UK Horse Racing Tips

Archive for the ‘Racing Festivals’ Category

By Harvey Mayson

The Grade 1 King George VI Chase is one of the top races of the National Hunt season and is the highlight of the Christmas meeting at Kempton Park.

The race is held on Boxing Day each year and is second only to the Cheltenham Gold Cup in terms of prestige. The race will forever be associated with two of the leading steeplechasers of all time in Desert Orchid and Kauto Star. The flying grey won the race four times between 1986 and 1990 but was surpassed by Kauto Star’s five victories between 2006 and 2011.

Trainer Paul Nicholls won the race for the ninth time when Silviniaco Conti recorded his second successive King George success 12 months’ ago.

Don Cossack is the early market leader for Gordon Elliott following an impressive reappearance at Down Royal in October. The eight-year-old easily accounted for his three rivals in the Grade 1 Champion Chase.

The son of Sholokhov was third in the Ryanair Chase at the Cheltenham festival before romping to a 26-lengths win at Aintree. That remarkable victory over Cue Card was followed by beating Gold Cup runner-up Djakadam by seven lengths at Punchestown and the King George looks the obvious target.

Vautour did not impress everyone when beating Ptit Zig in receipt of 5lbs at Ascot in November. The Willie Mullins-trained gelding only had a length and a quarter to spare but jockey Ruby Walsh was delighted with the performance. He felt that the horse was some way short of his peak and is expecting a big improvement at Kempton. Vautour is yet to race at three miles but this flat track should give him every chance of lasting home.

Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Coneygree needs to be supplemented for the race after an apparent computer glitch prevented his entry from going through. He looked good on his first run of the season but missed the Hennessy Gold Cup after losing a shoe in training. Several bookmakers are offering a special “with a run” price for Mark Bradstock’s gelding.

Cue Card looked right back to his best when winning the Betfair Chase at Haydock following a successful breathing operation. Jockey Paddy Brennan could scarcely believe how easily he beat Silviniaco Conti that day, saying that he felt as though he had 20lbs in hand. Cue Card was runner-up in this race in 2013 but faded to finish fifth last season. He is still only nine years of age and trainer Colin Tizzard has already confirmed him a definite starter at Kempton.

Silviniaco Conti is likely to be fitted with blinkers after his disappointing defeat at Haydock. He cannot be ruled out as he was only third at Haydock before winning his first King George in 2013. Former stable companion Al Ferof has finished third in the race for the past two seasons and made a winning start for Dan Skelton in the Peterborough Chase at Huntingdon.

Hennessy Gold Cup winner Smad Place is still a possible runner, although Alan King is thought to be favouring the Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham as his next target. The race is due off at 3.10 on Saturday 26th December and will be televised live on Channel 4.

We’re days away from one of the most exciting events of the UK racing calendar. The Aintree Grand National draws huge crowds both at the track and in front of television screens across the nation and the world. Steeped in history, The National attracts the cream of the crop, in terms of horses, jockeys and owners. Prize money of over a million pounds is on offer, making this the most valuable jump race in Europe and certainly fitting for such a prestigious occasion. If you’re looking to get involved, it’s useful to see grand national results & odds online first.

At over 4 miles and with 30 fences to navigate, you’re bound to be on the edge of your seat if you’ve placed a wager. If you haven’t, there’s still time to bet and with such a large field if you strike lucky, there’s a chance you could win big. It’s not unheard of for huge priced winners to romp home in The National, as there’s always an element of unpredictability to the event even when bookies are convinced a horse has it all but sewn up. 2009 winner Mon Mome was a staggering 100-1 with bookmakers. Even in recent years, we’ve been spoiled in terms of the betting odds of winners (2012 – Neptunes Collonges 33-1, 2013 – Auroras Encore 66-1, 2014 – Pineau De Re 25-1). Will 2015 bring us yet another big winner?

This year’s favourite is 2014 Irish National winner Shutthefrontdoor, which is set to be jockey Tony McCoy’s final ride. It’s currently 7-1 and feasibly could get shorter, making it one of the shortest priced Grand National favourites in decades. Undoubtedly talented, 7-1 is not particularly generous though when you consider the depth of the competition and the number of horses competing. Pushing out to slightly bigger odds we have second favourite Rocky Creek currently at 10-1, Balthazar King at 12-1 and The Druids Nephew at 14-1. Of the three, I’d be tempted to go with Rocky Creek. This Paul Nicholls’s trained nine-year-old has looked very strong and capable all season and won well at Kempton.

