Back Scarface and Rhapsody to put on a Cracking show February 25, 2025 WITH the Cheltenham Festival now less than two weeks away attention for many stables is focused firmly on the four-day spectacle, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t still some intriguing racing this weekend. Kelso hosts its biggest raceday of the year, featuring the Morebattle Hurdle (3.30pm), a race that offers an added incentive for Cheltenham [...]
Power and Dino set to write their Own Story February 18, 2025 ATTENTION turns to Kempton and Newcastle this Saturday with both tracks hosting competitive cards featuring two historic staying chases. Kempton’s Ladbrokes Trophy (3.35pm) is often used as a stepping stone to the Ultima at Cheltenham or the Grand National further down the line, and while Hyland, Iroko and Kandoo Kid have those kinds of races [...]
Now is the hour to back Haiti Couleurs for Cheltenham February 18, 2025 THERE are only three weeks to go until the Cheltenham Festival and it’s time we turned our attention to one of the week’s handicaps. The National Hunt Chase wasn’t previously a handicap, of course, and is one of the Festival races whose conditions have been altered for this year’s meeting. Once it was a playground [...]
Story looks a Stellar selection for the Brown Advisory February 11, 2025 IT’S NOT often that the winner of a Cheltenham Festival novice hurdle arrives at Prestbury Park the following year a 16/1 shot, especially with a Grade Two win under his belt since, but that is the case with STELLAR STORY, who looks an attractive price for the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase. The victor in a [...]
Threeunder could play a winning shot in the Swinley February 11, 2025 YESTERDAY’s announcement of the Grand National weights will make no more than factual reading for trainer Paul Nicholls as he looks to ready THREEUNDERTHRUFIVE for Aintree’s April spectacular. That’s because the Ditcheat-based trainer looks to have waited until after the announcement before running his 10-year-old at Ascot, meaning even if he was to win the [...]
Something Tells me to back Navajo at Newbury February 4, 2025 ANTE-POST betting is all about finding value with a horse that will go off a much shorter price come race day, but this weekend looks tough with plenty of small fields and short-priced favourites. The presence of current Arkle favourite Sir Gino adds some real pizzazz to William Hill Super Saturday at Newbury but he [...]
Ace has Golden chance to make the Champion Hurdle frame February 4, 2025 THIS season’s Champion Hurdle market is much more complicated than it looks on paper. Constitution Hill might be a long odds-on shot, but his campaign has been a rollercoaster of uncertainty, with the Henderson superstar having to return from injury, colic and a perceived sub-par gallop at Newbury in November. But come back he has, [...]
Florida and Kalooki set to realise Dreams for Richards January 28, 2025 IF EVER there was a challenging weekend for ante-post punting this looks to be it. Leopardstown’s two-day Dublin Racing Festival will be its usual spectacle, with Willie Mullins set to unleash his battalion of stars one more time before they head across the water for the Festival in March. The problem is working out which [...]
Hunting for some value with Libberty in Champion Chase January 28, 2025 FOR MANY racing fans, this year’s Champion Chase is going to be all about Jonbon. Nicky Henderson’s star has been faultless this season, unbeaten in all three starts, including when dominating two-time Cheltenham hero Energumene in Ascot’s Clarence House last time out. Understandably, he’s a well-fancied favourite as a result, and while on all known [...]
Lee can bring Home the Stayers’ Hurdle bacon January 21, 2025 BACKING the winner of the Stayers’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival is almost always a tough ask, but I think I’ve found a bet in the race seven weeks out. Defending champion Teahupoo is undoubtedly the worthy favourite to retain his crown after he comfortably won the race 12 months ago, and he sits at [...]