UK HORSE RACING BETS

acsman123 asked:


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Sports Equipment Reviews

Malcolm Heyhoe asked:


The first Sunday in October can mean only one thing and that’s Paris in the autumn for the Prix de l’Ac de Triomphe at Longchamp on October 1. Not content with staging Europe’s premier Group1 contest for middle-distance racehorses, the French racing authorities have done plenty to develop this day as a fixture to match next month’s Breeders’ Cup bonanza at Churchill Downs, Kentucky

As well as the Arc, there will be five more Group One contests on a stupendous Sunday’s action for racing fans. Knowing where to start as a punter is half-the secret to success on a busy and brilliant day.

As ever the name of French trainer Andre Fabre is the essential starting-point for trying to find the winner of the Arc. No trainer has done as supremely well in the great race as the French master, successful five times since 1992 and as concerned as ever to land a sixth Arc to his recent tally.

Fabre supplies a three-pronged attack to this year’s prize beginning with Hurricane Run, last year’s Arc hero who is sure to be thereabouts again but struggled to land a below-par renewal of the King George at Ascot in July. Perhaps this time around he will be upstaged by his hugely talented stable companion Shirocco, who has been aimed at the Longchamp spectacular all season according to connections.

Getting stronger and better with age, Shirocco should be hard to beat in the Arc especially if the ground enjoys any give in it on Arc day. Andre Fabre’s horse is at his best with cut underfoot. The same wouldn’t be true of Japanese superstar, Deep Impact, whose connections are absolutely set on winning the Arc. Whether this top-notch colt can overcome unsuitable ground, the lack of prep race and the transition to a European climate is doubtful but he clearly adds spice to a cracking contest.

The rest of the Arc card features five more Group one races with Reverence likely to take the world of beating in the Prix de l’Abbaye over the minimum trip while the possibility of a clash between Ouija Board and Alexandrova in the Prix de l’Opera is a mouth-watering prospect. Elsewhere Andre Fabre will be attempting to better his record as the leading French-based trainer with his three-year-olds of particular note. Fabre tends to target the Prix du Cadran on Arc day each season, and his leading entry should be noted.

It’s a quiet weekend after the thrills of spills of the Arc and Cambridgeshire weekend with Ascot staging the day’s premier meeting on October 7. As ever the two-year-old sprinters take centre stage in the Cornwallis Stakes and the Willie Haggas-trained Enticing could be an interesting runner in this 5f event.

Over at York there’s a traditionally insoluble afternoon of large field and tricky handicaps headed by the Coral Sprint Trophy. Given the shock results in this 6f handicap it’s no wonder that bookmakers are keen to sponsor such races. On the same card the two-year-olds add some respectability to proceedings courtesy of the Listed Rockingham Stakes and the Barry Hills-trained Captain Marvelous is name to look out for among the entries.

It’s top drawer action at Newmarket on Champions Day, October 14, with two Group 1 contests heading an afternoon of superb action. Throw in the second leg of the autumn double for good measure, stir in the Rockfel, Challenge and Darley Stakes and you have the recipe for a perfect day’s racing.

When it comes to finding the winner of the Champion Stakes, looking for something fresh isn’t a bad policy. Most of the winners of this mile and a quarter contest haven’t endured the rigours of a long hard season. That’s certainly true of Derby hero Sir Percy and Henry Cecil’s rapid improver Multi Dimensional but whether these talented three-year-olds are up to lowering the colours of the older horses is open to question.

In the Challenge Stakes John Gosden’s Sleeping Indian could well prove hard to beat while Sir Gerard can take the Darley Stakes before heading off to Dubai and the winter sun. The James Fanshawe-trained colt has been sold to Sheikh Mohammed and is almost certain to race next season in the deep blue Godolphin colours.

In the Dewhurst all eyes will be upon Jim Bolger’s Teofilo should he make this Group1 contest his last race of a scintillating two-year-old season. This terrific prospect would tackle the world of beating but in his absence the Paul Cole-trained Strategic Prince might be the one to take advantage. He isn’t in Teofilo’s class but this has been his target since a pattern success at Goodwood in early August.

The main Flat action switches to Newbury after the high-points of Champions day and John Gosden’s Broghill could be a name to note in the October Yearling Stakes on October 20, the first day of Newbury’s two-day meeting that now includes the Racing Post Trophy on October 21. Mick Channon will be hoping that Halicarnassus can build upon his big reputation in that final Group 1 prize for juveniles while Aidan O’Brien will be attempting to build upon his bright record in the race and any runners from his Ballydoyle operation should be noted.

