Irish Banker Sir Gerhard looks hard to oppose March 15, 2022 Bill Esdaile’s 1-2-3 Sir Gerhard Journey With Me Stage Star WHEN the Willie Mullins-trained SIR GERHARD beat Gordon Elliott’s Three Stripe Life over two miles in a Grade One at the Dublin Racing Festival, the majority felt that they would be locking horns again in a rematch at Cheltenham in the Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle. However, [...]
Shishkin can leave Champion Chase rivals on the canvas March 15, 2022 Shishkin Nube Negra Energumene WHAT is it about Nicky Henderson and two-milers? He has won the Unibet Champion Hurdle a record eight times and is the joint leading trainer of this afternoon’s Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase (3.30pm) with six victories. Sprinter Sacre and Altior are two of the greatest two-mile chasers we have ever [...]
Epatante a huge price at 16/1 to regain her crown March 14, 2022 1st Epatante 2nd Honeysuckle 3rd Appreciate It ASK MOST racing fans what their dream result would be on the opening day of this year’s Cheltenham Festival, and it will surely be HONEYSUCKLE making it 15 wins from 15 career starts in the Unibet Champion Hurdle. Absolutely breathtaking in last year’s opening day highlight when pulverising her rivals by [...]
Ireland to end Ultima drought with Ben Dundee March 14, 2022 CHELTENHAM’S opening handicap, the Ultima Handicap Chase (2.10pm) hasn’t been a strong race for the Irish in recent years, and you have to go back to 2006, when Dun Doire won, to find their last winner. They have a strong hand this year, though, and Gordon Elliott’s duo Floueur and Death Duty look to have [...]
Edwardstone to be crowned king of the Arkle March 14, 2022 Bill Esdaile’s 1-2-3 1st Edwardstone 2nd Riviere D’etel 3rd Gabynako TRAINER Willie Mullins has won four of the last seven renewals of the Sporting Life Arkle Chase (2.10pm) and holds a strong hand once more saddling three of the 11 runners. The pick of his trio looks to be Blue Lord, who was the best of [...]
Constitution Hill set to get home team off to a flyer March 14, 2022 AFTER weeks of speculation, Willie Mullins made the decision on Sunday morning to send Dysart Dynamo to the Festival opener, the Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle (1.30pm), and to aim stablemate Sir Gerhard at Wednesday’s Ballymore instead. The news was disappointing for all those holding ante-post slips on last season’s Champion Bumper winner, but it [...]
Brook can be Queen of the Mares’ Hurdle March 14, 2022 AFTER winning the Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle (4.10pm) eight times in a row from 2009 to 2016, Willie Mullins has been in a bit of a drought recently. His last success in this race came in 2018 with Benie Des Dieux, but he saddles three this afternoon to try to right that wrong. Stable jockey [...]
“Honeysuckle has never let me down to this day and I can’t see why this year would be any different.” March 13, 2022 ON A relatively gloomy day at an uninspiring midweek fixture at Punchestown, the room was suddenly lit up by the arrival of horseracing’s brightest star. Rachael Blackmore spared some time in her busy schedule to chat to the assembled press who had travelled over to talk to her about all things Cheltenham. We are almost exactly 12 [...]
Home team likely to be steamrolled again March 13, 2022 THERE was a sense of embarrassment 12 months ago when the Irish left Cheltenham with a record 23 winners from a possible 28, and there is much hope the home team will put up a sterner defence this time around. Talk in the build-up has been of Great Britain winning the first three races with [...]
Dominant Allaho looks most likely to win by daylight in Thursday’s Ryanair March 13, 2022 IF THERE was one performance at last year’s Cheltenham Festival that will live long in the memory, it was Allaho’s demolition job in the Ryanair Chase. Willie Mullins’ eight-year-old set a blistering pace from just after the third fence and slowly went clear of his field, running out an impressive 12 length winner. He’s looked [...]
