Douglas Talking will be aimed at next week’s Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Handicap Chase at Cheltenham in the hope he gets the chance to back up “a special performance” at Sandown on Tuesday. The seven-year-old took his tally to five wins from eight attempts over fences when sauntering to a 13-length success under Patrick Wadge. […]
Officials at Cheltenham expect “lovely jumping ground” for next week’s Festival, if the weather forecasts prove accurate. Cheltenham avoided the snowfall which has beset parts of Britain over the last 48 hours and on Wednesday afternoon clerk of the course Jon Pullin provided an upbeat update ahead of the four-day meeting, which starts on Tuesday. “We […]
Neil Mulholland is confident Milkwood can outrun his odds in the McCoy Contractors County Hurdle at Cheltenham on Friday week. The nine-year-old was beaten just over two lengths into third place in the 2021 running of the fiercely-competitive handicap before going on to win the Scottish Champion Hurdle at Ayr and finish second in the […]
Wintry weather has ruled Soul Icon out of a tilt at the Betfair Imperial Cup at Sandown on Saturday. The six-year-old has won seven of his last eight races, starting his winning streak rated 73 at Huntingdon and winning most recently in a Cheltenham handicap off a mark of 117. He was due to run […]
Nicky Henderson has supplemented Epatante and Theatre Glory to take on Honeysuckle in a fascinating renewal of the Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle on the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival. Henry de Bromhead’s Honeysuckle beat Benie Des Dieux in an epic running of the Grade One contest in 2020 before going on to claim back-to-back […]
Constitution Hill heads 12 confirmations for the Unibet Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham on Tuesday. Nicky Henderson’s charge is widely regarded as the pre-eminent star of National Hunt racing and will be a red-hot favourite to extend his unbeaten record under rules to six in the Festival’s day one feature. The six-year-old won the Supreme Novices’ […]
Brewin’upastorm could be upped to three miles at Aintree following his win in the National Spirit Hurdle. Olly Murphy’s stable stalwart had struggled to hit the frame since finishing a head second in the Fontwell Grade Two in 2022, but primed to perfection by the Warren Chase handler following wind surgery, the 10-year-old rolled back […]
The Al Quoz Sprint on Dubai World Cup night and an appearance at Royal Ascot are both in George Boughey’s sights for Al Dasim after the exciting sprinter made it three from three at Meydan on Super Saturday. The Harry Angel colt won a couple of novice events at Wolverhampton in the autumn and has […]
Freezing temperatures overnight forced Catterick officials to abandon Wednesday’s card but there was better news for Fontwell, Lingfield and eventually, Kempton. Unfortunately for Catterick the forecast for temperatures to reach -6C overnight materialised and a decision to call the meeting off was taken long before a scheduled 8am inspection. Former jockey Philip Hide, now clerk […]
George Boughey has identified the Chartwell Fillies’ Stakes at Lingfield as a likely comeback target for his 1000 Guineas heroine Cachet. The Hamilton Road handler enjoyed a fantastic campaign in 2022, with Cachet’s Classic triumph the clear highlight as he saddled 136 winners in Britain in only his fourth season with a licence. Cachet was […]