On the same day as hosting the Racing Post Trophy, Newbury also stages the Horris Hill Stakes and Jeremy Noseda’s Ready for Spring is being primed to take this prize while in the St Simon Stakes Geoff Wragg will be hoping that Dragon Dancer can lose his maiden tag at last. It seems scarcely believable that this frustrating type almost landed the Derby back in June at 66-1.

The dying embers of the 2006 turf Flat season share the spoils at Newmarket on October 28 with jump racing at Wetherby. At the former track there’s a valuable two-year-old contest in the guise of the Zetland Stakes and any runner from the Mark Johnston squad should be heeded here while over at Wetherby Star de Mohaison would have the look of a good thing if he begins his season in the Charlie Hall Chase. Finally, some of the top two-mile chasers will be strutting their stuff in the William Hill Haldon Gold Cup at Exeter and the outcome of this grade prize will be a pointer to the pecking order amongst the two-mile titans.



Horse Racing Odds

sean p asked:


how much money does it take to become a race horce owner and how do i get started and how does one enter the kuntuky derby my net worth is about 19.5 mil

Hockey Equipment Now

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Sports Equipment Reviews

Delrick Mckay asked:


If you love betting on horses, then you may have probably heard of the automated horse racing system that’s making quite a big splash in the world of automated betting systems and UK horse racing. It is amazing what the system can do. It has the potential to actually change how people bet and win on horse racing. It runs the automated racing software engine developed by Betfair.com.

What is The Automated Horse Racing System?

The Automated Horse Racing System is an online, automated application that uses API technology so that you can bet on horses on Betfair.com. You can use this system to interact with the website’s tipsters, so that you can track your winnings and your profits. Its potential is so promising because professional gamblers and investors are so enthusiastic about it. In addition, the system gives its users the opportunity to double their investments every month! The best part is that you don’t have to be a genius in horse racing to make the right bets because the system literally does it for you.

How Does the Automated Horse Racing System Work?

The whole idea of an automated horse racing system has a lot of promise. But how does the system work? Well, it takes all the relevant stats such as win-loss record of each horse, the percentage of profits per race, and the odds of winning. These numbers run from over 5 to 30 races. Then the system calculates everything and tells you what horse to bet on. Also, you can set the system to give you tips based on your own criteria. This is great because the automated horse racing system allows you to put your own spin on the betting process. Also, technical support via email or phone is available 24/7 to address your needs.

Betting On Horses Online Has Never Been So Easy

Without the automated horse racing system, choosing the right horse will certainly take lots of time, even for a professional. The system guarantees that betting would be a breeze. All you have to do is to invest an amount of money and the system will automatically place your bets on the best horse. You need not worry about losing your money over errors or crashes because the system is very stable. With the automated horse racing system, your money will grow in leaps and bounds without you doing anything at all! If you are having second thoughts, there is a free 3-day trial to see if the system really works.

In a nutshell, the automated horse racing system is a great for those who like betting on horses. Of course, nothing beats going to the tracks to experience the race and see the horses. But if you’re still a beginner with no knowledge of the intricacies and subtleties of horse racing, the automated horse racing system is perfect for you. The system makes sure that your money is always on the winning horse. A monthly subscription fee is needed, but it’s worth every penny.



Horse Racing Bets

Max Redd asked:


Next year Lewis Hamilton could be the first sportsman in history to earn in excess of one BILLION dollars as arguably the best formula one driver in the world. Yet this year, the title of best jockey in UK horse racing was shared by two men, and neither received a penny in recognition. So what drives a jockey to win the jockey championship?

The answer is simple – PRIDE

In taking the Open Golf Championship this year Padraig Harrington pocketed GBP750,000. Not bad for four days work. Roger Federer had to put in a bit more effort to claim the men’s Wimbledon title, a whole two weeks in fact. But he was rewarded handsomely with a cheque for GBP700,000.

Jamie Spencer and Seb Sanders shared the Champion Jockey title, both having scored the same number of wins during the season. Yet the reward for success from the sponsors was just £10 per win (around GBP2,000) which was all donated to charity.

