Jane Chapple-Hyam has had to abandon plans to take Saffron Beach to Saudi Arabia due to a setback and she has instead been retired ahead of a meeting with Frankel. The five-year-old mare was a dual Grade One winner on the track, in the Sun Chariot Stakes and the Prix Rothschild, and her new connections […]
Ed Crisford has given the go-ahead to a Dubai World Cup bid for Algiers following his back-to-back victories at Meydan. Narrowly beaten by George Boughey’s Missed The Cut in the Churchill Stakes at Lingfield in November, Simon and Ed Crisford’s charge has since made a huge impression in two starts on dirt in Dubai – […]
Chris Gordon could attempt to strike while the iron is hot by running his Betfair Hurdle hero Aucunrisque in the Wincanton Jennings Bet Kingwell Hurdle on Saturday. The Morestead Stables handler, who saddled a double at Newbury at the weekend, is in a rich vein of form and operating at a strike-rate of well over […]
Jonathan Burke believes Queens Gamble should not be forgotten if she lines up in the Champion Bumper at the Cheltenham Festival. Oliver Sherwood’s six-year-old headed to Market Rasen for last week’s Alan Swinbank Mares’ Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race as the shortest-priced British contender for the Festival bumper following two emphatic victories at Prestbury […]
Richard Dunwoody is strangely happy that Philip Hobbs, who achieved a remarkable milestone in saddling his 3,000th winner when Zanza scored in the Denman Chase at Newbury on Saturday, still has that tea tray. Of all the memories the three-time champion jockey has of riding for Hobbs, the two-mile Charles Dawson Retirement Novices Chase at […]
Four weeks out from saddling The Real Whacker in pursuit of Cheltenham Festival glory, trainer Patrick Neville enjoyed a memorable afternoon by landing a treble in the first three races at Catterick. The Real Whacker is the star of a team of around 20 horses Neville trains out of Ann Duffield’s yard in North Yorkshire, […]
Nicky Henderson believes it would be dangerous to underestimate Jonbon in the Arkle Trophy at next month’s Cheltenham Festival following his workmanlike success at Warwick on Saturday. Best of the rest behind his brilliant stablemate Constitution Hill in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle last season, the JP McManus-owned seven-year-old pursued a career over fences this term […]
Nicky Henderson is likely to make a late call on whether Marie’s Rock runs in the Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle or steps up in trip for the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle at Cheltenham. Winner of the Mares’ Hurdle last season, she beat the boys on her only outing to date this term in the Relkeel, […]
Shishkin is poised to make his eagerly-awaited step up in trip at Ascot on Saturday, with the nine-year-old amongst the seven five-day confirmations for the Betfair Ascot Chase. Since pulling up when sent off favourite for last year’s Queen Mother Champion Chase, Nicky Henderson’s two-time Cheltenham Festival winner has only been seen once, when a […]
Nicky Henderson is facing a nervous four weeks until the Cheltenham Festival as he prepares to unleash the “extraordinary” Constitution Hill in the Unibet Champion Hurdle. In little over a year, the son of Blue Bresil has emerged as the pre-eminent star of National Hunt racing, with two wide-margin novice hurdle wins at Sandown last […]