One day after the Hennessy

Diamond Harry's victory in yesterday's Hennessy appears to have generated a difference of opinion amongst the odds compilers; Nick Williams' gelding is quoted 16/1 for the Cheltenham Gold Cup with Coral while Labrokes and totesport offer a miserly-looking 8/1.

Although coming home some 15 lengths third behind Diamond Harry, Denman still put in a fantastic performance at the weights. Owner Paul Barber reported his pride and joy was in 'mint condition' following the race; that's very good news indeed - just for a fraction of a second as they walked back to the unsaddling enclosure I wondered whether, understandably, the great horse looked a little unsteady on his feet. I've just finished reading Jonathan Powell's Kauto Star and Denman -it's easy to forget that this horse was very ill suffering from atrial fibrillation of the heart (irregular heartbeat) after his Gold Cup victory in 2008.

There's more positive news this evening concerning Noel Fehily - it was feared the jock had broken his wrist in a fall at Newbury on Friday. Agent Chris Broad reports the wrist may not be broken; Noel goes back to hospital early in the week for an X-ray after the swelling has gone down a little.

The cold spell looks set to play havoc with this week's turf fixtures. Monday's card at Ffos Las together with Tuesday's meetings at Hereford and Southwell have been abandoned while Saturday's Tingle Creek fixture at Sandown has already been deemed at risk.

It's envisaged that Tony McCoy will be named as one of the ten personalities who will contest the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year 2010. The continuing rumblings about the ride McCoy gave Get Me Out Of Here at Ascot on 30th October have generated some unwanted publicity for the champ at a time when he could really do without it. At The Races presenter Sean Boyce gives a detailed exposition of events on his blog while The Guardian's Greg Wood accuses McCoy of petulance.

Finally, on Saturday evening, after the excitement of the Hennessy, Mrs Tips and I settled down for the next installment of the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing. Half way through the live show a pre-recorded piece was shown in which the remaining contestants, dressed in cowboy-style uniforms, assessed their chances using suitably extravagant Wild West language. The backdrop for Pamela Stephenson's monologue included what looked to be a rather large plastic horse; quick as a flash Mrs Tips pipes up, 'That plastic horse - it's showing a damn sight more interest than your each-way selection in the Hennessy.' Cutting.

Further Festival fallout...

Further Festival fallout noted recently... two articles by Ruby Walsh written for the Irish Examiner; in the first Ruby explains that Kauto Star's chance in the Gold Cup went with that mistake at the eighth while in the second the jockey questions the wisdom of marketing the Cheltenham showpiece as a two horse race.

Not to be outdone, Ruby's sister Katie gave an interview to the Irish Independent following her two wins at the Festival on Poker De Sivola in the National Hunt Chase and Thousand Stars in the County Hurdle.

Meanwhile on Friday The Guardian ran a piece that nominated the five unluckiest losers at the Festival - how many of your wagers qualified?

The celeb gossip website popbitch.com published an introductory guide to the Festival for those new to the racing experience. At one particular juncture the article states Denman's jockey is 'Rob Bryden, sorry, champion jockey AP (Tony) McCoy'. Mrs Tips comments: 'Rob needs to do a lot more wasting to get the real AP look.'

Earlier in the week there was fallout of a different type for Sky Sports presenter Chloe Everton who was ordered to take down her Twitter page after a number of her tweets were considered 'too racy' by TV station managers. Poor old Chloe - what's a girl to do these days? Just what she would have made of the five-year-old mare Big Knickers finishing third in the 5.30 at Plumpton on Monday evening is anybody's guess; the comments-in-running included 'held up towards rear'. I'm sure several racecourse commentators can't wait to include any of the following in future commentaries - Big Knickers pulled up / brought down; Big Knickers out the back struggling with a big weight; Big Knickers just held on; Big Knickers stayed on (up the hill); Big Knickers looking comfortable; Big Knickers squeezed for room; Big Knickers out with the washing etc, etc. Feel free to make up your own.

After all that I think I need a drink. Luckily, I know the just the place, pictured below...

