing style by Sprinter Sacre. Rock On Ruby was a game winner of the Champion Hurdle from Overturn who ran a blinder from the front, and as I wrote yesterday, ‘..Overturn should ensure a good pace and of the two Nicholls runners, I prefer Rock On Ruby to Zarkandar.’ I also laid Hurricane Fly ‘…as of the three odds-on shots today, he looks the weakest to me.’ The other two both won.

Quevega won as she pleased and Kentford Grey Lady got a place whilst Hunt Ball continued the remarkable story of Anthony Knott and Kieran Burke by winning the last. Overall a thoroughly enjoyable day with some top class racing marred only by the death of three horses, the game old boy Garde Champetre and Scotsirish in the Cross Country, and Educated Evans in the novice race.

Today starts with the unfathomable National Hunt Chase over 4 miles with amateur riders and I have never yet had a bet on this race, for obvious reasons. In the last few years there have been two 33/1 winners and also a 40/1, so not a race to lump on. If I had to put up a selection or two, both Tea For Three and Allee Garde make appeal at the top of the market and Alfie Spinner a little further down. Two at a really big price that could run well are Our Island and Court Red Handed. Good luck if you are playing.

Nicky Henderson will be trying to win the Neptune with Simonsig who is favourite on both his stable reputation and also his three wins from four this season. However, I am going to take him on today at about 5/2 to 11/4 as although he won at Ascot over this 20f trip, he was priced at 1/5 favourite, and his Kelso win last month over 18f also saw him at 2/7 on. In between he was second at Sandown to the admittedly very smart Fingal Bay but he didn’t find much up the hill and his jumping needs improving.

So what do I fancy in this? Its another big field but I think the winner could come from Ireland with both Monksland and Sous Les Cieux carrying big reputations and Emerald hopes. Of the English runners, John Fergusons Cotton Mill deserves to take his place in the line up.

Although the big race is the Queen Mother, all eyes will be on the RSA Chase at 2.40 with Grands Crus, Bobs Worth and First Lieutenant all lining up. This is a bit of a conundrum as it’s a strong trends race and Grands Crus meets all of the main race trends, but fails completely in that no winner of the Feltham has ever won this (including Long Run two years ago). Bobs Worth looks interesting as a possible winner but I am going to stick my neck out and go with Join Together who won two novice chases here in the winter.

The Queen Mother sees Sizing Europe back to regain his crown and whilst a 10/1 shot last year he will be around evens to double up today. I want to oppose Big Zeb who won this in 2010 and who was beaten by Sizing at Punchestown last month in their final prep race. Each way I like Finians Rainbow and whilst Kauto Stone will probably find it too quick, I wouldn’t rule him out of grabbing a place.

The 4.00 is the annual conundrum that is the Coral Cup with 28 runners over hurdles. This race is a big target for plots and big gambles, some of which come off (Xenophon in 2004) and others that fail spectacularly. We are looking for a horse that has won around this trip (21f) over hurdles, carries less than 11st or thereabouts, is aged 5 to 7 and has had a months break since its last race. Only one favourite has won this in the 18 year history of the race.

First Fandango meets the trends but others are close, including Cape Dutch, Dare Me and Bally Legend. You could Dutch 8 runners and not get one placed but I will be having a few pennies of those four above.

In the Fred Winter at 4.40 its looks as though there is a bit of a plunge with Gorgeous Sixty from the Mullins yard and Pipe’s Kazlian has also been well supported. At a big price, Lemon Drop Red may give Paul Webber something to shout at. The day concludes with the bumper and I have two British fancies in this. John Ferguson saddles New Years Eve who has won easily in both his starts, albeit in easier company, but the horse that I have been following in bumpers this year and who I hope will do himself justice is Sir Johnson from Peter Bowens yard. He is now six and stronger than some of the younger horses, has won four bumpers, three with penalties and looks a very nice prospect. He could have gone hurdling but has been kept backed for this and he is my each way bet of the day.

Enjoy the racing. Good luck.

Posted by kevlane in Uncategorized

It’s a special day today. There is some fog about but opening the back door and drawing in a draft of morning air I can smell the grass growing, I can smell Spring and I can smell Cheltenham. The birds are singing and it promises a fine day, perfect for the start of the biggest jumps meeting of the year. There is nowhere else like it. Yes, of course places like the Nou Camp are fantastic when full but Cheltenham needed no iron or brick, its set in the most wonderful amphitheatre in the world, nestling at the foot of Cleeve Hill, which no landscape designer could hope to recreate.