The UK horse racing Flat Season lasts for eight months and ends in mid-November. Between them, Jamie Spencer and Seb Sanders notched up more than 2,000 rides. That equates to an average of more than four rides, every single day, for eight months. Take out the occasional ‘day off’, days when injury put them on the sidelines, and days out due to suspension, and it is clear the amount of dedication required of a jockey to win the title.

But it goes a lot deeper than riding in a lot of races. The everyday life of a horse racing jockey is incredibly gruelling. We often hear about the top-flight horsemen such as Frankie Dettori, Mick Kinane, and Kieron Fallon, flying all over the world to compete in some of the richest horse races on the planet. This glamorous picture of life in the saddle is but one side of the coin.

On the other side you have jockeys such as Spencer and Sanders, plus many, many more who make their living steering thoroughbreds around the race courses of the UK.

A typical day for a jockey will start at first light with riding work on the training gallops. Then it is off to whichever race course is staging a meeting that day. And in the UK that meeting could be anywhere from Exeter and Bath in the South of the country, to Perth and Musselburgh in Scotland.

Nowadays horse racing tales place pretty much every day of the year, with only a few exceptions. Flood-lit all-weather tracks also mean racing in the evening. It is not uncommon for a jockey to compete on the turf during the afternoon, then dash up the motorway to an evening meeting on the artificial surfaces of Wolverhampton or Kempton. Often the last race in the evening might be as late as 9:30pm. Then the jockeys must weigh-in, and attend any presentations if successful, before changing out of their riding silks and making their way home. It is not unusual for a jockey to be arriving back home in the early hours of the morning, and setting the alarm clock for 6am to start all over again.

Approaching the climax of the season, one particular day Jamie Spencer drove from his home in Newmarket to London for a hearing at the Jockey Club, then flew to Scotland for racing at Musselburgh, then back to Wolverhampton for the evening meeting which ended with the 9:20pm race, before finally returning to Newmarket. A round trip of some 900 miles. A few jockeys have the luxury of drivers and private flights paid-for by owners. But the majority of journeymen riders have to make-do with car-sharing and endless miles up and down the motorway.

And then there is the challenge of the jockeys’ diet. Everybody knows that jockeys have to maintain feather-weight proportions. They achieve this by surviving on a meagre diet of boiled fish or chicken, and a few cups of tea without milk.

The biggest danger of following such a restrictive diet in pursuit of success, is that of de-hydration. In a bid to avoid taking on extra weight, a jockey will drink less, especially during the course of a race day afternoon. And if he needs to shed a few pounds he will sit in a sauna and sweat the weight. The effect of de-hydration can be loss of concentration and even fainting.

People may think that riding a race horse is little more than pointing him in the right direction and kicking him in the belly to get him going. Nothing could be further from the truth. Highly-strung thoroughbreds need little encouragement to run at full tilt, and in fact most need restraining during the early part of a race. It takes considerable strength and power to control half a ton of muscular animal travelling at 30 miles per hour. Equally, it takes physical effort to drive a horse out to the line in a close finish. All this on boiled chicken and tea!

Returning to the original question, of why jockeys will put themselves through this arduous routine?

“It’s all about the prestige that comes with claiming the title.” Explains British Horse Racing Authority spokesman Lucy Watson.

The names on the Trophy include many of the Racing Greats – names such as Gordon Richards, Lester Piggott, Willie Carson, Pat Eddery, Kieron Fallon, and Frankie Dettori. To have your name engraved alongside their ‘heroes’ is what drives people like Sanders and Spencer.

The top jockeys get paid for each ride – a fee of £125.94 from the owner. In addition they will normally receive 10 per cent of any prize money. Jamie Spencer has winnings to his name in excess of GBP2million this season and will earn around GBP200,000 through prize money alone. But then Spencer is Champion Jockey and trainers and owners alike all clamour to book him to ride their horses. He doesn’t find it difficult to get rides on the very best horses. It is something of a self-perpetuating upward spiral. If you are good, you get to ride the horses with the best chance of winning, and you win more races.

But as you might imagine, it works the other way too. Spare a thought for the other jockeys that make up the numbers in each and every race. They often have to take whatever rides they can, on horses not likely to win, at courses all around the country, and shouldering all the inherent travelling expenses. All in the spirit of this great Sport Of Kings.