Sunday snippets

Following Denman's defeat last weekend, champion jockey AP McCoy came in for some unjustified criticism from certain quarters after being unceremoniously dumped on the Newbury turf. Alan Lee penned a piece in Tuesday's Times defending the champ while yesterday Harry Findlay, joint owner of Denman, was at pains to point out to the TV cameras that the bookies currently have Denman priced correctly for next month's showpiece; in this week's Weekender paddock judge Ken Pitterson also observed Denman was carrying condition. Nonetheless the casual observer who watches a bit of TV racing on a Saturday afternoon will be left with the distinct impression that these days it's Ruby Walsh who is riding the big race winners. Two articles in the weekend's papers aim to redress the balance - David Walsh conducts an in depth interview with McCoy in today's Sunday Times while Tony shared the secrets of his success with readers of yesterday's Daily Mail.

The loss of Wincanton's Kingwell Hurdle card on Saturday has left Nicky Henderson with a headache as he tries to get another run into Punjabi before the Festival. The trainer is now pinning his hopes on the addition of a two mile hurdle race to Saturday's Kempton card - a decision will be made tomorrow. If that plan falls through, I guess a racecourse gallop will be on the cards for the current champion hurdler who is known to be quite a stuffy horse.

Me Voici (11/10f) looked the part when taking the Victor Ludorum at Haydock yesterday; bookmakers offer 25/1 about the winner for the Triumph but connections indicated they may miss the race. It's worth noting that in this race Venetia Williams' Stars Du Granits opened 100/30 on course, was backed in to 2/1 second favourite but got no further than the second flight. Similarly Monsieur Jourdain (25/1) threw away any chance he had with a terrible jump when in the lead four from home.

Following the death of former jockey and writer Dick Francis last Sunday, I was surprised by the number of people who came up to me and said they hadn't realised he was on board when The Queen Mother's Devon Loch famously 'did the splits' within sight of the winning post in the 1956 Grand National. There have been several tributes to the great man - I favoured this obituary in Monday's Daily Telegraph.

Finally to finish with... The Festival is a little over three weeks away - get yourself in the mood with this behind-the-scenes look at the the making of the Cheltenham Charity Song.

One small Valentine's Day massacre

I was cold-called by a computer software salesman on Friday morning.

Standard salesman practice dictates that, in the first instance, you should engage the potential customer in trivial anodyne conversation, thereby ensuring some form of engagement, before moving on to the business in hand, often referred to as 'the kill'. This salesman's opening gambit was along the lines of 'Doing anything nice for Valentine's Day?' That gave me the best belly laugh I've had this year.

The salesman, let's call him John, even though his real name was Pete, started to swap Valentine's Day notes with me, you know, the sort of you-can't-do-right-for-doing-wrong stuff; of course, I could only empathise. John told me that as he was about to walk out of the house yesterday morning, he heard his partner's voice coming from the bathroom - 'Think on!' she had cried. Just that and nothing else. Think on? What's that supposed to mean? You're immediately transported to that awkward bloke sort of situation from which there's no escape. You want to do the right thing but you're doomed; you may have had your own ideas but all of a sudden you're riddled with doubt - you don't know what to do for the best.

This year, unusually, I was ahead of myself and had managed to procure a reasonable card and thought of a gift all on my own for the first time in over twenty years. So, feeling confident, whilst supping a glass of wine on the Friday evening I told Mrs Tips the salesman story. Next day in town Mrs T spots something, comes up to me and says in that knowing way of hers... 'Think on!'

Needless to say, I did 'a Denman' and messed up, big time. And as if all that wasn't bad enough, Mrs T had told me on Saturday morning that Tricky Trickster was gong to win the Aon 'because it's a good name and I like Ruby Walsh'.

Still, it's a bit too early to totally write off Denman just yet...

Thinking about the Festival...

