The market for each of the Grade 1’s on the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival all look fairly familiar. Nobody is going to get rich by placing single bets on the Willie Mullins’ favourites, and I for one would rather get stuck in to the exciting big-field handicaps where there’s…
Category: Winners
1pt win Silviniaco Conti @4/1, 15:35 Ascot
Its close proximity to Cheltenham Festival gives this Grade 1 a false feeling – nevertheless, a quality field has assembled containing a dual-King George and Aintree Bowl winner, a Ryanair winner, a Hennessy winner and an ex-Champion Chaser. The obvious place to start is SILVINIACO CONTI, a serial Grade 1 winner…
1pt win Sternrubin @9/1, 0.5pt EW Agrapart @20/1, 0.5pt EW Matorico @33/1, 15:35 Newbury
Previous winners of Europe’s richest handicap hurdle race have included My Tent Or Yours, Zarkandar, and Get Me Out Of Here – two of which were owned by JP McManus. He enters no fewer than five runners including the 7/2 favourite, and Geraghty’s pick of the crop, Blazer. Mullin’s French…
0.5pt EW Warriors Tale @12/1, 16:30 Musselbrough
Cup Final returns from over 400 days off the track to tackle the longest trip of his career over 3m2f. He may very well be able to tackle an extra half a mile in comparison to his latest win for Nicky Henderson. That was his first victory in six starts…
1pt win Thomas Hobson @6/1, 0.5pt each-way Ballagh @16/1, Warwick 15:00
Warwick hosts a nice card today with the Grade-2 Leamington Novices’ Hurdle attracting two Irish raiders from the all-conquering Mullins yard. Neither are favourite as that accolade goes to the Skeltons’ Born Survivor, who won well last time out in a race where the second has since bolted up to…
1pt win Camping Ground @10/1, Cheltenham 15:05
The decision to move this Grade 2 hurdle from the December meeting has been rewarded with a cracking renewal featuring an ex-Gold Cup hero, the reigning World Hurdle champ, a two-times Liverpool Hurdle winner and some progressive young pretenders. Even better – from a punting perspective – is the likelihood Cole Harden…
2pts win Ar Mad @3/1, Kempton 13:05
Whilst the return to form of established favourites Sprinter Sacre and Sire De Grugy along with the promise of Willie Mullins’s Un De Sceaux has created plenty of hullabaloo around the two-mile chasing division, besides Douvan – an impressive winner yesterday at Leopardstown – there’s one rising star in the novices’ division that’s flown slightly…
1.5pt win double Coney Island, Douvan @ 3.7/1, Leopardstown
The opening day of the Leopardstown Christmas festival is generally overshadowed by the events at Kempton Park, and is a warm-up for races such as the Lexus Chase to follow. To be brutally honest, the bookies aren’t giving much away with several short-priced favourites dominating the betting in a number…
1pt win Thistlecrack @3/1, 0.25pts ew Karazak @50/1, Ascot 14:25
Reve De Sivola has won the last three renewals of this Grade 1 staying hurdle, though this looks a much tougher renewal than last year, where he looked fortunate to beat the idling Zarkandar. At a glance, it looks a two-horse race this season, with World Hurdle second Saphir Du…
1pt win Identity Thief @8/1, Newcastle 14:05
An interesting Fighting Fifth this year, with an unexpected market leader in Wicklow Brave. Willie Mullin’s charge got within two lengths of Nichols Canyon and the champion hurdler Faugheen in the Morgiana at Punchestown, whilst in August he placed second in the Ebor at York on the flat. Throw in…