Hockey Equipment Shop

Malcolm Heyhoe asked:


If Wimbledon in June means strawberries and cream, then racing in August can only signify Goodwood and York, two flagship festival meetings that dominate the month’s action beginning with five exciting days on the Sussex slopes.

As popular as ever, Glorious Goodwood offers some top-class action and is often a meeting that puts profits in punters’ pockets. The Gordon Stakes on the fixture’s opening day, August 1, has long been recognized as a traditional for the St Leger later next month, and the message here is a clear one: pay particular heed to whatever Sir Michael Stoute runs in the mile and half contest. This year’s Stoute representative may well be one of the yard’s better three-year-olds.

The Group 1 Sussex Stakes on August 2 hosts the meeting’s customary clash between the milers of the different generations and trainer Jeremy Noseda holds strong prospects of following up last year’s success with Proclamation when he sends out Araafa, his easy winner of the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot. A good run at the Royal meeting is the usual stepping-stone to Sussex success and Araafa is likely to be very hard to beat.

Thursday’s action on August 3 sees the stayers take centre stage in the Goodwood Cup and local trainer Amanda Perrett will be hoping that her smart older horse Tungsten Strike can build on several useful efforts this season. Sadly last year’s winner Distinction has been forced to miss this race through injury and the chances are that in a poor year for stayers, the pattern contest won’t take that much winning. Watch out too for whatever trainer Mark Johnston decides to run; five winners in the past ten years has earned him outstanding record in this two-mile contest.

On the same day as the Goodwood Cup, the speedy juveniles can ply their trade in the five-furlong Molecomb Stakes and the one to watch here is the dual Windsor Castle and Super Sprint hero, the decidedly zippy Elhamri, who will surely take some catching as he blazes a trail on the Sussex Downs.

Friday’s action on August 4 brings the season’s leading mile handicappers into view with yet another highly competitive running of the Totesport Mile. A high draw is vital to any chance of success and whatever you do here, it is best not to bet until the overnight declarations have been made and the draw is known.

The ultra-progressive Sir Gerard heads the market and holds strong claims while Easy Air, who finished just behind the former in a classy renewal of Royal Ascot’s Britannia Stakes, is another who should go well on the rolling downland course where finishing speed is always a key asset in determining the week’s handicap winners.

Friday’s Richmond Stakes is one of the week’s pivotal juvenile events and backers need look no further than Paul Cole’s impressive Newmarket winner Strategic Prince, if he takes his chance while the Oak Tree Stakes on the same day sees Red Evie and Makderah lock horns once again after finishing first and third in a similar event at the Royal meeting.

Goodwood’s final day on August 5 puts the fillies in the spotlight courtesy of the Group1 Nassau Stakes, and this time around the older fillies may well call the tune with Ouija Board, Red Bloom and last year’s easy winner, Alexander Goldrun, all set to do battle. Predicting the outcome won’t be easy but if the former turns up in the form she showed to land a Group1 at Royal Ascot then she’ll prove difficult to beat.

Gift Horse was a last-gasp winner of the Stewards’ Cup twelve months ago and one year on it could again pay to look at horses that have run well in the Wokingham Stakes at Royal Ascot and pursuing that line of thought brings Firenze, Borderlescott and Intrepid Jack into the picture and it would be no surprise to see the winner emerge from that illustrious trio. The former has been on fire this season and has developed into a much-improved and formidable opponent in sprint handicaps.

The end of Glorious Goodwood signals a lull in proceedings before the three day Ebor festival kicks in at York later in the month, and many serious racing fans take a break between Goodwood and York. On August 12, Haydock stages the Rose Of Lancaster Stakes and this Group 3 contest over a mile and a quarter can sometimes throw up a useful winner. Mutamam took the race in 1998 and Nayef landed the spoils for Marcus Tregoning in 2001, underlining the latter’s fine record in the race and the domination of the event by three-year-olds.

On August 19 Newbury hosts the Group 3 Hungerford Stakes and the message here is to side with one of the first three in the betting. This isn’t a race for outsiders while over at Ripon the ‘Garden’ course stages the Great St Wilfrid Handicap, one of the season’s most competitive sprint handicaps. A high draw is important and a recent success or sound placed effort is often on the c.v, of the eventual winner.

