All-time-great Hurricane Fly – winner of the last three renewals and arguably the best horse ever to race at Leopardstown – is probably larking around a field enjoying his retirement, and in his absence Willie Mullins has continued his domination of the two-mile hurdling division. His own Nichols Canyon took the…
1pt win Martello Tower @4/1, Leopardstown 13:55
We’re having a good week with Coney Island, Douvan and Ar Mad justifying big bets, along with Sire De Grugy and Open Eagle hitting the crossbar. There’s not a lot of top-class racing in Britain today, but Leopardstown hosts the Grade 1 Lexus Chase and the three-mile Christmas Hurdle, where…
1pt win Sire De Grugy @4/1, Kempton 14:00
Emotions ran high when star chaser Sprinter Sacre emphatically returned to form in the Shloer Chase at Cheltenham’s Open meeting. Emotion might be the primary reason he’s a 4/6 favourite for Kempton’s Desert Orchid Chase on Sunday – the same race he was dramatically pulled up in two years ago. Sire…
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…
1pt win Open Eagle @7/2, Kempton 12:50
Altior, the favourite for the 12:50 Novices’ Hurdle at Kempton, is crying out to be taken on as the form of his recent Cheltenham win over the since-retired Maputo looks a shade lucky. He did have Paul Nicholls’s Simon Squirrel well held on the day and there’s little reason to…
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 Net D'ecosse @20/1, Kempton 14:00
It’s the King George later on the card that’s supposed to tee up the Gold Cup winner, but last season it was the Grade-1 Kauto Star Novices’ Chase that Coneygree navigated on his way to Festival glory. This year’s renewal looks a competitive one with five of the seven entered…
0.5pt Win Smad Place @150/1 Ante-Post Double, King George VI Chase and Cheltenham Gold Cup
Smad Place finished 27l behind Coneygree in the Cheltenham Gold Cup last season and you could forgive connections for abandoning the prospect of another tilt this season. However, an operation on his epiglottis seems to have made him better-than-ever, and with the absence of Coneygree, this eight-year-old has a real live…
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 Esoterique @16/1, Sha Tin 07:50
Andre Fabre has sent his star mare Esoterique over to Hong Kong to renew rivalries with Able Friend, this time on his home track of Sha Tin where he has been peerless in Hong Kong racing’s history. The fact remains he was well-beaten at Royal Ascot and has eight lengths…