Earlier today at Leopardstown Joncol pipped Cooldine in a thrilling finish to the Irish Hennessy; the winner is now a 7/1 shot with totepsort for the Ryanair Chase. The runner-up delighted Willie Mullins with his effort. Last year's RSA Chase winner has been out of sorts so far this term but the handler thinks his charge will come on for the run - Cooldine is quoted at 14/1 for the Gold Cup with most layers, behind Kauto Star (5/4) and Denman (9/4).

Saturday's Racing Post confirmed that Tony McCoy will ride Denman in the Aon Chase at Newbury on Saturday and in the Gold Cup itself. Over the coming weeks we can expect plenty of hype as the media build the race into a Kauto Star / Ruby Walsh versus Denman / Tony McCoy stand-off.

The Festival is just over five weeks away. For the past ten years I've attended Champion Chase Day on the Wednesday but this year I haven't purchased my ticket... The thought of the crowds and having nowhere to sit for eight hours show I must be getting old - these days I'm just as happy with a low-key jump meeting at a gaff track. I'm sure I'll come round... There's still a long way to go but, for those interested, here's my current thinking on a selection of the races.

Supreme Novices: I saw Dunguib's exceptional win last year and have been a big fan ever since. Unsurprisingly, I'm not alone. For those looking to oppose, the ante-post favourite's hurdling was far from fluent at Leopardstown this afternoon.

Arkle Chase: A race I try to avoid. Hen Knight's Somersby would be of interest.

Champion Hurdle: As open as I can remember. Still have plenty of respect for Punjabi (overpriced at 14/1) but will wait to see if Barry Geraghty deserts the champion in favour of Zaynar. Medermit (14/1) was unlucky to be beaten a neck by Go Native (6/1) in last year's Supreme Novices' Hurdle and looks better value than that winner in the market. The form of Alan King's yard has been patchy this year.

RSA Chase: Punchestowns oozes class and deserves his prominent position in the market. I was more perturbed than many by Long Run's jumping at Kempton; a stat that will need to be checked - when was the last time a five-year-old won this race? Diamond Harry has limited chasing experience but Weird Al jumped well at Wetherby yesterday, collecting his third chase win on the bounce.

Champion Chase: Will watch Master Minded's return in the Game Spirit at Newbury with interest. Following Taranis' victory at Cheltenham on Janaury 30th trainer Paul Nicholls indicated that Master Minded had only recently started work again. One of the sayings often repeated around this time of year is you want an animal that has had an uninterrupted preparation for the Festival races. Might be harder to come by this time with the weather playing its part but Master Minded can hardly be said to have had an uninterrupted prep. I think the occasion will get to Twist Magic but like Ferdy Murphy's Kalahari King.

Champion Bumper: A couple of weeks ago Nick Mordin, writing in the Weekender, highlighted that the RP top-rated horse has won the bumper on four occasions in the last five years. Recently Dermot Weld's Elegant Concorde has shot to the top of a market that can be fairly volatile. This time last year Willie Mullins' Sicilian Secret was widely touted but on the day drifted out to 9/1, finishing sixteenth of the twenty four runners.

World Hurdle: Despite the odd quirk, Big Buck's looks bomb-proof. Nearer the time I'll consider Karabak, Tidal Bay and Time For Rupert.

Triumph Hurdle: Often a very rough race and not one I'm particularly keen on. Will check out Carlito Brigante.

Gold Cup: Kauto Star for me - with bookies going 14/1 bar two I'll be looking for some fancy prices about an each-way longshot.

One tip for the Festival that is certain to give value for money - make sure you purchase Raceform Update's Festival Preview usually published at the beginning of March.

Finally, I couldn't sign off without a comment on the first weekend's rugby internationals. The England v. Wales game was littered with mistakes, mostly on the Welsh side, but I thought some of the BBC's camera work in that game verged on the atrocious - in particular the spider-cam coverage did nothing but detract from the action on the field.

Racing returns

Jim Best's 5/1 shot Anak won the first jump race run for thirteen days when taking the opener at Kempton yesterday. Two and a half hours later Andy Turnell's Micheal Flips took a competitive-looking renewal of the Lanzarote with the minimum of fuss, having eight lengths to spare over 9/2 favourite Duc De Regniere at the line. This evening the winner is quoted a 20/1 shot with William Hill for the Totesport Trophy at Newbury on February 13th.