And so we kick off with the usual pipe opener, the Supreme Novices Hurdle, preceded as always by that famous roar that greets the start of every Festival. Looking at all the racing news over the last 24 hours, the course have put four million gallons of water down to ensure safe going and the general opinion is that its definitely on the soft side of good with a thicker covering of grass than is usual, due to the mild winter no doubt.

As regular readers know, in races such as the first today with 19 going to post I am keen to use Dutch betting. For newbies, that means backing several horses in a racee for different amounts to return the same profit should any of them win. So if I back four at the following Betfair prices (and I use Fairbot which calculates everything with one click for me) 9.2 (stake of £7.68), 13.5 (£5.23), 18.0 (£3.93) and 18.5 (£3.82) my total stake is £20.66 and I win £50 less commission if any of them win.

The Supreme this year is fairly open and the last favourite to win was in 2004, and since then prices of winners have been from 6/1 to 20/1. There are several I fancy at decent prices and both of the McCain runners are of interest, with outsider Agent Archie making a big step up in class after two lower grade wins and is accordingly priced at about 33/1 whilst Cinders And Ashes will appreciate the watering. He may or may not win but the papers today are all saying that he won’t appreciate the quicker ground but as mentioned above, I really don’t think it will ride as quick as good and probably slower. Conversely Tetlami might prefer good ground but he looks on the upgrade and I will have a nibble on him.

JP McManus owns two in this with two different trainers, and of these the Henderson horse Darlan, with AP up is favourite, but I prefer Colour Squadron at Philip Hobbs. He beat Montbazon, who runs today for Alan King, at Newbury in December and looked to have the measure of the same horse at the same track when falling. The Irish threat comes in the main from Steps To Freedom, who has a 123 days absence stat to overcome (most of the previous winners had run in the past six weeks) and Galileos Choice. The latter won on heavy in Ireland but that was an egg and spoon race and better ground may suit, so I am leaving him out of my Dutch bet.

Paul Nicholls cannot be ignored and although Prospect Wells ran poorly last time and has since had a breathing op, I can’t include him as well, although Ruby won’t be riding the race to enjoy the scenery. The selections for me then are: Cinders And Ashes, Tetlami, Colour Squadron and Agent Archie, each way Dutch bet.

The second race is the Arkle, the fast two miles over fences for novices and this year we have a potential superstar running in Sprinter Sacre. He posted a record time at Newbury last time without coming off the bridle and although Al Ferof beat him in the Supreme last year, he has had a breathing op since and looks a far better beast this term, and is rated 9lbs better than his rival. Throw into this mix both Cue Card and Menorah and you can see why the race is eagerly awaited by jumps fans. The drop back in trip shouldn’t inconvenience Cue Card if the ground is as I think, and Menorah will have to jump much better than he has so far and with just two places I will be laying him in the place market at about 11/4. So with Sprinter Sacre odds on and Al Ferof, who loves it here, about 3/1, there is nothing of value for me to back in this.

The 2.40 is another 19 runner race but this one is a handicap chase. Big prices and quite a conundrum to sort out. Reading the racing press today about half the field are fancied by one pundit or another but I will try and whittle it down. Quantativeeasing, a horse with a name for the times, is a course winner and is well fancied at Seven Barrows. JP may well put his money down and the step up to 3 miles today looks ideal. Against him is top weight and a higher rating than the usual winners profile. The Package has been off for almost 500 days but will be as fit as a flea for this with no stone unturned to get him ready at the Pipe yard. He was a close second in this two years ago and has been well backed this week. A horse running into form at a bigger price is Magnanimity for Dessie Hughes whilst Baile Anrai looks interesting with a light weight to carry but needs to stay on his feet. With the big prices my each way Dutch will be with the above four horses.

The feature race of the day is the Champion Hurdle at 3.20 where the Fly is all the rage to retain his crown. At the price of about 4/5 I am inclined to take him on with Binocular at about 5/1 (6.6 on Betfair) as of the three odds-on shots today, he looks the weakest to me. Binocular looked mighty impressive at Wincanton and for me offers better value than Hurricane Fly. Overturn should ensure a good pace and of the two Nicholls runners, I prefer Rock On Ruby to Zarkandar as he was a close second to Binocular in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton.

