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...
Showing posts with label great leighs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label great leighs. Show all posts
Monday, January 19, 2009
Sunday, June 01, 2008
Pick 'n' mix
Derby week started with Vision D'Etat winning the French version from Dermot Weld's Famous Name with the filly Natagora running a brave race in third - a filly hasn't won this for well over a hundred years.
Epsom hosts the Oaks on Friday and the Derby on Saturday. The build-up to the Derby hasn't been without its troubles - some fancied runners have fallen by the wayside and there have been well documented problems with sponsorship. Added to that, the course is undergoing building work at the moment...
Talk of building work brings to mind Great Leighs which staged its first public meeting earlier in the week. The general picture to emerge is that there's still a long way to go. If you fancy a day's racing at Great Leighs anytime soon, before you go, make sure you've read Alan Lee's article from The Times, just so you know what you're letting yourself in for...
The other day, browsing through the BBC's blog network, I chanced upon this Inside Sport piece in which Tony McCoy showed Gabby Logan around his home. Mrs Tips, watching over my shoulder, couldn't believe it when AP told the cameras that at the races he drank lots of hot sweet tea - usually six to eight sugars per cup.
Radio Four's Sunday programme ran a short piece on religion and racing earlier today. Luke Harvey talked to Frankie Dettori, Walter Swinburn and Eddie Ahern amongst others but, if any of them had received a tip from the Almighty, they weren't for sharing it with the likes of you and me...
Mtoto Girl, sent off 100/1 in a handicap at Goodwood last Friday, finished, as you might expect, eleventh of the twelve runners. The name Mtoto though brought back memories of the great horse with the white blaze from the mid / late eighties (who happens to be Mtoto Girl's sire). Michael Roberts, the only South African to have become champion jockey in Britain, chose Mtoto's defeat of Reference Point in the 1987 Eclipse as 'the race of [his] life'. That was twenty one years ago, but it seems just like yesterday.
Epsom hosts the Oaks on Friday and the Derby on Saturday. The build-up to the Derby hasn't been without its troubles - some fancied runners have fallen by the wayside and there have been well documented problems with sponsorship. Added to that, the course is undergoing building work at the moment...
Talk of building work brings to mind Great Leighs which staged its first public meeting earlier in the week. The general picture to emerge is that there's still a long way to go. If you fancy a day's racing at Great Leighs anytime soon, before you go, make sure you've read Alan Lee's article from The Times, just so you know what you're letting yourself in for...
The other day, browsing through the BBC's blog network, I chanced upon this Inside Sport piece in which Tony McCoy showed Gabby Logan around his home. Mrs Tips, watching over my shoulder, couldn't believe it when AP told the cameras that at the races he drank lots of hot sweet tea - usually six to eight sugars per cup.
Radio Four's Sunday programme ran a short piece on religion and racing earlier today. Luke Harvey talked to Frankie Dettori, Walter Swinburn and Eddie Ahern amongst others but, if any of them had received a tip from the Almighty, they weren't for sharing it with the likes of you and me...
Mtoto Girl, sent off 100/1 in a handicap at Goodwood last Friday, finished, as you might expect, eleventh of the twelve runners. The name Mtoto though brought back memories of the great horse with the white blaze from the mid / late eighties (who happens to be Mtoto Girl's sire). Michael Roberts, the only South African to have become champion jockey in Britain, chose Mtoto's defeat of Reference Point in the 1987 Eclipse as 'the race of [his] life'. That was twenty one years ago, but it seems just like yesterday.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Bits and pieces
Tomorrow Great Leighs in Essex will go into the record books as the first new British course to stage racing since Taunton opened in 1927. I think it's fair to say that they've met with more than their fair share of delays on this project; let's hope everything operates smoothly from hereon in. To ensure the course's infrastructure is properly tested, the first few meetings at Great Leighs are 'invitation only' events and, yes, you've guessed it, they forgot to invite me. If you're keen to get to a meeting in the coming week, you could do a lot worse than Sandown's combined flat and jumps card on Saturday, with the Bet365 Gold Cup (formerly Whitbread Gold Cup) serving as the finale to the National Hunt season.