At Huntingdon I thought Prince Louis put in a reasonable performance finishing second to Celian in the aptly-named Totescoop6 Beats The Freeze Handicap Chase. This was his first run in eleven months and his first for the Charlie Mann yard; he jumped left throughout and will surely be seen to better effect on a left-handed track.

Retirement looked on the cards for Blazing Bailey if he didn't show some spark in the Beginners' Chase at Ffos Las earlier today. In the event he was beaten just a neck by Tony McCoy's mount The Sliotar - I presume the retirement plans are now on hold. McCoy went on to ride a treble at the course. Over the past couple of days the champion jockey has been linked with the ride on Denman in the Gold Cup. Speaking on New Year's Eve, Denman's trainer Paul Nicholls told The Mirror '...I'm not going to announce anything until after the Aon.' This evening Paddy Power offer the following prices about Denman's jockey for the Gold Cup - 2/5 Tony McCoy, 4/1 Sam Thomas, 5/1 Ruby Walsh, 20/1 Christian Williams.

We think we've seen off the last of the white stuff and then the forecasters threaten us with the possibility of more snow to come in the week ahead. It's getting that desperate - if we're hit with another freeze, I'm going to consider investing in a 3D TV. Wednesday's Times informed us England's home Six Nations Rugby Internationals will be screened live in cinemas using the technology - fans will know what it feels like to be tackled by Jonny Wilkinson. I was just wondering if the BBC will be in a position to transmit this year's Grand National in 3D...?

Points of view

Denman put in an exceptional performance yesterday, carrying 11 stones 12 pounds to victory on soft ground in the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury; the horse is clearly back to his very best. Over the past two Saturdays we have seen Kauto Star win by a nose at Haydock and Denman demolish a high-class field at Newbury. Anticipation for their clash in the Cheltenham Gold Cup next March has started to build already; this evening Blue Square bet 9/4 Kauto Star, 5/2 Denman, 8/1 Cooldine, 10/1 Imperial Commander.

Just for a second or so, as Denman and What A Friend raced to the final flight, it looked as though Sam Thomas' mount took the lead judging from the reverse camera angle used by the Channel 4 team in their replay. Thomas' mount seeemd to wander around slightly at the last but Denman powered away on the run-in to take the spoils. Thomas will have had mixed emotions talking on television afterwards, having ridden Denman to victory in the same race two years ago; he spoke eloquently and deserves plenty of credit.

As Alan Lee pointed out in Thursday's Times, Richard Dunwoody hasn't been afraid to put the cat amongst the pigeons in his latest book 'Method In My Madness'. Amongst other things, Mr. Dunwoody has suggested that Richard Johnson might have had a better chance of being champion jockey with a different agent and that jockeys' titles should be settled on prize money rather than winners. Writing in the same paper the next day, Tom Scudamore picked up on the latter point... 'To me, the mark of a champion jockey is consistency throughout a season, not just brilliance on the biggest days.'

A story that ran through the summer months (seems such a long time ago now) was the search to find a buyer for Ayr racecourse. This business snippet was spotted in last week's Sunday Times, suggesting the Reuben brothers, who took over Northern Racing two and a half years ago, are on the verge of doing a deal.

Finally, I was annoyed to have missed the Pantomime Horse Grand National which took place in Birmingham City Centre last Sunday. Spank the Donkey won the fillies event while Hoof Hearted took the colts race. Must make a note of the date for next year...

Weekend notes

Expresso Star proved to be the proverbial Group horse in a handicap, taking Saturday's Lincoln by two and and a half lengths from Zaahid. Bookmakers had indicated earlier in the week that they feared Expresso Star. In Saturday's Racing Post Kate Miller of William Hill notes the eventual winner was the only loser in their book; the money arrived for the horse over the past fortnight.

