Hometown Boy looks the real Deal April 9, 2021 WITH 22 runners set to go to post, finding the winner of the opening EFT Systems Handicap Hurdle (1.45pm) won’t be easy. Rachael Blackmore is an interesting jockey booking on Tea Clipper for Tom Lacey, who ran a good race when third in the Coral Cup last time. If you take out the runaway winner [...]
Saint can land National for the Mullins family April 9, 2021 PLENTY will be searching for the name of Tiger Roll when they look at the 40 runners for this year’s Randox Grand National (5.15pm), but sadly connections opted not to attempt a record-equalling third win with the 11-year-old who could be back in 12 months’ time. The Irish, who notably dominated the Cheltenham Festival and have won [...]
EP: 52 Aintree Grand National Special April 9, 2021 The Grand National, run over four and a quarter miles always provides tremendous excitement and poignant stories. Once again 40 horses line-up for this year’s renewal. Trainers Tom Lacey and Nick Alexander join us to look ahead to the feature race of the weekend and Oliver Sherwood tells us just what it feels like to [...]
EP: 51 Aintree Grand National meeting & Hong Kong April 9, 2021 The world’s most favourite race takes place at Aintree this Saturday when 40 horses line up for this year’s Grand National, run over four and a quarter miles. Trainers Tom Lacey and Nick Alexander join us to look ahead to the feature race of the weekend. City A.M. racing editor Bill Esdaile previews the best [...]
Keith Pelley interview: European Tour chief on PGA Tour alliance, why 2021 is even tougher than 2020, and when fans can return to golf April 9, 2021 Since 14 April 2020, Keith Pelley has been getting used to a new way of starting each day. At 7:45am the chief executive of golf’s European Tour dials into a conference call with 14 colleagues to discuss which tournaments are on, which are off and need replacing at short notice, and which hang in the [...]
Week in Sportbiz: Sports give qualified backing to Covid certification plan; US Beijing boycott talks escalates; Masters caught up in vote row April 8, 2021 British sport’s leading governing bodies have backed plans to use Covid certification if it means they can reopen stadiums in full later this summer. But they have called for urgent clarification on how and when social distancing will be relaxed, warning that partially full venues will not stem their financial losses. The Premier League, Football [...]
Coffey on the House if Hendo has a treble April 8, 2021 IT HASN’T been a golden year for six-time champion trainer Nicky Henderson, but Aintree’s Friday card looks a prime opportunity for the Seven Barrows trainer to have some spring success. DUSART, who can be backed at 9/4 to land the Top Novices’ Hurdle (2:20pm), could be a future star, and this isn’t the strongest of [...]
You’d be Well and truly Nuts to miss this one April 8, 2021 COURSE winner NUTS WELL looks a cracking bet in the Marsh Chase (3.25pm) on day two of Aintree’s Grand National meeting. This 10-year-old might have reached the veteran stage of his career but he seems to be getting better with age. He’s been in the form of his life this season. His Kelso defeat of [...]
Morning can brighten up the afternoon in Topham April 8, 2021 SATURDAY’S Randox Grand National is a race still missing from trainer Nicky Henderson’s CV, but he has a good record in the Randox Topham Handicap Chase (4.05pm) over the famous fences. The master of Seven Barrows saddles a trio of contenders in a bid to land the contest for a sixth time with all three [...]
Athletes are driving the acceleration of sports investment – will we see European players follow the US trend for SPACs and NFTs? April 8, 2021 Barely a day goes by without another high-profile athlete being announced as an investor in a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), a tech start-up or launching their own non-fungible tokens (NFTs). While the Covid-19 pandemic has created major cash-flow problems for many elite teams and leagues, there is certainly no shortage of liquidity being channelled [...]