Watching a review of this week's Guineas trials on televison, Infallible looked impressive in winning the Nell Gwyn but John Gosden clearly rates Natagora. Twice Over held Raven's Pass, the pair clear, in the Craven; both John Francome and Jim McGrath envisage the same outcome should the pair reoppose in a fortnight's time. John Dunlop's Muthabara won the Dubai Duty Free at Newbury despite looking backward in her coat - you would expect her to improve significantly, although it was interesting to hear the trainer rate her as 'good but not fantastic' before the race. Mick Channon's yard is under a bit of a cloud at the moment; Nahoodh took a walk in the market and went on to disappoint but she is clearly held in very high regard. 6/1 shot Paco Boy took the Greenham and will probably be supplemented; Sir Michael Stoute's 11/8 favourite Confront didn't handle the soft ground. To my mind this Greenham form looks weaker than the Craven.
Missing a birthday - a mere peccadillo, isn't it? Three weeks ago this blog celebrated its second birthday with over three hundred and forty posts. I know what you're going to say - you wouldn't care if the tips were half decent. The truth is I only do blogging so I don't have to watch East Enders...
On the footballing front, Wrexham's 1-0 defeat of fellow strugglers Notts County appears to have postponed relegation from the Football League for another few days. The inevitable now looks likely to become reality at Edgar Street on Tuesday evening when promotion-chasing Hereford entertain The Dragons. I feel a little like someone who works on obituaries at a newspaper - I've done the preparation, I know what has to be said, it's just a question of when it comes about...
Watching a review of this week's Guineas trials on televison, Infallible looked impressive in winning the Nell Gwyn but John Gosden clearly rates Natagora. Twice Over held Raven's Pass, the pair clear, in the Craven; both John Francome and Jim McGrath envisage the same outcome should the pair reoppose in a fortnight's time. John Dunlop's Muthabara won the Dubai Duty Free at Newbury despite looking backward in her coat - you would expect her to improve significantly, although it was interesting to hear the trainer rate her as 'good but not fantastic' before the race. Mick Channon's yard is under a bit of a cloud at the moment; Nahoodh took a walk in the market and went on to disappoint but she is clearly held in very high regard. 6/1 shot Paco Boy took the Greenham and will probably be supplemented; Sir Michael Stoute's 11/8 favourite Confront didn't handle the soft ground. To my mind this Greenham form looks weaker than the Craven.
Missing a birthday - a mere peccadillo, isn't it? Three weeks ago this blog celebrated its second birthday with over three hundred and forty posts. I know what you're going to say - you wouldn't care if the tips were half decent. The truth is I only do blogging so I don't have to watch East Enders...
On the footballing front, Wrexham's 1-0 defeat of fellow strugglers Notts County appears to have postponed relegation from the Football League for another few days. The inevitable now looks likely to become reality at Edgar Street on Tuesday evening when promotion-chasing Hereford entertain The Dragons. I feel a little like someone who works on obituaries at a newspaper - I've done the preparation, I know what has to be said, it's just a question of when it comes about...
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Walsh prefers the Master
The cold snap has seen off a few turf cards this week, so much of the news has centred around the opening of Great Leighs, which is scheduled for Friday April 4th, and updates on fancied horses for the Cheltenham Festival, which is now less than three weeks away.
Today's most signifcant update comes from the Nicholls' yard where Master Minded is the subject of glowing reports. The trainer is quoted as saying 'It is highly likely Ruby will ride Master Minded, although nothing is set in stone.' Master Minded is now best priced 11/4 for the Champion Chase; Hills go 9/4. Both Ladbrokes and Corals offer 3/1 Twist Magic.
Today's most signifcant update comes from the Nicholls' yard where Master Minded is the subject of glowing reports. The trainer is quoted as saying 'It is highly likely Ruby will ride Master Minded, although nothing is set in stone.' Master Minded is now best priced 11/4 for the Champion Chase; Hills go 9/4. Both Ladbrokes and Corals offer 3/1 Twist Magic.
Sunday, December 02, 2007
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.
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.
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