This week's racing will be dominated by the big Aintree meeting which starts Thursday. If allowed to take his chance, Denman will be worth watching on the first day in the Totesport Bowl Steeple Chase. Trainer Paul Nicholls in yesterday's Racing Post: "I'm making Denman my pigeon catcher as no horse has impressed me more since Cheltenham." Denman was 7/1 to win the Gold Cup two and a half weeks ago; at the time of writing he's odds on with Betfair to take this event. Friday is Ladies' Day - I guess there will be plenty of opportunity to spot the rich and famous - and news is that apparently Wayne Rooney's wife Coleen is expecting their first child. Saturday is the day of the big race itself, the Grand National. The National is the one omission on Tony McCoy's impressive CV - this will be his fourteenth attempt to land the spoils. His mount, Butler's Cabin, currently trades at around 10/1.

After watching ITV's tribute to Brian Clough earlier in the week, my mind wandered back to the days of black and white television, John Rickman, the 'ITV Seven' and racing results which were displayed on screen in a grid/table type form that, I'm guessing, had to be written out manually, probably by one of the ladies you could see working behind Dickie Davies. I'm sure it was Graham Goode who used to say '...and now for some full SPs' by way of introduction. Will we ever see the like again?

What's Paul Merson doing these days? Well, he's struck himself an advertising deal with a bookmaker called Better... I have nothing else to say.

The week in focus

Paul Nicholls was surprisingly upbeat about Denman on Saturday's Morning Line. To my mind the trainer appeared to hint that, with hindsight, he may have sent his charge to Kempton a little undercooked. It's too early to write 'the tank' off just yet but bookmakers aren't taking any chances by offering just 5/1 last season's Gold Cup winner can repeat the trick next month.

As Tom Scudamore passed the winning post on Madison Du Berlais at Kempton, he beckoned to his rivals (in particular Ruby Walsh on Denman) to try and keep up. A week later and another big chase, this time at Ascot, but there was no waving from Tom this time around - he was too busy pushing and shoving on Tamarinbleu who was left for dead by Voy Por Ustedes' classy display.

My advice to rookie paddock watchers, particularly when the going is on the soft side, is to look for the biggest horse in the field and bet it. In future similar advice offered to Eurostar passengers entering the country means they'll probably chance upon Mark Wallinger's sculpture, 'the Angel of the South'. The work is to be modelled on his own stallion, a grey called Riviera Red, but will be thirty three times bigger. Riviera Red won a Class 7 Classified Stakes at Lingfield on Tuesday.

With the Festival just around the corner, you may be interested to learn that The Raceform Update Cheltenham Guide 2009 will be available (from all good newsagents) on Friday 27th February, priced very reasonably at £2.99. Now, I really must go and order my tickets for Champion Chase Day...

Valentine's Day falling on a Saturday often leads to disagreements in the Tips' household. I know I'm the wrong side of twenty seven, but Mrs Tips is still not amused when I suggest a trip to the races as 'something affectionate we can do together' on the special day. Originally hailing from Wrexham, it appears I'm not the only one who lacks something in the romance department. This year Arriva Wales put on a 'love bus' in the area in an attempt to encourage romantics to hop on and 'pop the question' . There were no takers. My guess is the locals know full well that getting hitched is going to cost them a little bit more than a day return to Llangollen.

The return of Denman

With Newbury abandoned, Denman is diverted and will make his eagerly-anticipated return in the Levy Board Chase at Kempton tomorrow, provided the course passes an 8.00am inspection. He's likely to start long odds-on; here are a few reasons why you should be wary about taking short odds...

- he hasn't run for 330 days
- he was extremely ill in the autumn with a fibrillating heart
- this is the acid test - nobody knows for certain whether he has fully recovered from the illness
- trainer Nicholls has had to build the horse back up whereas last year the reverse was the case - connections were keen to run him to gain some fitness
- Paul Nicholls: "Kempton is obviously not ideal, and I would never have wanted to run him in a King George round there..."
- Of his fourteen runs, only three have been on a right-handed track - two at Wincanton and one at Exeter.

