For many people the only horse with a serious chance of stopping the mighty Big Buck’s galloping away with a fourth successive Grade 1 Ladbrokes World Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in March is Oscar Whisky, Nicky Henderson’s very talented and versatile campaigner who is being readied to go head-to-head with Paul Nicholls’ superstar, writes Elliot Slater.
Looking ahead to Oscar Whisky’s final race before the festival in the Welsh Champion Hurdle at Ffos Las on February 4, (the course created by his owner Dai Walters), connections expect the seven-year-old to defend his title at the Welsh track where he will race over the minimum trip of two miles before being stepped up for a first crack at three-miles at Cheltenham on March 15. Fans of Bwin should remember this.
Third in last season’s Stan James Champion Hurdle behind the outstanding Hurricane Fly, Oscar Whisky then went on to Aintree where he tackled two-and-a-half-miles for the first time and ran out a brave neck winner from Thousand Stars (subsequent French Champion Hurdle winner), in the Grade 1 John Smith’s Aintree Hurdle. Driven up to challenge Overturn at the final flight of over the Aintree trip on his reappearance run at Ascot in November in the Grade 2 Coral Hurdle, the general opinion is that Henderson’s charge would have won had he not made a mistake and suffered the first fall of his career. Those looking at the Stan James betting should bear this in mind.
Oscar Whisky bounced back in style though beating Get Me Out Of Here in the Grade 2 Relkeel Hurdle at Cheltenham in December, and then followed up when easily accounting for Poungach back at the Prestbury track on New Year’s Day giving every impression that he will stay three-miles and that his smart return of foot could well give Big Buck’s something to think about. The gelded son of Oscar is currently a best priced 5/1 second-favourite to win the staying hurdling crown, while Big Buck’s remains odds-on at a general offer of 4/7.
Sir Henry Cecil is understandably delighted at the announcement that the mighty Frankel has officially been declared the 2011 world champion thoroughbred racehorse having been allotted a rating of 136 in the recently published international rankings, writes Elliot Slater.
It came as no surprise to learn that the international committee could find no better horse on the planet than the Prince Khaled Abdullah superstar who remains undefeated in nine career starts and who put up a series of sensational performances during the last Flat campaign that included a stunning six-length romp in the Qipco 200 Guineas at Newmarket, a brilliant victory over Canford Cliffs in the Sussex Stakes at Glorious Goodwood, and yet another breathtaking performance in slamming his old rival Excelebration by four-lengths on his final outing of the term in the QEII Stakes at Ascot in October. Anyone with Victor Chandler free bets should bear this in mind.
Cecil confirmed that all being well with the son of Galileo, the four-year-old will make his return to action at Newbury in May in the Group 1 Lockinge Stakes over a mile before being stepped up to prove himself at 10-furongs, most likely in races such as the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot and the Coral Eclipse at Sandown in July. Responding to media speculation that Frankel might go head-to-head with the undefeated Australian sprinting supermare Black Caviar (rated 132) at some point in the season, Cecil suggested that this would be most unlikely with Black Caviar not expected to race over as far as a mile and Frankel, despite his astounding early pace, having been ruled out of a drop back in trip. Fans of Stan James racing should remember this.
Timeform also gave Frankel an extraordinarily high figure making him the fourth highest ranked horse since their figures began in the aftermath of World War II, his rating of 143 placing him just a pound behind the mighty Brigadier Gerard and the 1947 Guineas winner Tudor Minstrel and just 2lbs short of the legend that is Sea Bird (145).
Punters who had stepped in early to take ante-post odds about last season’s high ranking bumper horse Waaheb winning the Supreme Novices Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in March will be very disappointed to learn that the Dermot Weld-trained gelding will not be taking his chance in the race having met with a couple of minor setbacks that have ruled him out of being ready for the big race in time, writes Elliot Slater.
