Enjoy the Ultima with a nice drop of Chianti March 11, 2024 IT HASN’T been a season to remember for Kim Bailey and David Bass. The yard has had its share of struggles with bugs and ailments, but Does He Know was a good winner of the Grimthorpe Chase earlier this month and Bailey has two big bullets to fire in the Ultima Handicap Chase (2.50pm). Novices [...]
Bradstock’s Vango a huge price in the National Hunt Chase March 11, 2024 THEY say that you should always bet with your head and not your heart. Well, I’d say there is a bit of both when it comes to my selection in the Maureen Mullins National Hunt Chase (5.30pm). Less than two weeks have passed since Cheltenham Gold Cup-winning trainer Mark Bradstock lost his long battle with [...]
Marie could give Lossie a Rocky path in the Mares’ Hurdle March 11, 2024 WILLIE Mullins used to have quite the grip on the Mares’ Hurdle (4.10pm), having trained nine winners of the race since it was introduced 16 years ago. Of course it must be noted that Quevega was responsible for the vast majority of these – six victories in total – and, yes, the trainer has saddled [...]
Side with Milan and Karia against the field in the Boodles March 11, 2024 IT COULD be pretty desperate ground come the final few races today and you’re going to need a horse that really stays to have any chance of getting up the famous Cheltenham hill. That described my fancy for the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle (4.50pm) Pacini perfectly, but rather frustratingly he hasn’t got into the race [...]
Walsh set to be best of the rest in pursuit of dominant Townend March 10, 2024 TRAINER Willie Mullins has what looks a vice-like grip on this year’s Cheltenham Festival. Bookmakers make the Closutton-handler a best-priced 1/10 to finish the week as top trainer and odds-on to end up with 10 or more winners. That seems about right when you consider he is responsible for six of the seven favourites on [...]
Doddie may just be the bet to close out Festival in great style March 10, 2024 IF YOU’VE not had much luck heading into the very last of this week’s 28 Cheltenham Festival races at 5.30pm on Friday, it could be worth heading to the car park early. That said, there may just be a lovely bet lurking in the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle in the shape of the [...]
Derek Fox: Corach Rambler can win the Gold Cup March 5, 2024 LUCINDA Russell may only have a handful of entries at this year’s Cheltenham Festival, but not one of them are without a chance, and for stable jockey Derek Fox, it’s a very exciting time of the year. “I couldn’t pick the most likely winner out of the rides I have at Cheltenham,’ the 31-year-old rider [...]
Mister could be a Gift in Supreme for maestro Mullins March 5, 2024 AS WE know, predicting which race Willie Mullins will choose for some of his horses is about as easy as solving a Rubik’s Cube. And that’s very much the case with Ballyburn, whose Cheltenham Festival target is still unknown and that doesn’t make betting on the Supreme or Gallagher Novices’ Hurdles easy. For what it’s worth, [...]
A bit of Bruit force needed in Imperial Cup March 5, 2024 WE MIGHT be less than a week away from the Cheltenham Festival, but we’ve still got one last chance to boost the coffers for the biggest week in the jump racing calendar. Sandown takes centre stage on Saturday with the feature being the incredibly competitive Imperial Cup (2.25pm). Paul Nicholls and Harry Cobden won this race 12 [...]
Bill and the Kid Kandoo it to hit Greatwood Gold February 27, 2024 WITH less than two weeks to go until the Cheltenham Festival, it is no surprise this weekend is a little quieter but there is still some decent action to get stuck into at Kelso, Doncaster and Newbury. The feature at the Berkshire course is the Greatwood Gold Cup (1.55pm), where there could be some value [...]