The Group1 Juddmonte International sets matters on their way on August 22, the opening day of York’s fantastic three-day Ebor festival and this is not a race for outsiders. Fancied horses frequently do well and no winner of this race since 1994 has started at bigger odds than 6-1. Brian Meehan’s David Junior is sure to be among the market leaders and may be the one to beat while Jeremy Noseda hasn’t ruled out tackling this race with ace miler, Araafa.

The Group 2 Great St Voltigeur Stakes over a mile and a half for three year olds on August 22 is the season’s most important trial for the St Leger and six recent winners of the final classic have competed in the York showpiece. Once again Sir Michael Stoute is the man to watch and his decision to target Papal Bull at this prize suggests that the latter may well be the yard’s number one Leger candidate.

The Tote Ebor on August 23 is often a race for an improving young horse that hasn’t been burdened with a big weight and Luca Cumani, who has won the race a couple of times in recent years, may have a likely sort in Glistening while in the Yorkshire Oaks over a mile and a half there will be only one winner if the imperious Alexandrova takes her place on the Knavesmire.

York’s final day on August 24 could well see another Irish victory in the Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes over five furlongs when Ireland’s top two speedsters, Dandy Man and Osterhase go head to head with preference for the former who has looked high-class on occasion this term and beat the latter fair and square at the Curragh in July.

August ends with the Celebration Mile at Goodwood on August 26 and in-form and progressive sorts tend to hold sway in this valuable event, while over at Beverley on August 27 there’s a competitive sprint handicap over five furlongs that has been won three times in recent seasons by John Wainwright and his stable selected must be considered carefully.



Hockey Equipment Shop

Malcolm Heyhoe asked:


Comparing the current Flat turf season to a long train journey is one way of describing the roller-coaster campaign that comes to two of its most famous stops in June courtesy of the Epsom Derby and the five days of top-class racing at Royal Ascot later in the month.

The Derby now occupies a Saturday slot in the racing programme that is more in keeping with its place in the modern age, and only a dyed-in-the-wool traditionalist or a blinkered fool would be

grudge the fact that the premier classic has been rescued from the backwaters of the first Wednesday in June to a permanent Saturday berth.

The action at Epsom begins on Friday June 2 with the Group 1 Vodafone Oaks. Already this season’s classic fillies look a distinctly average bunch and it’s not hard to see the Oaks winner coming from the powerful stables of Sir Michael Stoute and Aidan O’Brien, who should provide a handful of the more interesting runners.

The all-conquering Stoute team is likely to feature Riyalma, a game winner of the Pretty Polly Stakes on her sole start to date this term at Newmarket’s Guineas meeting and the fast-improving Short Skirt, who beat O’Brien’s well-touted Alexandrova, the current Oaks favourite in the often influential Musidora Stakes at York at the end of last month.

Speciosa and Confidential Lady, the Newmarket 1,000 Guineas winner and runner-up respectively, could also be in the Oaks line-up but the form of that soft ground classic may not add up to a great deal and the winner in particular is a wayward sort on track who might be unsuited to Epsom’s unique camber.

The June 2 card also features the Vodafone Coronation Cup, a Group 1 race for older horses that may well be won by Andre Fabre’s Shirocco, who looked better than ever when scoring on his seasonal debut at Newmarket recently, while Look Again is one of the better treated horses in the Vodafone Rose Bowl Handicap on the same day.

The Vodafone Derby takes centre stage on June 3 and there can be little doubt that the world’s greatest Flat race has been enhanced as a spectacle by the timely switch to a Saturday even though several recent renewals have been decidedly sub-standard affairs.

Still, watching the Derby field stream around Tattenham Corner before hitting that long and tilting home straight remains one of the greatest thrills in racing and if the betting is an accurate guide then Visindar, this year’s short-priced favourite, is on an unstoppable course to give France their first Derby winner since Lester Piggott steered Empery home for trainer Maurice Zilber and Texan owner Nelson Bunker Hunt in 1976.

Andre Fabre’s unbeaten chestnut has won both his races against weak opposition with ease this season and the trainer’s intimation that the colt is ‘something special’ will be put to the sternest of tests at Epsom. A short career of just three starts in small fields on flat tracks and over shorter distances is barely an adequate preparation for the uphill and downhill challenge of the Derby’s complete test. But Visindar may a cut above ordinary opposition.

Aidan O’Brien and Sir Michael Stoute have saddled four of the last five Derby winners and the former’s Septimus, a determined winner of the best Derby trial in the Dante at York, may emerge as the main threat to Visindar even though he lacks a change of pace and seems a St Leger and not a Derby horse.