The 4.00 is the Cross Country, a great spectacle but not a betting proposition for me, but if you held a gun to my head I would back Sizing Australia and Uncle Junior. The next at 4.40 sees reigning champion Quevega looking to win this for a fourth time and she is priced at about 1 to 2 on to do so with the next best priced horse about 12/1 or 14/1. At each way prices you could Dutch the next three in the betting in case something happens to the jolly, and they are Swincombe Flame, Shop DJ, and Kentford Grey Lady. There is a good chance two of these could place behind Quevega.

The 5.15 is a novice chase and its not for me from a betting point of view. I don’t bet for the sake of it and I could pick several of these out but without much confidence. Bless The Wings is in cracking form this season whilst the story horse of the winter, Hunt Ball, will have shown a five stone improvement if he takes this. A couple of others to note are Carrick Boy and Mics Delight.

Enjoy the racing. Good luck.

Posted by kevlane in Uncategorized

I caught my first glimpse of him in the pre-parade ring on a balmy October afternoon in 2005 at Wincanton. He had a thin white diamond in the middle of his forehead but that was the only thing about him that could be described as thin. He was powerfully built but beautifully balanced with a strong head and a long neck. He didn’t look like a hurdler at all, especially against the other horses on show that day, and there was only one word to describe him. Chaser.

I had received a whisper from a contact at Ditcheat to say that that they had got this horse who had sluiced up by 12 lengths in a Liscarroll point to point that spring, and they thought he might be a bit useful. So much for the power of understatement and the wisdom of hindsight. It recalls one of football’s famous stories when Bill Shankly was driving a youth player back home from training one evening and probably with his mind on the practice session rather than his speed on the road, suddenly saw a flashing blue light in his rear-view mirror.

As Shanks wound down the window the young constable went to admonish him but Shanks cut him off. “Don’t you know who you are talking to young man?” asked the Scot. “Well Sir, of course I do, you are Mr Shankly.” The Liverpool manager looked contemptuously at the officer. “Not me sonny,” he replied, and pointing his finger at the callow youth in the passenger seat, continued “You are talking to the future England football captain”. The lad in the front of the car was Emlyn Hughes.

The horse went off at 5/6 that day beating Lyes Green (who won next time out) by a generous length but he was blowing afterwards and looked like he needed the run, despite Christian Williams giving him a good ride, saving a little for the easy run-in. He was back there the following month for another novice hurdle, up in class and this time taking on the well fancied Victor Dartnall horse Karanja, who was sent off the 8/11 favourite. My racing pal was firmly on the favourite whilst I had lumped on Denman with £100 win at a juicy 2/1 and the writing was on the wall for the jolly round the back as Denman made all and cleaned up by 16 lengths. Nice.

The next test for the emerging star was the Challow Hurdle on New Year’s Day, his first graded race, and he had Ruby up for the first time and was still a lovely 5/2. Two out he pushed clear without really coming off the bridle and beat The Cool Guy by 21 lengths (who I had enjoyed a lovely return with, when he won the Aintree bumper at 50/1 the previous spring). Behind him was Boychuck, a decent Hobbs horse and beating only one home was Double Dizzy who ran in last week’s Cheltenham Cross Country.

Denman was starting to become a horse to follow and next won an egg and spoon race at Bangor by 17 lengths sent off at 1/12 on. He was favourite for the Sun Alliance Hurdle at the Festival but was inexplicably turned over by Nicanor (who won next time out at Punchestown, but has managed only one other win to date) with the drying ground that day probably going against him. However, one swallow does not a summer make and having been beaten for the first time in six runs, he then did what he was put on this earth for, chasing, and won his next nine races.

He beat the smart Alan King horse, Penzance, first time over the big fences at Exeter by ten lengths in the autumn of 2006 sent off at 1/3 and carrying the ludicrously light weight of 10st 12lbs. He had a tougher race at the Paddy Power meeting the following month beating a decent horse by less than a length, and again with the wisdom of hindsight, an ante-post bet for the 2010 Grand National on the runner up would have yielded dividends. The horse in question was Don’t Push It.

Following two more small field demolition jobs at Newbury either side of Christmas at ludicrously cramped odds, he went off 6/5 favourite for the Royal Sun Alliance Chase at the Festival (he had been quoted at 14/1 a year previously). He didn’t disappoint, putting in a superb round of jumping to beat Snowy Morning by 10 lengths, although a bad stumble from Aces Four when upsides about three out might have seen his winning margin into single digits.

