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A perfect three-from-three record for the 2011/12 National Hunt season has set up Sprinter Sacre nicely for the favourites position ahead of this year's Arkle Chase. He was sent off as a prominent favourite in the Betfair Super Saturday Chase at Newbury and really solidified his credentials as bookmakers took him into even money for the first-day clash at Cheltenham.
One of his main advantages heading into this one is that he's already seen off the majority of the challengers in this one so punters may want to steer most of their wagers towards some of the longer odds selections as they still carry a bit of mystery about...
Word has emerged in the Racing Post that Paul Nicholls yard may be suffering from a slight epidemic as several horses in the yard are reported to be coughing. Only a short period of time remains before the festival kicks off in a few weeks and Nicholls has not been his usual winning self in the festival build-up with nary a winner from his sixteen entries on Saturday alone.
A media event at his Ditcheat stable was cancelled for Wednesday.
Nicholls reiterated that his priority was the owners of his charges and that the yard needed to buckle down and focus on getting them all back to form before festival time kicks...
We're still at the early declaration stage for the upcoming Super Saturday fixture at Newbury with several graded contests set to unfold in what is a relatively important time during the National Hunt season with many contenders looking to get their final preps in prior to festival time. The weather is expected to cooperate and Newbury is fully expected to beat the freeze.
The current rating is good to soft and soft in places under the covers. It has also been reported that the rails have been moved in so that there is roughly 6 meters of fresh ground on the inside. All hurdles are said to be set up fresh ground as well....
A thrilling day of racing is upon us at Newbury on February 11 and one of the big highlights is going to be Paul Nicholls promising jumper Zarkandar lining up for his seasonal debut with an eye firmly-fixed on a festival campaign. With just a single run under his belt last season (a victory at Kempton in the Grade 2 Adonis Juvenile Hurdle), Zarkandar was able to score in the JCB Triumph Hurdle and the Matalan 4-Y-O at Aintree just a few weeks later.
Impressive in both victories and still looking very much like Paul Nicholls is still yet to scratch the surface of his talent, the promising hurdler is listed as low as 10/3 for the upcoming clash against some of the most...
What a battle we have ahead of us in the 2012 Irish Hennessy at Leopardstown on February 12. Easily some of the most talented chasers in the whole of Ireland will be pursuing this one and there's a lot to like about several of the contenders here. The field is so deep that a number of the double digit runners look quite plausible for this one so you can expect a lot of interesting swings in the ante post wagering as we draw closer to the off.
Captain Chris unseated Richard Johnson on his first effort of the year when sent out of the gate as a 2/1 favourite but he calmed himself down nicely to perform to expectations in the King George. Look for a slightly more aggressive ride this time – he will only go to the back if the pace up front is much too quick and you don't really expect it to be. He has a big opportunity here to set something up for himself in the Gold Cup and will do his ante post backers plenty of favours by taking this one emphatically.
Captain Chris unseated Richard Johnson on his first effort of the year when sent out of the gate as a 2/1 favourite but he calmed himself down nicely to perform to expectations in the King George. Look for a slightly more aggressive ride this time – he will only go to the back if the pace up front is much too quick and you don't really expect it to be. He has a big opportunity here to set something up for himself in the Gold Cup and will do his ante post backers plenty of favours by taking this one emphatically.
We'll have nearly half a million quid up for grabs in the Scoop6 pool this Saturday and the prize remains distinctly winnable with several high-profile contests anchoring an all-jumps card. Cheltenham Trials Day factors for four of the six contests and today's action should prove to be very productive for those keeping their eyes on festival time.
The day begins at 1:30 at Cheltenham for the novices handicap chase, which is a class 2 event, going 2m5f. Expect good to soft going conditions to hold throughout the entirety of the card. This one is tougher because you're dealing with the largest field out of any of the...
One of the most widely-anticipated contests on the Irish hurdles calendar is set to unfold in just a few days as the 2012 Irish Champion Hurdle will see only a few brave contenders step up to tackle the highly-talented emerging star of the 2m circuit, Hurricane Fly.
The venerable Willy Mullins-trained son of Montjeu has strung together a pile of wins with only a single third place effort in the Punchestown Hurdle putting him off of a perfect streak since arriving on Irish shores in the fall of 2008.
Hurricane Fly finished last season with a festival double,...
There's a big day ahead of us on Saturday with several enticing-looking fixtures set to roll at Cheltenham. The day's opener is going to reveal the out-and-out contender for the JCB Triumph Hurdle as the trio of contenders rated around 8/1 for the festival contest with Grumeti, Hinterland and Hollow Tree all showing up for this one.
Notching a Grade 2 in your build-up for festival time is certainly a welcome occurrence by virtually any owner so keep your eyes peeled for the early going to prove decisive as position could wind up being the genuine kingmaker as opposed to outright form – especially if we don't see many withdrawals from this fourteen strong field that also includes Sadler's Risk.