Epsom’s Derby day card also features the Vodafone ‘Dash’, a five furlong sprint over one of the fastest sprint courses in the world and the man to stick with here is speed specialist, Dandy Nicholls, who may be represented by Merlin’s Dancer, his recent Chester winner who features on a handy mark for the ‘Dash’.

June 4 sees picturesque Chantilly host the Prix du Jockey-Club, or French Derby as it is more universally known, and Aidan O’Brien’s French 2,000 Guineas winner Aussie Rules could complete a rare French classic double, while Jean-Claude Rouget’s Germance bids to make it five from five in the Prix de Diane Hermes, France’s version of the Oaks at Chantilly on June 11. On the eve of Royal Ascot, York stages its valuable Timeform charity day and the feature race is the valuable three-year-old sprint entitled the William Hill Trophy.

Five of the best days of Flat racing to be found anywhere in the world begins on June 20 with the first day of Royal Ascot that is rightly restored to its true home after slumming it on the pudding-like turf of York’s Knavesmire a year ago.

The Group 1 Queen Anne and St James’s Palace Stakes are the first day highlights and a clash between Peeress, the recent Lockinge winner and Proclamation, last year’s Sussex Stakes hero could be a mouth-watering meeting while George Washington’s presence in the St James’s Palace could put many of his potential rivals off their game.

On June 21 the Group 1 Prince of Wales’s Stakes occupies pride of place and the Godolphin team have saddled four winners in recent seasons and if they can re-capture their best form before Royal Ascot then the stable’s chosen representative will be well worth a second look.

Alan King’s Levera and Sir Michael Stoute’s Jeremy will be among the more fancied runners in the seven furlong Jersey Stakes while the latter’s Echelon could be the one to give the Stoute team back-to-back victories in the Windsor Forest Stakes, a one mile pattern event for the better middle-distance fillies.

There’ll be a massive field in competition for the Royal Hunt Cup, one of the biggest betting heats of the entire handicap season where class as well as courage is required of the winner. An early fancy for this one-mile dash would be Roger Charlton’s Another Bottle, who can handle big fields and may be a shade better than he’s shown so far.

The Ascot Gold Cup is the feature race on June 22 and many will be pinning their faith on Sergeant Cecil making the transition from top-class staying handicaps to this Group 1 prize and he’s sure to go well, though that also applies to Sir Michael Stoute’s Distinction, a runner-up in the race a year ago and the most likely winner from Andre Fabre’s Reefscape, who has been specially prepared for the valuable stayers’ crown.

Friday’s Royal Ascot action centres upon the Coronation Stakes, a Group 1 race over a mile for fillies and though this year’s fairer sex seems like an ordinary bunch, the Marcus Tregoning-trained Makderah might be the type to go well at big odds. She has been progressing nicely all season.

Royal Ascot’s final day, June 24, features the Group 2 Hardwicke Stakes, which hasn’t been a good race for favourites in recent years while the same is true of the Wokingham Stakes, where speed, a good handicap mark and the ability to handle a big field are all essential components for the eventual winner. Hughie Morrison’s Intrepid Jack will be one of the more intriguing challengers for the season’s first big sprint handicap.



Horse Racing Bets

Malcolm Heyhoe asked:


February is the calm before the storm. In racing terms this is the month when trainers put the finishing touches to their Cheltenham preparations and punters try and gather in as many clues as possible about the events that will unfold at the Cheltenham Festival in the following month.

Sandown opens proceedings with a high-class card on February 3. The pick of several revealing races is sure to be the Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase. This grade one contest over two miles and three furlongs has been won in the past by such greats as Best Mate and the winner is always worth following.

Henrietta Knight, Best Mate’s trainer, has also won this race in recent seasons with El Vaquero in 2005 and whatever horse she sends out here will be of interest. Northern trainer Keith Reveley has his eyes on the prize with his Feltham winner Ungaro and watch out too for an entry for Charlie Egerton’s Mr Pointment, who should relish this trip and track.

Providing the ground isn’t riding unduly heavy at the Esher track, punters should be able to watch Detroit City complete his build-up to a crack at the Champion Hurdle by contesting the Agfa Hurdle. Defeat will be out of the question and backers will be looking to the ToteScoop6 Sandown Handicap Hurdle for a more rewarding wager. This is a good race for fancied horses and every one of the last ten winners has figured in the first four in the market. Watch out for runners from the Nicky Henderson and Philip Hobbs stables. This powerful pair boasts the best of recent records.