This really marked the coming of The Tank, the horse that looked and jumped like an old fashioned chaser of the type that we had seen in Mill House, Borough Hill Lad and Dessie. That win meant only one thing: that the following March, if not before, Denman and Kauto Star, the 2007 winner, would meet in the Gold Cup. He opened the 2007/08 season with a demolition job in the Hennessy carrying 11st 12lbs and beat Dream Alliance by eleven lengths (giving him 19lbs) with Character Building a further eight lengths back in third (giving him nearly two stone). And this on testing ground on a typical winter day that is made for staying chasers, with the fingers of leafless branches silhouetted against the slate grey sky.

Over Christmas he popped over to Ireland to take in the Lexus winning easily by four lengths and then back to Newbury in February for the Aon where only three brave souls took their place against him, and with two of them already ten years old, only the progressive Regal Heights was any threat, coming second by 20 lengths after Ollie Magern had tried to run him out of it, but failing abysmally. Denman jumped and travelled with such fluency that you could hardly blame Harry Findlay for his excitement after the race, and his cry of ‘Bring It On’ in reference to the Gold Cup was echoed by all lovers of the sport.

And so it was, on that Day of Days, the 14th March 2008 that they lined up for the Gold Cup on ground that may have been softer than ideal for Kauto, but the race has been well documented and I doubt if any horse, past or present, could have lived with The Tank that day, irrespective of the going. He simply ran the legs off his rivals, powering ahead just past the stands on the last circuit and although he was driven out, he was seven lengths to the good at the post with Kauto behind followed by Neptune Collonges to give team Ditcheat a fabulous 1-2-3.

His run was rightly praised not only in the trade press but the general media as it was a staggering performance to burn off top rated horses like that, but who would have thought that day that the big horse would only win one more race, a second Hennessy under a welter weight eighteen months hence. In the meantime, news had broken in September that Denman had been detected with a fibrillating heart and he didn’t reappear until February 2009 at Kempton (the race switched from Newbury), where he was comprehensively beaten by Madison Du Berlais, who loved flat tracks whereas Denman was patently not fit and more to the point, running the wrong way round.

And so back to Cheltenham and in some ways he ran as good a race coming second as when winning, following on from his health problems, and although 13 lengths behind Kauto (who became the first horse in history to regain the Gold Cup), connections were rightly proud of his run. And then to Aintree for a rematch with Madison Du Berlais in the Totesport Bowl, with a decent field lining up including Exotic Dancer (who sadly collapsed and died after the race), Albertas Run, Our Vic, Snoopy Loopy, The Listener and Mr McGoldrick.

Denman was being niggled along to get upsides Madison three out but at the second last he took his first ever fall (in fact his only fall) and was roughed off for the season. November 2009 saw him back at his beloved Newbury for a second Hennessy where he put up another staggering weight performance to hold off What A Friend, ironically ridden by Sam Thomas who had piloted Denman to Festival Glory. He won off a mark of 174, 13lbs higher than his win two years previously, which put most of the field either on a feather weight or out of the handicap completely. It was a performance that put him up there with the all time greats.

With connections preferring not to use Ruby to ride, he returned to the Berkshire track for the Aon in February with AP up but started to look in trouble four out and then he uptipped AP at the next fence. The astonishing ride given by Ruby on Tricky Trickster to get up on the line when four lengths down at the last was not lost on anyone. And so back to the Festival again for The Decider with Kauto, but it never materialised, as the Star ran a little flat and took a crashing fall that left everyone gasping until he got up. Imperial Commander took the spoils and Kauto received a rousing reception as Ruby cantered him past the stands, but we all felt we had missed out on a head to head with our dream of seeing the Ditcheat horses sail over the last together thwarted yet again.

Paul then took him to Punchestown where he was sent off favourite but ran flat and was unplaced, and that was that for the season. His last three races started off at Newbury again for another Hennessy, but this time Diamond Harry and Burton Port got the better of him again receiving two stone apiece with the big horse running off an 8lbs higher mark than the previous season. And so for what was to be his last run at the Festival and yet another second place behind the young pretender Long Run with Kauto in third, but that hardly does justice to the race that nearly gave us the sight we had longed for.