For those looking to oppose, Albertas Run would have made much more appeal on better ground while course and distance winner Joe Lively comes to this in good form and is a potential front-runner but he had a hard enough race at Cheltenham two weeks ago. Madison Du Berlais isn't the best of jumpers and Trabolgan's return in December was rather disappointing. You pay your money and take your choice - the percentage call is Denman and plenty in racing will be hoping 'the tank' does his stuff. Of the opponents, Joe Lively looks to have the best chance should the favourite disappoint but this is a race to watch for future reference.

In the novices' hurdle at 1.40 Pause And Clause is the top-rated animal; his second behind Mad Max at Newbury is good form and the longer trip here should suit. In the 3.25 Lightning Strike will be popular but doesn't have an awful lot of experience over the larger obstacles. Charlie Mann's Moon Over Miami is a free-running sort often best coming off the pace. He can be temperamental and often gets upset by the preliminaries but has ability and on a going day wouldn't be without a chance. At the 6/1 reported by the Racing Post he'd be worth an interest provided he doesn't get too worked up beforehand. Leading Contender is the top horse in the Rasher Frith Memorial Beginners' Chase but has been off the track for well over a year; that being the case, a chance is taken at a price with The Cool Guy who was running a respectable race at Chepstow last time before tiring in the heavy conditions. The shorter trip should help but the stable's form is an obvious worry. In an open-looking bumper to finish with, Phillip Hobbs' Tzora should be thereabouts.

McCoy's quest for 3,000 winners continues tomorrow with four rides booked - Abutilon (2.15), Albertas Run (2.50), That's An Idea (4.00) and Quipe Me Posted (4.35).

Points of (some) interest

Ferdy Murphy's Kalahari King won the John Smith's Race Extra Smooth Novices' Chase at Musselburgh today and is now quoted as low as 10/1 for the Arkle. At the same meeting Nicky Henderson won the Triumph Hurdle trial with Giorgio Quercus but hinted the horse may miss Cheltenham in favour of either Aintree or Punchestown.

Paddy Power has taken a particularly dim view of Big Zeb's fall at Punchestown this afternoon and now price the horse at 14/1 for the Queen Mother Champion Chase.

At Sandown on Saturday Celestial Halo beat Osana but of the two I, in common with many I suspect, prefer the latter. Osana is currently quoted 10/1 second favourite for the Champion Hurdle with Celestial Halo 12s.

In the last fortnight Christian Williams has ridden two Saturday big-race winners for the Nicholls yard, both at Doncaster - Big Fella Thanks and I'msingingtheblues. It looks as though Sam Thomas is paying the price for a couple of high-profile falls earlier in the season. Any talk of Doncaster and you immediately think of the St. Leger but you wouldn't be advised to stay in the Grand St Leger Hotel if the recent report compiled by The Times' mystery guest counts for anything.

Listening to Radio Five Live's broadcast of the Liverpool v. Chelsea match, I heard the commentator tell listeners that he'd just received some racing news - Tony McCoy did not win the 4.10 at Fontwell. For that matter neither did Dominic Elsworth, Jamie Moore, Christian Williams, Aiden Coleman and Jack Doyle amongst others. Tom O'Brien, who did win the 4.10 at Fontwell, also failed to get a mention. You can understand why the champ, still two winners short of the magical 3,000, will be glad when the milestone has been reached and business can return to normal. If the predicted snow arrives, it's likely he'll have to wait towards the end of the week before he can try again.

Denman is scheduled to make his reappearance this weekend, either at Newbury on Saturday or over in Ireland on Sunday. I'm not a great one for ante-post betting but perhaps now is the time to consider the 3/1 offered by Coral and William Hill about Kauto Star to win the Gold Cup. If Denman's return proves to be below par, Kauto is likely to shorten; even if Denman delivers, Kauto still has an excellent chance, particularly if the race is run on decent ground.

Finally, here's a salutary tale to finish on. A colleague of mine popped into a William Hill shop early last week, took a pre-printed football coupon from one of the several holders found in such establishments and invested £2 of his own money on an eight match accumulator. The writing at the bottom of the slip indicated he would collect £70 should his eight predictions come to pass. As a matter of interest, he later logged onto his computer, typed in the same eight selections on the William Hill website and was horrified to discover that the online payout would be £88. Fortunately for him, West Brom failed to beat Manchester United.

