Filey Bay is 11-4 favourite with the sponsors for the Betfair Hurdle at Newbury on Saturday after 23 horses remained in contention at the five-day confirmation stage. Trained by Emmet Mullins, the seven-year-old was having his first outing in 409 days when an easy winner at Doncaster in November off a lowly mark and had […]
Any Second Now continued his preparation for the Randox Grand National with trainer Ted Walsh left neither “squealing or disappointed” by his run in the Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup. The JP McManus-owned 11-year-old was beaten 15 lengths into fourth behind Galopin Des Champs at Leopardstown on Saturday. Any Second Now was favourite when runner-up […]
Richard Hobson believes the best is yet to come from Fugitif following his brave second at Cheltenham on Festival Trials Day. An emphatic winner at Chepstow on his penultimate start, he was sent off the 7-2 favourite for the Paddy Power Cheltenham Countdown Podcast Handicap Chase at Prestbury Park and justified those odds to run […]
Oliver Sherwood hopes it will be third time lucky as leading Champion Bumper hope Queens Gamble continues her education at Market Rasen on Tuesday. The five-year-old, who has already won both her races in impressive style at Cheltenham, will look to return to the Prestbury Park track on March 15 as the top British challenger […]
Oisin Murphy has a ride to relish upon his return to the saddle as he is due to partner Missed The Cut in the Neom Turf Cup. The jockey is approaching the end of a 14-month suspension imposed by the British Horseracing Authority after he admitted to breaking Covid rules, misleading the regulator and prejudicial […]
Peter Scudamore admits he was “vastly impressed” by Galopin Des Champs’ success at Leopardstown on Saturday, yet says the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup is not a formality for Willie Mullins’ star chaser. The Audrey Turley-owned seven-year-old won his fifth chase in six starts, powering to an eight-length victory over Stattler in the three-mile Paddy Power […]
Vaucelet appears to be David Christie’s Cheltenham Festival number one as the handler begins to piece together his plans for the spring festivals. The Derrylin-based trainer has a strong band of hunter chasers at his disposal and many thought exciting six-year-old Ferns Lock could be the horse to go one better than Winged Leader’s second […]
Nicky Henderson rates State Man a “very serious danger” to Constitution Hill’s Unibet Champion Hurdle challenge. The Willie Mullins-trained runner accounted for dual Champion Hurdle winner Honeysuckle by just under five lengths in Sunday’s Chanelle Pharma Irish Champion Hurdle, prompting Coral to clip him into 3-1 from 4-1. Henderson’s Constitution Hill remains the 1-4 favourite […]
Gaelic Warrior has big-race Cheltenham ambitions after running out a comfortable victor of the Festina Lente Charity Liffey Handicap Hurdle at Leopardstown. The five-year-old – narrowly beaten when heavily-backed at the Festival in March – was the 10-11 favourite after facile successes in both hurdle starts this season, winning two contests by a combined 101 […]
Honeysuckle could have her Cheltenham Festival swansong in the Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle – with owner Kenny Alexander steering away from the Unibet Champion Hurdle after the mare suffered a second career defeat at Leopardstown on Sunday. The nine-year-old was eclipsed for the first time in 17 races when only third in the Hatton’s Grace […]