The Scan: off to the clinic for a bit of a surprise… March 14, 2011 WHO knew that not going to work could be so stressful? The day had begun well, with an early morning cup of tea and Radio Four while the rest of the house slept. But then Noel had rolled out of bed in a foul mood, bemoaning the 363 days remaining until his next birthday. And [...]
That’s the Spirit Son March 14, 2011 CUE Card is aiming to do what Cousin Vinny and Dunguib couldn’t by becoming the first Supreme Novices’ Hurdle banker to win since Brave Inca in 2004. Colin Tizzard’s stable star has produced some tremendous performances over hurdles this season, but the stats are against him. Montelado in 1992 was the last Champion Bumper winner [...]
Menorah to land the Champion for Hobbs March 14, 2011 LAST year we thought we weren’t going to see Binocular run in the Champion Hurdle and his connections surprised us all by declaring him fit for the race at the last minute. Amazingly, 12 months on, they have surprised us all again at the final hour by not declaring the champion because of a medication [...]
King can be crowned Arkle champion again March 14, 2011 ALAN KING has a fantastic record in the Irish Independent Arkle Challenge Trophy (2.05pm), winning it with Voy Por Ustedes and My Way De Solzen in 2006 and 2007. He is set to rely on MEDERMIT this year and the seven-year old looks to have a favourite’s chance. Although he’s never won at Cheltenham, he [...]
IN-RUNNING TRADING HINTS March 14, 2011 I am almost certain that Cue Card will travel like the winner for much of the opening contest (1.30pm), but there is a danger he won’t find an awful lot off the bridle. Therefore, it may pay to back him on Betdaq pre-race at around the 3.2 mark and then look to lay your stake [...]
Ferdy Murphy the man to be feared in the big handicaps March 14, 2011 IT’S been a disappointing season for Ferdy Murphy so far, but there have been some signs of late that his string is starting to hit form again. He has a formidable record at the Cheltenham Festival and punters should take notice when he says that DIVERS, in this afternoon’s Centenary Novices’ Chase (5.15pm), is his [...]
Japan counts cost of devastating tragedy March 13, 2011 ■ NIKKEI 225 FALLS 5.8 PER CENT IN EARLY TRADING ■ BOJ PUMPS £53BN INTO MONEY MARKETS JAPANESE markets were hammered this morning as traders scrabbled to offload exposure to the devastating Japanese earthquake. The Nikkei was down a staggering 5.8 per cent in early trading to 9,656.71, with stocks in firms including Nissan, Honda, [...]
Fresh fiscal crisis to hit Japan’s economy March 13, 2011 JAPAN’S ability to cope with the economic costs of last week’s earthquake and tsunami was called into doubt by analysts yesterday. “The timing of the disaster could not have been much worse,” said John Higgins of Capital Economics. “Japan’s economic recovery has lost momentum and a large part of the reconstruction costs will add to [...]
Yet again, we are reminded of our extreme frailty March 13, 2011 HUMILITY is the only appropriate response in the face of the horrendous human tragedy, grief and destruction unleashed on Japan. We are fortunate to be living in Britain, a temperate country largely immune from the destruction regularly unleashed by natural forces on the rest of the world. With the death toll mounting towards ever-more horrific [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING March 13, 2011 FINANCIAL TIMES GREEK BANK SCUPPERS HOPES OVER DEAL Alpha Bank, Greece’s third-largest lender, has killed hopes of a merger deal with larger rival National Bank of Greece, scotching the push by regulators and the government for the country’s troubled banking sector to strengthen itself through consolidation. RETAILERS RUN OUT OF IPAD 2 WITHIN HOURS Many [...]