Nibs [news in brief stories]

Such was the authority of Master Minded's victory at Ascot on Saturday bookmaker Paddy Power are paying out on ante-post bets about the horse for the Champion Chase. I can't recall a bookmaker paying out early on a horse race before.

A few fancied horses didn't appear to handle the ground at Haydock on Saturday including Snap Tie, Dee Ee Williams and Mahonia. Two that patently did are Songe and Alfie Flits. Songe has the Totesport Trophy at Newbury as his next target while Alfie Flits could run at Kelso before going for a novice event at Aintree in April.

It was interesting to hear Paul Nicholls explain that he has had to 'build Denman up' after his operation; the horse has clearly been quite ill. The acid test will come in the Aon Chase at Newbury, although this evening I note he also has an entry in the Hennessy Gold Cup at Leopardstown on February 8th.

The credit crunch is biting - Great Leighs racecourse is now in the hands of administators and the signs don't look encouraging.

Cheltenham's Trials meeting this weekend should prove informative with the Festival just around the corner - let's hope the weather plays its part.

Mrs Tips has been unusually quiet at home the last couple of days - I even managed to get away with something yesterday. I suspect it has something to do with the fact the BBC are to show all Andy Murray's Australian Open matches on terrestrial TV...

The big chill...

No jump racing in Great Britian over the weekend and today's all-weather card at Wolverhampton has, paradoxically, been lost to the weather! Tomorrow's card at Sedgefield is subject to an inspection at 8.30 am. Some meteorological forecasters predict more of the same right though until the beginning of next week - and I was half-thinking of going to Warwick this Saturday where the highlight is set to be the Classic Chase. With little action on course, the main talking point is Paul Nicholls' confirmation earlier today that Denman will go for the Grand National after running in this year's Gold Cup.

Matters arising...

One approach I've tried in the past when searching for value is to oppose Paul Nicholls' runners early in the season, before the stable gets into full swing. Mr. Nicholls' four-timer at Chepstow on Saturday, complemented by Breedsbreeze's victory at Bangor, would appear to indicate I'll need to come up with something different this year.

Talk of Paul Nicholls and before long the subject of Denman crops up. The horse is a best-priced 13/8 shot to win the Gold Cup for a second time next March. The Aon Chase at Newbury in February is pencilled in as his target; no horse has returned to action so late and gone on to win chasing's Blue Riband in the last twenty years. Alan Lee's piece in Saturday's Times contained this interesting quote from the trainer about his charge: "It worried the hell out of me until we knew what it was ... He was losing condition and getting so tired he wouldn't even put his head over the door. The treatment knocked him back further but there's an 85 per cent chance he'll have no further problems..." Denman is presently confined to his box.

I didn't get time to look at the Bangor card before my post on Friday evening. More's the pity as I would probably have referred to an earlier blog note on Bill's Echo. "Bill's Echo ... will be worth a second look next time out." The blessed beast won Bangor's 2.25 at odds of 14/1.

You knew it had to happen - connections have decided to retire unbeaten filly Zarkava to stud. Her victory in the Arc will live long in the memory.

With the demise of Superform I have just purchased The Form Book Jumps Annual for the first time. This definitive reference work retails at £30 but is available from Amazon for just £19.50 with free delivery thrown in - the best book bargain I've bagged in ages!

Bits and pieces

The outcome of the team tactics inquiry saw Aidan O'Brien fined £5,000 and jockeys Johnny Murtagh and Colm O'Donoghue both given seven-day riding bans. In my opinion none of this would have come to pass had Johnny Murtagh not spoken to the press immediately after the Juddmonte.

We're still not certain which horse will represent Ballydoyle in Sunday's Arc; at the time of writing Duke Of Marmalade is a best-priced 9/2 and Soldier Of Fortune 11/2.