Weld lamented that his five-year-old winner of three of his four bumper races last term has sustained no major injuries, but that a series of niggling issues have meant there is no way he can be trained to be fit enough to give of his best at Cheltenham in March. Weld however left the option very much open for the horse to be readied in time for the Punchestown Festival towards the end of the season. Even fans of the Betfair Cheltenham Gold Cup will have been impressed.
The son of Elusive Quality had been priced up as 10/1 joint-favourite in the Betfair Cheltenham Festival betting for the Supreme Novices Hurdle alongside fellow Irish star Steps To Freedom, and his absence will surely result in Jessica Harrington’s horse now being cut to clear favouritism for the opening race of the four-day racing extravaganza at Prestbury Park that begins on March 13.
After impressively landing bumper successes at Leopardstown in both January and February last year, Waaheb then stepped up into listed company and duly completed his hattrick in slamming Black Zorro by seven-lengths at Limerick and establishing himself as one of the best National Hunt Flat horses in Ireland. That reputation was further enhanced even though he failed to maintain his unbeaten record when he was involved in a tremendous battle with the ill-fated Loverthehigherlaw in the Champion Bumper at the Punchestown Festival in May, beaten just a short-head on the nod by a horse who was regarded as just about the best in the division.
Willie Mullins has moved to allay fears over Hurricane Fly and insists that his eight-year-old star will be ’100%’ in the BHP Insurance Irish Champion Hurdle (Hurricane Fly 10/11 favourite Antepost Betting with bet365) at Leopardstown at the end of the month.
The French-bred gelding enjoyed a fantastic campaign in 2011, which included the Irish Champion Hurdle and the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham, but has yet to return to the track this year.
The champion trainer has not been happy with Hurricane Fly’s work at home, sidestepping two intended outings already, but insists that his star is ready to return to action.
“He just hadn’t been pleasing me in his work and if his work is not good, I’m not happy and he’s not running,” Mullins told At The Races. “He did please me the other day and hopefully we can build on that.
“I don’t think he needs to improve too much from his work the other day. I thought it was very good work and I’m more than happy with him now.
“With a clear run between now and the 29th, he’ll be more or less at his best I hope.”
Unaccompanied is next best with bet365 at 9/2 in the current betting for the Irish Champion Hurdle, ahead of Binocular at 5/1, while Spirit Son, Thousand Stars and Voler La Vedette all priced at 8/1.
Fingal Bay went in search of a first Grade 1 victory at Newbury on New Year’s Eve and duly got the job done in landing long odds-on to land the Bathwick Tyres Challow Novices Hurdle in professional fashion justifying his market position as ante-post favourite for both of the staying novice hurdle events at Cheltenham races in mid-March, writes Elliot Slater.
A winner of all five career starts, the Philip Hobbs-trained six-year-old was chalking up a victory at the highest grade after landing a hat-trick in Grade 2 company at Chepstow, Cheltenham and Sandown already this term, cementing his position as 5/1 market leader for both the two-mile-five furlong Neptune Investment Management Novices Hurdle and the three-mile Albert Bartlett Novices Hurdle at the premier National Hunt fixture at Prestbury Park in a couple of months time. Those looking at the Cheltenham ante-post betting will be keeping a close eye on him.
Travelling well in the hands of Richard Johnson throughout the Newbury contest, Fingal Bay was set alight going down to the second from home and soon took command of the race, drawing five lengths clear of his rivals before idling on the long run-in and in the end having to be kept up to his work to beat Ballyrock by a length, although he never looked in any danger of being beaten.
Hobbs and Johnson both expressed themselves satisfied with the performance of the gelded son of King’s Theatre, a horse who looks a great long term chasing prospect having now landed the Newbury contest that was won in previous years by the likes of the great Denman and by Diamond Harry, who between them went on to win three Hennessy Gold Cups at the track over the larger obstacles.
