Welcome to the BettingChoice Horse Racing Blog. Here you'll find all the tips, insights and opinions for the world's biggest races including: Cheltenham, Breeders' Cup, Dubai Racing, the Grand National and more.
The Group 3 Fred Darling Stakes is up next and we've got nine contenders going 7f in a quality race for three-year-old fillies. Richard Hannon's multiple Group 2 winner Best Terms is a fair bit ahead from a rating's perspective, with just the solitary blemish coming during her seasonal bow at Newmarket in the Group 1 Cheveley Stakes. Expect her to get most of the attention going off at even weights as she takes on some relatively lightly-raced fillies here. Radio Gaga should improve here and you can also expect some support for Brick Tops who is 1/1 and looks set to enjoy the distance.
There are eight solid races set to go at Newbury tomorrow and several Group level contests anchor the card. A number of the premier races will be featured during the day's Scoop6 while punters can expect some seriously good prices on several of the high-quality handicaps on offer for Saturday. The flat season looks to be well and truly under way now that we've just had the Craven run on Thursday.
The Scottish National is featuring a number of last week's Grand National contestants with the likes of West End Rocker, Junior and Vic Ventauri all remaining competitive in the ante post markets. The race itself looks to be significantly less testing than the 4m4f iteration at Aintree and it will be interesting to see how well these three came out of that contest.
After a fantastic first day's action at Aintree, we're set for the second leg of jumps racing though you suspect most punters will have their eyes firmly-fixed on Saturday's 4m4f showpiece. Several graded contests get the day rolling and most will hope the conditions prove as exciting as Day 1 – where Big Buck's made history and rattled off his 17th win in a row – matching a modern National Hunt record by doing so.
The day's first race is the Tangle Teaser Top Novices' Hurdle, which shapes up as a Grade 2 event. Nicky Henderson saddles Captain Conan and he was a beaten favourite...
After a fantastic first day's action at Aintree, we're set for the second leg of jumps racing though you suspect most punters will have their eyes firmly-fixed on Saturday's 4m4f showpiece. Several graded contests get the day rolling and most will hope the conditions prove as exciting as Day 1 – where Big Buck's made history and rattled off his 17th win in a row – matching a modern National Hunt record by doing so.
The day's first race is the Tangle Teaser Top Novices' Hurdle, which shapes up as a Grade 2 event. Nicky Henderson saddles Captain Conan and he was a beaten favourite...
The Thursday card at Aintree's Grand National kicks off tomorrow with seven stellar-looking contests up for grabs and punters will be treated to the presence of a living-legend right from the beginning with hurdling sensation Big Buck's set to challenge seven contenders in the Grade 1 Liverpool Hurdle. The going continues to be listed as good to soft with many observers expecting the conditions to hold throughout the entirety of Thursday's action.
Big Buck's faces a stiff challenge from Tidal Bay and Smad Place – the latter of whom came in third behind Big Buck's in the World Hurdle. His sole victory this season came over ground listed as good to soft and he looks an interesting outside shot for his Aintree debut. Lightly-raced with just a solitary run...
The latest word from Aintree is confirming AP McCoy's presence aboard Burton Port in the newly-monikered Betfred Bowl on Thursday. Fourth place in the Gold Cup, many had expected Burton Port to contest the National but connections withdrew late last week and have opted to place Burton Port in this 3m1f Grade 1 contest.
McCoy last took the mount two years ago in the RSA Chase, finishing second to Weapon's Amnesty by a seven length margin. Barry Geraghty took the irons after that for the next four contests running 1224 and proving a bit of a disappointment in what was a winnable Cheltenham Gold Cup during a festival where Geraghty was lighting up the toteboard...
48 stand-out contenders are still in the mix for the 2012 Grand National at Aintree and there's lots to like about the field, with some very interesting movement in the odds unfolding over Easter weekend. Soft conditions are expected to hold through to Saturday's showpiece and punters will be frantically checking the reports from clerk of the course Andrew Tulloch as both courses look set to run at Good to soft, soft in places.
The latest odds for the 2012 Grand National at Aintree have been released and there's been a bit of movement about them, though a number of key contenders remain in the mix and continue to demand some seriously enticing price tags. Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Synchronised is going in as the top weight with the top OR as his yard goes in search of a truly unique double. AP knows how to get the job done and will be looking for his second on the bounce.
Groody Hill, if all things remain as they are currently, will go off the betting choice in the 2012 Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse next Monday. Unraced since late December when 3rd from 26 at Leopardstown in the Paddy Power Chase, the JP McManus-owned six-year-old has been clipped down to 8/1 by several bookmakers from his previous quotation at 10/1.
The Roche yard seemingly found a different bit of form with this one for much of 2011 after he strung together a sequence of three victories in a row. A four-month freshening will have done him plenty of good but this...