Denman had his heart stopped and re-started as a treatment to correct its irregular beat. To use computing terminology, it sounded very similar to a 'cold reboot'. The press report last year's Gold Cup winner is back on track and will be out sometime after Christmas. Paul Nicholls has made no secret of the fact Denman is difficult to get fit - I wonder if there will be some value in opposing him next time out...

A snippet in the Weekender notes that on his comeback at Uttoxeter controversial jockey Paddy Merrigan was promptly served with a ban for riding an ill-judged race. His mount, 40/1 shot Bill's Echo, made up a lot of ground to take third in a competitive-looking handicap chase and will be worth a second look next time out.

The state of the ground at Ascot drew plenty of criticism over the weekend; an accurate going description might have read 'good, chewed up in places'. It was left to The Antiques Roadshow on Sunday evening to show the course in a more favourable light. The famous Alfred Munnings bronze of Brown Jack, described as 'Ascot's greatest horse', was discussed and valued in the region of £200,000. Quoting from 'Ascot: The History':
"Brown Jack won at the Royal Meeting seven years in a row, taking the Ascot Stakes in 1928 and then the Queen Alexandra Stakes ... for six consecutive years from 1929 to 1934."

Never mind the horses, what about the dancers? Last year Mrs Tips tipped the winner of Strictly Come Dancing. I know it's early days but Mrs T. tells me the four main players this time around are Austin Healey, Rachel Stevens, Tom Chambers and Cherie Lunghi.

Notes from the weekend

Daryl Holland's front-running ride on Midships at Newmarket was one of the few races I managed to catch yesterday. Allowed something of a soft lead, Holland judged the pace to perfection in the ten furlong handicap, the other six participants failing to get in a serious blow. The Sporting Life reports the horse touched 5/1 before being backed in to 11/4. Those who managed to get the best price certainly had value for money.

Five pound claimer William Carson, Willie Carson's grandson, rode Regal Parade to victory in the Ayr Gold Cup. Grandfather Willie watched the race on a TV screen at Newbury before giving his reactions to Channel Four's Emma Spencer afterwards. Willie Carson on Channel Four - and Jodie Kidd in Strictly Come Dancing - it's all rather confusing, isn't it?

The owners of Ayr racecourse have put £14 million into its redevelopment but now want to sell. In an interview a representative hinted that obtaining planning permission had proved problematic - 'nuff said.

Full marks to Knot In Wood, fourth in yesterday's feature at Ayr - he took today's 4.10 at Hamilton by five lengths!

A couple of equine stars have not been keeping the best of health. Denman has been diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat and will miss his intended comeback race, the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury in November. Meanwhile former Derby winner Galileo has undergone surgery following a bout of colic.

Looking ahead, Twiston-Davies regularly targets the mid-week Perth meeting, although the going is usually a little quicker than is likely on this occasion. Huntingdon racecourse will stage the zany and increasingly popular Mascot Grand National on Sunday 5th October.

Racing shorts

Denman's victory in yesterday's Hennessy will live long in the memory. It looked exceptional and the handicapper appears to agree, giving the horse a rating of 176, just three pounds behind Kauto Star and one behind Exotic Dancer.

All the fuss about Denman shouldn't detract from two other performances; Inglis Drever won the Long Distance Hurdle with consummate ease while Helens Vision ran her rivals ragged in the opening novice hurdle, beating her nearest challenger by twenty seven lengths.

On numerous occasions last season Katchit did this blog a favour, but regular readers will be aware I haven't selected him on either of his runs this term, mainly because there was no value in his price. A four year old hasn't won the 'Fighting Fifth' at Newcastle for over twenty years; his third place on Saturday, racing against older horses, was a commendable effort.

Wandering onto the BHB's Go Racing site earlier today, Sunday December 2nd, I came across an advertisement for 'The Summer Card', described as a special microsite guide to this summer's main events, and a plug for the 2007 Pocket Fixture List. Time to update the website, guys...

The same BHB site lists a fixture at Great Leighs on Thursday. An update on building work in progress at the new track is available on the course website, with the end of January 2008 the current target for racing to commence.