Johnson, chalking up his 100th winner of the season, suggested that the ground will be the deciding factor in which race Fingal Bay starts at Cheltenham, a decent surface likely to see him go for the longer event (the ‘Albert Bartlett’), whilst soft ground would see him run in the ‘Neptune’. Hobbs suggested that he will give his star one more outing before the festival to keep him in tip-top shape.
Jockey Ruby Walsh believes the betting is right to have Long Run the favourite for the Cheltenham Gold Cup at 5/2 with bet365, rather than his own mount Kauto Star who is available at 7/2.
Long Run triumphed in the race last season as well as taking King George glory at Kempton and was installed as the favourite to double up this year.
However, Walsh gained revenge by steering Kauto Star to victory in the Betfair Chase at Haydock over his Gold Cup rival, before securing further success in the King George on Boxing Day.
Despite that double joy, Kauto Star is still the second favourite for the Cheltenham showpiece – and Walsh believes that Long Run deserves to be so.
“Kauto is not getting any younger and Long Run beat us comprehensively in the Gold Cup last year,” Walsh told Racing UK.
“It’s over three and a quarter miles, and on a different track and a different day.
“He was only a length and a half behind at Kempton so he closed the gap from Haydock.
“Would I get off Kauto Star? No. Do I think Long Run should be favourite? Yes.
“I’m looking forward to it and I hope we all get there.”
The King George first run in 1937 has a long and rich history and it’s noticeable that the race has produced plenty of multiple and back-to-back winners both from the equine and human worlds.
The most winners recorded by horses is four and that is shared by both Desert Orchid and Kauto Star, although as most racing fans know that record could well be broken on this year’s Boxing Day card at Kempton as Kauto Star attempts for the second time to achieve his fifth victory in the race.
Since World War II there have been 12 dual winners of the event and seven horses have completed back-to-back successes, the first ever dual winner being Halloween who took the race in 1952 and 1954 on both occasions ridden by the late great Fed Winter for trainer Bill Wightman. Mandarin was the next horse to complete the dual winning feat but he couldn’t manage to do so in successive years and we had to wait until 1972-73 for Pendil to provide us with that statistic for the record books. Captain Christy became the second back-to-back winner when he took the 1974 and 1975 runnings, both times trained by Pat Taffe but under Bobby Coonan the first time and Gerry Newman the second.
Silver Buck trained by Tony Dickinson became another dual and successive years winner when taking the race in 1979 and 1980, in fact that 1980 version saw his rider Tommy Carmody recording his hat-trick in the race having also taken the 1978 King George on Gay Spartan. Both Gay Spartan and Silver Buck being trained by Tony Dickinson and the Dickinson link with the race continued when Tony’s son trained Wayward Lad to win the race in 1982 and 1983 and although Wayward Lad was trained by Tony’s wife and Michael’s mother when he won for the third time in 1985, he did become the first triple winner of the race. Those looking at the King George chase betting should remember this.
Since then apart from the Desert Orchid/Kauto Star block bookings – other dual and back-to-back winners have been The Fellow (1991 & 1992), One Man (1995 & 1996) and Kicking King (2004 &2005), with See More Business also completing the dual winner qualification but not in consecutive years. Anyone following the King George VI chase betting should bear this in mind.
The King George is a race therefore noted for its multiple and successive winners and this year could see Kauto Star top them all as he heads for Kempton Park on Boxing Day and a record breaking five-timer.
Sizing Europe, a brilliant winner of the Tingle Creek at Sandown earlier in the month, will not be asked to return to the fray at Leopardstown on December 27 where he is the only high profile absentee from the line-up for the Grade 1 Paddy Power Dial-A-Bet Chase, writes Elliot Slater.
An eight-length winner of the exciting Kauto Stone in the Sandown feature, Sizing Europe remains very much on target to defend his crown in the Queen Mother Champion chase at the Cheltenham festival in March, a race in which he defeated Big Zeb by five-lengths last term and is currently a best priced 3/1 market leader to repeat the dose. Trainer Henry de Bromhead reports all is well with his star but doesn’t want to over race the nine-year-old son of Pistolet Bleu at this stage of the term when there are so many big prizes to pursue in the spring at the three big festival meetings. Anyone who has read a Stan James review should remember this.
