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Weekly Eye-Catchers – Horse Racing
Todayâs post has a real Cheltenham theme to it. Cheltenhamheld its last fixture before the Festival on Saturday. Trials Day, as itâs become known, has developed a reputation for pinpointing winners for the Cheltenham Festival in March. More of that and some other Cheltenham Festival stats later. Firstly, letâs have a look at the story that was making the racing…
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Andy Newton’s Saturday Column
Can you name the last horse to win both the Cotswold Chase and the Cheltenham Gold Cup in the same season? Ok, Iâll give you a clueâŠâŠ it was over 15 years ago! In fact, it was back in 2000. Got it yet? Okay, Iâll put you out of your misery, it was a Noel Chace trained horse called Looks…
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Weekly Eye-Catchers – Horse Racing
Altior: The Best National Hunt Horse I Have Ever Seen! Since winning a Chepstow novice hurdle, back in October 2015 by 34 lengths, Altior has never been out of the winnerâs enclosure. On Saturday he made it 17 wins from 17 runs, 12 of them over fences, when beating two rivals to win the Grade 1 Clarence House Chase at Ascot. Jockey…
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Andy Newton’s Saturday Column
Peter Marsh Chase – Saturday 19th Jan 2019 Donât get bogged down in the Peter Marsh Chase, let the key trends take the strain. This Saturdayâs Peter Marsh Chase, often run in desperate conditions, itâs an aptly-named contest that is often billed as another Grand National trial ahead of the worldâs greatest steeplechase in April. However, donât be fooled by this title, since…
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Weekly Eye-Catchers – Horse Racing
Itâs hard to believe that a Gold Cup & King George VI winning jockey can still claim 3lb. Sam Waley-Cohen has won both those races, but still gets a useful 3lb for his troubles. He even managed to get down to 9-12, to make full use of his claim, when winning Warwickâs Classic Chase on Impulsive Star. Impulsive Star , trained by…
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Andy Newton’s Saturday Column
So we now know what Sir AP McCoy has been doing since he retired from the saddle in 2015⊠heâs now a Civil Engineer! Okay, Iâm only messing about, but thatâs the new name of this Saturdayâs Classic Chase at Warwick – The McCoy Contractors Civil Engineering Classic Handicap Chase â so it tickled me a bit! This 3m5f contest…
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Weekly Eye-Catchers
Veteranâs Day A fairly low-key weekend on the racing front, not really surprising given the feast of racing over Christmas period. Sandown hosted a race to warm the cockles of the most cynical racing heart. Yes, it was the Veteransâ Series Final. The race, and its series of qualifiers, have quickly found favour with jumping fans. As a battle-hardened group…
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Weekly Eye-Catchers
Is 2019 The Year of The Clan? Well my holiday already seems far away, but I had a very relaxing time and the break was definitely needed. I returned from Mexico on Boxing Day, and just managed to see the action from Kempton, and what great racing it was too. The King George VI provided a bit of a shock…
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Threading the Needle in the Welsh Grand National
Although it is not as famous as the Aintree equivalent, the Welsh Grand National, which takes place at Chepstow, has become a much-loved post-Christmas event. It is a gruelling 3m 5 Âœf slog that typically takes place on soft or heavy ground. The Grade 3 event was won by Raz De Maree in 2018, and this year is the fourth…
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Weekly Eye-Catchers
Frost Returns to Cheltenham Not for the first time I find myself praising the riding skills of Bryony Frost as she steered Frodon to victory in the Caspian Caviar Gold Cup on Saturday. Itâs a long time since I have seen a Cheltenham meeting runs in such gloomy conditions, but Frodonâs win did add some brightness to the day. It…
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Frequent Flyer Miles â Can You Trust Trainers and Jockeys with Vast Experience at a Particular Course?
Experienced horse racing punters know better than to take strike rates at face value. Although a jockey or trainer (or perhaps a combination of the two) may have an excellent strike rate at a specific track, it means a lot less when their horses are primarily short-priced favourites. Likewise, having a low strike rate doesnât mean avoiding a bet because…
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Are Irish Trainers Worth Following in the UK?
There are a plethora of Irish stables who each possess a string of talented horses that are often seen running in the UK. The likes of Gordon Elliott, Willie Mullins, Aidan O’Brien and John Feane are familiar names to horse racing fans and their stables tend to fire in winners on a regular basis. These talented trainers are always on the lookout for winning opportunities…
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Weekly Eye-Catchers
The last two weeks have seen some top-class Championship performances from Bristol De Mai and Buveur DâAir on their seasonal reappearances. This week it was the turn of Altior at Sandown. There have been some great winners of the Tingle Creek Chase over the years, like Moscow Flyer, Kauto Star and Sprinter Sacre, and this yearâs victor is up there…
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Who Will Win the Mini-Grand National, a Showcase for the Real Thing?
The Becher Chase, a 3m 2f handicap Chase race, takes place this weekend at Aintree. It was only established in 1992, but since then, it has become something of a âtraining groundâ for future Grand National winners. Why? Because it is run over the same fences as its iconic bigger brother. It is not as long or as gruelling as…
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Weekly Eye-Catchers
In recent years, the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle hasnât had the quality of field you would like to see for a race of its history. On paper, this yearâs renewal looked like the race of the season so far, with Champion Hurdle winner Buveur DâAir, and Cheltenham Festival novice hurdle winners Samcro & Summerville Boy all standing their ground.…
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Weekly Eye-Catchers
Well, I am back in the saddle so to speak, after a short break away. Plenty to go at this week. Saturday itâs the Ladbroke Trophy Handicap Chase, formerly known as the Hennessey Gold Cup, at Newbury, which is one of my favourite handicap chases of the season. Also on Saturday itâs the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle. The Fighting…
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The Racing Week Ahead…
With John Burke on holiday this week, the estimable Andy Newton has stepped-in to give us his take on the week ahead. His is a detailed, interesting read, from a different perspective. Enjoy… With last weekendâs Cheltenham November Meeting behind us, itâs fair to sayâŠâŠjump racing is back! Itâs the hedgehoppers all the way now for the next six months…
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The Cheltenham Open â Finding the Next National Hunt Superstar
Although there have been numerous National Hunt events already, the Cheltenham Open is often regarded as the true beginning of the jumps season. In recent years, the Openâs importance has grown, and it is now a three-day meeting that attracts challengers from all around Europe. There are multiple Class 1 events and highlights include the BetVictor Gold Cup Handicap Chase…
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Weekly Eye-Catchers
Morning! Frost Returns To Wincanton I waxed lyrical about jockey Bryony Frost on a couple of occasions last year. The first time was when she won last yearâs Badger Ales Trophy Handicap Chase on Present Man. It was a case of dĂ©jĂ vu as the combination returned to win the race again this year. Once again Bryony got the 8-year-old into a good…
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