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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.
It's finally down to a talented group of eight contenders in the 2012 Victor Chandler Chase but it appears as though the leading pair are getting the bulk of the play as both of their prices continue to drop. Both Finian's Rainbow and Paul Nicholls' Al Ferof have been taking money over the past few days and looking especially sharp as we head towards Saturday's big feature contest at Ascot Racecourse.
Barry Geraghty is confirmed once again for the ride on Finian's and they'll be looking to build on the impressive effort he put together on his seasonal debut at Kempton in the Grade 2 Desert Orchid Stakes.
The 2012 Victor Chandler Chase is drawing closer by the day and top-notch jumps trainer Paul Nicholls has heaped praise on his talented youngster Al Ferof who will be tackling the famous fences at Ascot this weekend.
Many have been backing Finian's Rainbow to continue his rich vein of form over this course but his ability to conquer a hurdles contest at Ascot two years ago won't be enough to sway certain punters will be looking elsewhere, despite his quality start to the season at Kempton in the Grade 2 Desert Orchid Chase.
Notably, Finian's Rainbow was disposed of by Captain Chris at last year's Cheltenham Festival in...
Willy Mullins talented hurdler Hurricane Fly represents one of Ireland's best chances of landing a victory on the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival. The eight-year-old son of Montjeu has plenty to offer going forward and his price can currently be found as high as 9/4 with several major bookmakers. Some have recently taken him into 7/4 with expectations that he will likely run away with the 2012 Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown towards the end of the month.
As the calendar turns over to a new year we always know that means Cheltenham is only three months away. Needless to say we're taking a look at some of the long-term markets for the 2012 Cheltenham Festival and there's a lot to like about the 2012 Arkle Chase on opening day.
Sprinter Sacre is trading as the outright favourite in this one and that's got a lot to do with his recent string of victories. Currently 2/2 during the 2011/12 National Hunt season, the six-year-old gelded son of Network represents a potential breakout star in Nicky Henderson's...
The upcoming Supreme Novices' Hurdle at the 2012 Cheltenham Festival is just a few months away at this point and it really looks like this year's leading contest for juvenile hurdlers doesn't feature an overwhelming favourite at this stage. It's a stark contrast to other years where a high-profile four-year-old has come in with an undefeated record and a huge amount of hype. We obviously don't need to go into detail about how many of them actually wound up pulling off the score on the opening day's first race.
There's a lot to like about the upcoming dates at Leopardstown as some of Ireland's best jumpers look set to do battle over timber in a variety of different contests. The latest news emerging from the Jessica Harrington yard is that last year's RSA Chase winner Bostons Angel will run with blinkers on during his prep for the 2011 Lexus Chase.
His seasonal debut at Down Royal didn't go entirely according to plan for the talented gelded son of Winged Love as he unseated his rider and then went on to finish a tame third to Golan Way in his next effort at Sandown.
Sent off as the 2/1 joint-favourite on the day, he loped...
The final declarations have been made in the 2011 Lough Derg Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot this weekend. Big Buck's, the top hurdler in the land, is easily the favourite amongst a field of six challengers and it would really make headlines if the Paul Nicholls-trained long distance specialist was to come up short in this one.
This represents the first attempt at Ascot for the venerable hurdler, who was switched over from the fences to great effect by Nicholls back in 2009. Unbeaten in thirteen contests since then, you have to admire everything the Ditcheat team has...
After getting the season off to a rather inauspicious debut at Exeter it appears as though Captain Chris' next attempt will be against Grade 1 company, including the likes of Kauto Star and Long Run, in the 2011 King George.
Sent off as the 2/1 favourite against a field of six, the Cheltenham/Punchestown double winner unseated pilot Richard Johnson at the last hurdle. He was definitely unlucky on the day – something that was noted in his performance sheet following the race. The seven-year-old son of King's Theatre had never unseated a rider before and...
