Royal Kahala to Floor Porter in Stayers’ March 16, 2022 Bill Esdaile’s Stayers’ Hurdle 1-2-3: 1. Royal Kahala 2. Flooring Porter 3. Thyme Hill THERE are few races at the Cheltenham Festival which are easy to solve and today’s Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle (3.30pm) certainly falls into that category. Many of the leading contenders have put in performances more than worthy of taking this race but [...]
Christian Horner interview: ‘Red Bull put Formula 1 back on the map last year’ March 16, 2022 The dust is still settling on last year’s rancorous Formula 1 season as a new one is about to begin in Bahrain this weekend but Oracle Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner is keen to put the acrimony with Mercedes and opposite number Toto Wolff behind him. Well, mostly. Three months on from a hugely [...]
L’Homme Presse can put one on the board for the home team March 15, 2022 L’Homme Presse Ahoy Senor Farouk D’Alene IN A WEEK where the Irish are once again set to dominate, the home team hold a strong hand in the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase (2.10pm) now that Galopin Des Champs has opted to take up an alternative challenge. Trainer Paul Nicholls has always held Bravemansgame in the highest regard [...]
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, [...]
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 [...]
Purton to ruin Moreira’s hopes of Blissful return to the Valley March 1, 2022 IT WAS good to see Joao Moreira back in the saddle after a six-meeting suspension at Sha Tin last Sunday, although his fan club would have hoped for better results. No wins from 10 rides would have had his many thousands of supporters, who once famously likened him to a Hong Kong ATM cash-point machine, [...]