Long Run was favourite, the precocious six year old who had stylishly won the King George but had two relatively poor runs at Cheltenham, falling short against Weapons Amnesty in the 2010 RSA Chase and then beaten third again by Little Josh in the Paddy Power with a less than fluent round of jumping. Imperial Commander was second favourite followed by Kauto and then Denman. In one of those dreamlike races that you couldn’t have written the script any better for, Midnight Chase the gallant handicapper in exulted company took them round the first circuit, but like three Dads at the school games afternoon running against their sons, the old guard just had to show the rest how it was done.

Kauto took it up at the start of the second circuit, followed by Imperial Commander with Long Run and Denman stalking – was this really happening? The big boys kept hold of the race round the back and turning down the hill towards three out Imperial Commander pulled up lame leaving Kauto, Denman and Long Run starting to pull clear. Biting nails, perched on the edge of the sofa and scarcely believing what I was seeing, that three or four seconds towards and over the second last was for me almost run in slow-motion.

Everything that we had dreamt of since 2007 was happening right in front of us and I almost wanted to freeze the television picture as twelve hooves were in the air together over the second last. Three wonderful horses all jumping in a line but Kauto was slightly slower and lost a little momentum, leaving Long Run and Kauto’s next-door neighbour to chase down the last. The younger legs told but Denman didn’t give any quarter and Kauto held on for third from the fast finishing What A Friend, another Ditcheat inmate. It would have been a travesty had he not done so. Exhausted. Elated. Enchanted. The entire 60,000 crowd were enraptured by what had unfolded before them and the three placed horses received a hero’s welcome as each came into the winners enclosure. The crowd sensed that not only had they seen something particularly special before the verdant backdrop of Cleeve Hill that day, but that they had also seen for the last time in a Gold Cup, the two horses that have surely shaped chasing this century (with full apologies to Best Mate and Moscow Flyer).

Denman ran his last race in the Bowl again at Aintree and proved he didn’t much care for the Liverpool course by only beating one home in another flat run. And with his retirement announcement this month we have seen the last of this monster of a horse on a racecourse, although he will surely be popular in big race parades. He will now see out the winter in his box next to Kauto and the fact that the big fella won’t run again makes us realise that we must enjoy these legends whilst we have them, especially his neighbour.

There is no doubt that Denman is one of the best horses we have seen in the last half century, and his weight carrying performances in the Hennessy will be a benchmark against which others will be measured. In full cry, particularly at Newbury, he must have put the fear of God into his rivals with slick, fast fencing and a relentless, powering gallop. And at Cheltenham too the fences held no terrors for him, winning an RSA Chase, a Gold Cup and two seconds in that race.

And so we say farewell to The Tank, who probably still broods in his box, his back end facing to anyone who dares poke their head over the stable door, and who will boss Kauto and friends in the field in the coming summer, where I sometimes see them when I drive past. And so a great chasing career is over, and it seems a long time since I caught my first glimpse of him in the pre-parade ring on a balmy October afternoon in 2005 at Wincanton.

Following the retirement of Denman last week we saw another stalwart run his last race on Monday in The Tatling. What a wonderful horse and to win on his final appearance less than three weeks before his 15th birthday is astonishing. He ran 176 times, winning 18 races and was placed 53 times earning £271,695 in win prize money, topping that to £687,763 with place money added. At his peak he was rated 116 (ran off 60 yesterday) and after making his debut in May 1999 he won his fourth race at Yarmouth later that year. He is probably the only Flat horse to have ever won in three different decades and is certainly the only horse running that won in the last century. He was partnered by 37 jockeys in his race career. He never ran further than 6f and won five class 1 races in his prime including winning the Kings Stand Stakes at Ascot, and was runner up three times in the Nunthorpe. All racehorses celebrate their official birthday on the 1st January but he was actually born on the 23rd April 1997. If ever a horse epitomised the bulldog spirit of the patron saint of England with whom he shares his birthday, then this horse did. Happy retirement The Tatling. Marvellous.

Posted by kevlane in Uncategorized

The old man eased himself into his favourite armchair, scratched his head and rubbed his temples with his forefingers. He threw a small log onto the fire and watched as it was engulfed by the flames around it. He was in his eighties now but he still chopped a few small logs every day, as it stretched his muscles and got him out for some fresh air. It had been cold this November and he had needed his grandson to come around and chop the bigger logs up for him. The lad was enthusiastic and used the axe like he was trying to hit Graeme Swan over the pavilion roof.