If you’re looking for a more speculative bet you could do worse than go with Dolatulo who has plenty of national hunt experience, or why not go for a little piece of history by backing last year’s winner Pineau De Re to repeat the feat at 25-1.

The racing on the Monday preceding any Cheltenham Festival inevitably has the feel of the ‘calm before the storm’ so, with all due respect to the authorities at Plumpton, Stratford and Taunton, we’ve decided to concentrate on events later in the week in today’s 2015 cheltenham tips piece.

The feature race on the first day is, of course, the Stan James Champion Hurdle Challenge Trophy, for which Willie Mullins’ Faugheen is a red-hot 5/4 favourite. The Germany gelding is unbeaten in nine starts, including a point-to-point, and has only really been tested once, when ridden out to beat Ballyalton by 4½ lengths in the Neptune Investment Management Novices’ Hurdle, over 2 miles 5 furlongs, at last year’s Festival. The 7-year-old gelding appears highly versatile, having won at distances up to 3 miles on going ranging from good to heavy, but may still have room for improvement in his jumping.

Faugheen faces by far his stiffest task to date against stable companion Hurricane Fly, Jezki and The New One, all of whom are rated of similar ability by the BHA Head of Handicapping, so if his jumping lacks fluency, as it has on more than one occasion in the past, he could be vulnerable.

Hurricane Fly, winner of the Champion Hurdle in 2011 and 2013 before a creditable fourth behind Jezski last year, has won three from three since returning to action at Punchestown in November, notably beating Jezki on all three occasions. His very best form has come on soft and heavy going, so he’d appreciate some rain but, as the joint highest-rated horse in the race, he’s not a bad ‘second string’ for the Mullins’ yard.

Unless the rain forecast for Cheltenham on Monday is heavier than forecast, The New One could be the one to take advantage of any jumping frailties that surface in the favourite. Nigel Twiston-Davies’ 7-year-old could finish only third, beaten 2¾ lengths, behind Jezski last year, but was badly hampered by the fall of the ill-fated Our Conor at the third flight and can be rated better than the bare result. The King’s Theatre is unbeaten in five starts since, including the Grade 1 Aintree Hurdle last April, and may be able to make amends this time.

One of the highlights of the National Hunt calendar, the Cheltenham festival is once again just around the corner, starting on 10th March. This prestigious four day festival appeal to both casual punters and serious racing fans alike. The Cheltenham atmosphere is said to be one of a kind with the crowd letting out a ‘Cheltenham Roar’ at the start of the first race.

The Cheltenham festival, first held in 1860, consists of a grand total of 27 competitive races, a number of which (Supreme Novices Hurdle, Champion Hurdle, Queen Mother Champion Chase and so on) are grade one events. As the festival approaches there are plenty of rises and fall in the betting market so let’s take a look at the betting market. The Gold Guide to Cheltenham is a good starting point.

The 22 fence, 3 miles 2½ furlong Cheltenham Gold Cup is seen as the jewel in the crown of the festival. It’s one of the most valuable chases in UK races won by Bobs Worth in 2013 and Lord Windermere, ridden by Davy Russell and trained by Jim Culloty, in 2014. This year Silviniaco Conti is seen as clear favorite at 3-1 (and 12-1 to win the Gold Cup in 2016). With a field of this size there are plenty of contenders in the 8-12-1 range too. Many Clouds, Holywell, Carlingford Lough and last year’s winner Lord Windermere to name but a few.

Other highlights of the festival include the Champion Hurdle on day one (with Faugheen 5/4 favourite), the Queen Mother Champion Chase on day two (current favourite Sprinter Sacre) and World Hurdle on Day three. 19 time champion jockey Tony McCoy has tipped Jezki at 9/2 to pip Faugheen to the post, so this could be one to watch and worth a punt.

“The horse I’m most looking forward to riding at the Festival is Jezki. I think he has got the best chance of winning,” McCoy said.

“I know Faugheen is the one that they are all talking about, but there’s no form like Champion Hurdle form.

Whatever you choose to bet on, best of luck and enjoy the festival.