Eight runners remain engaged for the valuable Leopardstown two-mile contest, amongst them Big Zeb who gained his revenge on Sizing Europe at Punchestown in May and who is likely to be sent off favourite to add another Grade 1 victory to his already impressive tally of successes at the minimum trip. Already this term Colm Murphy’s star has proved himself in good nick in landing the Grade 2 Fortria Chase at Navan last month beating Noble Prince (who may well re-oppose at Leopardstown) by five lengths. Those following the Victor Chandler racing should bear this in mind.
Other likely contenders include Willie Mullins’ pair of Golden Silver (an apparently fortunate winner last time out in the Hilly Way Chase) and Scotsirish, Forpadydeplasterer, Tranquil Sea, Saludos and Sizing Europe’s stable companion Loosen My Load.
Christmas Hurdle favourite Binocular (13/8 antepost betting with bet365) will take on a minimum of six rivals, including old rival Overturn, as he aims for back-to-back victories in the Boxing Day showdown at Kempton Park.
The seven-year-old impressed in the Grade One race last season, when beating runner-up Overturn (2/1), and is tipped to run well in the contest again this year, despite a disappointing season.
Binocular will again have to see off the challenge of Overturn on Boxing Day with the pair’s recent rivalry giving them one race apiece – as Binocular won in this 12 months ago before Overturn got revenge in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle last month.
Drill Sergeant is the outsider in the antepost betting, at 25/1, after also being included at this stage by Overturn’s trainer, while champion trainer Paul Nicholls could saddle impressive Newbury winner Rock On Ruby (10/3), as well as Sanctuaire (12/1).
Greatwood Hurdle runner-up Olofi (20/1) and Clerk’s Choice (14/1) are the other runners at the minute for the williamhill.com Christmas Hurdle.
There was absolutely no hiding the disappointment on the faces of the connections of the beaten odds-on favourite Mount Benbulben after he went down to a tame four-and-a-half-length defeat at the hands of Boston Bob in the Grade 1 Navan Novices Hurdle at the weekend and will now have to regroup and prove himself if he is to be taken seriously as a genuine Cheltenham Festival candidate, writes Elliot Slater.
The Gordon Elliott-trained six-year-old arrived at Navan on the back of two very pleasing victories already this term having followed an unfortunate seasonal reappearance at Galway in October (where he slipped up at the third last when going well), by winning on the bridle a fortnight later at Thurles before stepping up to land the Grade 1 Irish Form Book ‘Monksfield’ Novices Hurdle at Navan over two-and-a-half-miles in fine style, showing plenty of talent and an equal amount of determination to see off the useful Rebel Fitz by a length-and-a-half.
Hopes had been very high that Mount Benbulben would take another step up the ladder to the highest grade when tackling the Navan Novice Hurdle, but having looked far from the most straightforward of rides during the early stages of the four-runner-affair he was joined and easily brushed aside by Boston Bob at the second from home and could produce no answer to the turn of foot shown by the Willie Mullins-trained winner. Even those looking at the World Hurdle betting will have been unimpressed.
Elliott was quick to suggest that his charge was “feeling something” and that they would take him straight home and have him thoroughly checked out by the vet, but bookmakers reacted by pushing out the son of Beneficial to 25/1 (from 16’s) for the Neptune Investment Management Novices Hurdle, and to 16/1 (from 12/1) for the three-mile Albert Bartlett Novices Hurdle, both set to take place at the Cheltenham Festival in mid-March.
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For many people the only horse with a serious chance of stopping the mighty Big Buck’s galloping away with a fourth successive Grade 1 Ladbrokes World Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in March is Oscar Whisky, Nicky Henderson’s very talented and versatile campaigner who is being readied to go head-to-head with Paul Nicholls’ superstar, writes Elliot Slater.