“No, no, no,” said the old man on many occasions, “it’s all about rhythm, it should be an extension of your arm. Like this.” The old man motioned to the boy to show him how it was done. The lad was keen if a bit cheeky at times. He liked hearing stories from the past but once he said to his grandfather, “Why is it that the older a man gets, the faster he could run as a lad?” The old man smiled at that.

He looked into the dancing flames as the fire came to life, and the sharper, older memories came flooding back to him. He still had to pinch himself that it was late autumn 2041, a date that had seemed so far away when he was a younger man. A smile crossed his lips as he recalled that marvellous day thirty years ago. Was it really thirty years ago? It was at Haydock Park and the Lancashire course had never seen a day like it; racing had never seen a day like it. In one of the most competitive Betfair Chases for many a year, two past Gold Cup winners, Long Run and Kauto Star, went head to head with the previous seasons Hennessy winner, Diamond Harry, the previous months Charlie Hall Chase winner, Weird Al, and another progressive chaser in Time For Rupert who was runner up in the Charlie Hall.

The memories of the race were still vivid but the old man wanted to savour each and every detail in his mind. There was the pre-race build up in the press with all of the trainers confident of a good run from their charges. Then there was the public who had divided opinions as to whether Kauto Star, by far and away the best chaser in an generation and possibly more but now eleven years old and rising twelve, should have been retired after a stirring performance in the Gold Cup but then failing to complete at Punchestown at the end of the previous season. And whether Long Run had improved over the summer and would justify not only his short price for this race but also his favouritism for the King George and the Gold Cup.

The old man smiled again as he remembered watching Kauto Star enter the parade ring to a loud cheering and the waving of green, yellow and purple scarves. Was this judgement day for Kauto? Would a poor run see his retirement? The excitement built as race time approached and the horse looked well in himself.

He picked up the poker and jabbed at the charred billets, coaxing them back into life. Then he put his head back in the chair and closed his eyes. As the tape went up Kauto was sent into an early lead, to huge roars from the crowd, but the finish was still three miles away and with the small matter of 18 fences to jump. From the first Kauto pinged the obstacles with an effortless elegance that belied his years and was joined by Time For Rupert and then Diamond Harry. The race was run at a good gallop and after the first circuit Time For Rupert was starting to struggle.

The old man remembered thinking how well Kauto was going and could it, would it, be his day. Long Run was close up in third but making small jumping errors that prevented him getting on terms. Rounding the final bend Kauto was the only horse left on the bridle with the rest of the field driven along. The crowd held its collective breath, not sure it could believe what it was witnessing. Four out and another good jump from Kauto but Long Run now into second. Watchers stood open-mouthed as he breezed over the third from home as Long Run continued to chase. Two out and there were signs of tiredness in the leader and the old man remembered jumping up and down screaming at Ruby to get him home.

Another fine jump at the last, and a sloppy one from Long Run, sealed it and as he quickened on the run-in to score by a comfortable eight lengths the crowd went into overdrive, aware that they were witnessing something very, very special. When the enormity of the victory hit home, grown men had to bite their lips to control their emotions. As he walked into the winners enclosure the crowd took the roof off the old stand and the cheers could be heard across the broad acres.

The old man brushed a tear away as he recalled the shouts from the crowd – Three Cheers For Kauto. Trainer Paul Nicholls was more animated than he had ever been and Ruby Walsh had a grin across his face that would have put a Cheshire cat to shame. Such scenes, such elation, such joy. As he got older it was the memories that kept him going. There were other horses and other great deeds that he would recall on another day, but none were more vivid in his mind than the day that the Star burned so brightly at Haydock on that grey winter afternoon all those years ago.

Todays feature race is the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury, always an early winter highlight, although it could be argued that todays renewal is not quite up to the stellar fields of recent years when Denman kept most of the others out of the handicap. Half of the 18 runner field have a realistic chance in this and favourite this morning is Paddy Power winner Great Endeavour. He is too big a price for me to lay at nearly 7/1 but I can’t see him taking this today and doing the double, like his former stablemate Celestial Gold did in 2004. This is run over the Cheltenham Gold Cup trip of three miles, two and a half furlongs and with Great Endeavour failing to win beyond 2m 6f, the only time he has got close beyond three miles was over hurdles two years back.

