Il Est Francais is a step closer on his French Champion Hurdle quest as the George continental foray continues to prove fruitful. The five-year-old has become a flagbearer for the father and son French venture, winning three times under Tom George’s name before switching to a joint-licence held by his son Noel and Amanda Zetterholm. […]
Dan Skelton has Le Milos “perfectly where I want him” ahead of his tilt at the Randox Grand National – despite his annoyance the Coral Gold Cup hero was agonisingly denied in his Aintree prep at Kelso. The Alcester-based handler made no secret of the fact he had left a bit to work on ahead […]
Connections are still considering the best route to take with Ga Law – and whether the “sensible” option would be to run in the Ryanair Chase at Cheltenham next week and forgo a Grand National bid this year. The Paddy Power Gold Cup winner is also in the Boodles Gold Cup, a race which offers […]
Neil Mulholland is in no hurry to make firm plans for Willmount, who remained unbeaten when cruising to success in a bumper at Doncaster on Saturday. The five-year-old, who cost £340,000 at Tattersalls Cheltenham February Sale last year, was a two-and-a-half-length winner of his four-year-old maiden point and duly won his first bumper in January […]
Last season’s Cheltenham Festival meeting was a Willie Mullins whitewash – and he is not leaving anything to chance in pursuit of something similar next week. Having won a remarkable 10 races over the four days at Prestbury Park – taking his tally at the Festival to a record 88 winners – the Closutton handler […]
The career of Ebor-winning trainer Les Eyre has come to an end as he sent out his last runner on Saturday. Based in Catwick near Beverley in East Yorkshire, Eyre has held a licence since 1988 and initially trained National Hunt horses. Success came when switching to the Flat code, though his homebred mare Celestial […]
The ever-popular Sceau Royal is set to stay over hurdles, with connections mulling over a run at either Aintree or Sandown before the end of the season. The Alan King-trained 11-year-old was at his enthusiastic best in the autumn, winning a Kempton Listed hurdle for the second season in a row before finishing a good […]
Chatham Street Lad will not line up in the St. James’s Place Festival Challenge Cup Open Hunters’ Chase at the Cheltenham Festival and has been ruled out for the season after suffering from lymphangitis. As an eight-year-old, the Michael Winters-trained gelding was a 15-length winner over the ill-fated Midnight Shadow in the 2020 Caspian Caviar […]
Ben Pauling has highlighted the claims of Samuel Spade in the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle, as he prepares to go in search of a fourth Cheltenham Festival winner. Willoughby Court got the Naunton Downs handler off the mark at Prestbury Park when winning the Neptune Investment Management Novices’ Hurdle in 2017, while Le Breuil in […]
Harry Cobden believes he is going into the Cheltenham Festival with the strongest book of rides he has had for several seasons. The 24-year-old is the stable jockey to 13-time champion trainer Paul Nicholls, for whom he enjoyed his greatest Festival success to date when landing the 2019 RSA Chase aboard Topofthegame – a race […]