Nicholls saddles Aiteen Thirtythree but I am not sure about his performances in bigger fields. He was placed second of three behind Somersby (runner up to Master Minded next time) at Kempton last month and won twice here last winter beating the 138 rated Tarablaze in February where only one other finished. Tarablaze would be 4lbs out of the handicap today. At this meeting he beat Voramar Two (my lay of the winter, beaten as a short priced favourite in four races after this one) by 17 lengths but may or may not have beaten the very talented but ill-fated Tell Massini when that one took a fatal fall when upsides and travelling well five out. Only five ran in that.

Nicholls also saddles Michel Le Bon who he has always had a very high regard for but to be plunged into this after just one chase start and 730 days on the sidelines with a leg injury is a big ask. A more likely sort is Ian Williams Wayward Prince who will get the trip, has a nice weight and brings winning graded chase form to the table. He has not been seen since a substandard run at Aintree in April but won first time out last season, albeit in a class 3 novice chase at Huntingdon. He ahs also won in 14 and 15 runner fields so won’t mind the hustle and bustle of this.

Wymott looks on a good mark for what he has achieve so far and he won three on the bounce last winter, two of them very comfortably. He pulled up in the RSA Chase at the Festival but was found to have a small fracture. However, my shilling each way is going on Planet Of Sound today. Already a Grade 1 winner (when he beat Denman, War Of Attrition and Cooldine) at Punchestown, and the winner of the Grade 2 Haldon Gold Cup at Exeter two years ago, he looked to have a promising winter ahead last term when a decent third behind Imperial Commander in the Betfair Chase on his seasonal reappearance. He choked in the King George and had an operation on his palate and then a leg infection prevented him lining up in the Cheltenham showpiece. He has been dropped 5lbs and with the Hobbs team having 15 wina d placed horses in the last ten days, I feel that he has the class to put up a good show over a trip and on ground that will be ideal.

Good luck today

Posted by kevlane in Uncategorized

Horses, and their place in history, have been to the forefront of my mind this morning after spending a wonderful evening at the National Theatre last night watching War Horse. I read the book last year and have been waiting a long time to get tickets, such is the demand, but the show is everything and more that you have heard about it. The puppetry is amazing and if you know horses, you will be amazed at the accurate depiction of their behaviour, particularly their head and ear movements.

The story of course, revolves around Joey being taken from his Devon farm to join the cavalry in the First World War and also highlights the terrible treatment meted out to horses back then and the how they too suffered a horrendous amount of casualties. Now, nearly 100 years on, nine strikes with an air-cushioned whip equals a ban! Phah ! Don’t get me started on that one.

What a wonderful day of racing we have ahead of us today at both Haydock and Ascot. Long Run, Kauto Star, Diamond Harry, Weird Al, Time For Rupert all competing in a very hot Betfair Chase at 3.10 at Haydock.

Long Run is a the obvious one but at 5/4 or 6/5 is short enough and maybe today is the day to take him on. His jumping is at risk of errors and the more pressure that he is under in a race the more likely he is to make a mistake. With Time For Rupert likely to go off in front the possibility of Long Run trading higher than his off price when in-running is quite likely, so there may be the opportunity to lay to back to cover your liability in this race.

Long Run was beaten first time out last season, when only third behind Little Josh in the Paddy Power chase, a handicap and not a grade one race like today. As a prep for that race Little Josh dead heated at Carlisle with….Weird Al. Long Run has bigger fish to fry later on this season with the King George and Cheltenham again and today may be the one day to catch him out.

Diamond Harry has a tremendous record fresh and won the Hennessy last season on his first run. He was receiving lumps of weight from Denman and again that was a handicap, but he deserves to be second favourite today and should run a big race.

Weird Al beat Time For Rupert in the Charlie Hall three weeks ago and it will be interesting to see what improvement the former might make in the coming weeks whilst the latter, who runs well at Cheltenham, might not appreciate this flatter track.

And what of the great Kauto Star? Of course, I am sure that everyone watching this race to a man (or lady) will want to see the old boy back safe and sound. Can he win it? Unlikely although Paul Nicholls says that he has him fitter for today than in the past when he had longer term targets and is taking his career race by race. With a clear round and a good run there is every reason to think that he will have a decent chance of being in the first half of the field home, ie, in the first three. Come back safe old boy.

So for me I am going to back Diamond Harry and lay Long Run with a view to backing him in running to cover my liability.

I had planned to look at another couple of races today but as we didn’t get home from London until just after 2am this morning I am a little late on parade today and am going to slump in the armchair and watch the action.

Good luck today.

Posted by kevlane in Uncategorized