February 10 is a red letter day for Cheltenham Festival aspirations and the roads around Newbury racecourse seem sure to be jammed with eager punters looking for confirmation or otherwise of their Festival betting plans while over in Dublin the scheduling of the Ireland and France rubgy union game on Sunday 11 means that the top-class day of Irish Cheltenham trials at Leopardstown has been temporarily moved to February 10.

Trainer Paul Nicholls is using the Newbury fixture to finalize his Cheltenham plans and all eyes will be upon Kauto Star as he embarks upon his last race before the Gold Cup in the Aon Chase. As long as he manages to avoid any jumping errors, he should win this easily and more competitive Cheltenham interest will focus upon the Game Spirit Chase, the traditional stepping stone to Queen Mother Champion Chase success.

This year’s renewal could well be right out of the top drawer with Voy Por Ustedes, the current Queen Mother favourite, likely to go head to head with old adversary Foreman as well as Well Chief, Sporazene and Ashley Brook. If the former makes a racecourse appearance after a two year absence then real spice will be added to the Game Spirit mix.

The big betting race on February 10 is the marvellous Totesport Gold Trophy, which is without doubt one of the best handicap hurdles staged during the season. Class will always be the determining factor in digging out a Gold Trophy winner and two trainers in particular – Nicky Henderson and Martin Pipe – have dominated this race in recent years winning a remarkable six of the last ten runnings.

Backers should ignore this pairs’ runners at their peril. Nicky Henderson’s number one representative is sure to be Tarlac, who is a few pounds better off for his defeat at the hands of David Pipe’s Acambo in the Ladbroke Hurdle at Ascot before Christmas. Both horses hold terrific Gold Trophy claims and if the ground is at least good then Acambo is taken to confirm Ascot form with Tarlac.

In the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup at Leopardstown on the same day Robert Alner’s mud-loving The Listener will attempt to confirm his stunning Lexus Chase victory over course and distance with Beef Or Salmon but the pair might be outpointed by In Compliance who goes on trial for the Gold Cup after rising swiftly through the ranks this season for Michael O’Brien. He is a horse going places fast.

Over at Haydock on February 17 there’s a thorough test of stamina in the Red Vodka Handicap Chase that is staged over an utterly demanding three and a half miles at the Lancashire course. Lightning may well strike twice because Ossmoses, last year’s easy winner, has again been aimed at the prize en route to a crack at the Grand National in April. He should be hard to beat and could have most to fear from recent course winner Kilbeggan Blade, who has also been aimed at this race for some time.

February 17 also sees Ascot stage the Reynoldstown Novices’ Chase and favourites have dominated this event in recent years. Henrietta Knight’s useful stayer Aztec Warrior could be one for the spoils while in the graded Ascot Chase, Monet’s Garden and Racing Demon will bid to put their seasons back on course after flops last time. A terrific day’s racing is completed by the Singer & Friedlander Chase at Uttoxeter and the Kingwell Hurdle over at Wincanton while at Fontwell Park on February 18, Lucy Wadham’s tough stayer United can land the graded National Spirit Hurdle at the Sussex course.

February’s action concludes with Kempton’s Racing Post Chase on February 24 and Henry Daly’s smart stayer Alderburn looks an ideal sort for this valuable prize. He should be high enough in the weights to make an impact while any runners from the Philip Hobbs and Francois Doumen stables should also be noted. The latter has landed this race twice in the past decade and saddled a stunning one-two twelve months ago.

Elsewhere on the Kempton card there’s a Triumph Hurdle trial in the guise of the Adonis Juvenile Hurdle which is the main aim of Alan King’s Pouvoir while over at Newcastle the north-east course hosts the marathon Totesport Eider Handicap Chase where stout stayers such as King Killone, Kinburn and Kitski should be noted among the entries.



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Punters are in for a busy time of it in September as the Flat racing season moves swiftly into its autumn phase starting with the William Hill Sprint Cup, a Group1 contest over six furlongs at Haydock on Saturday September 2.

Class has traditionally been the defining factor in this well-contested sprint course and it’s therefore no surprise to see horses that have run well in the Group1 July Cup featuring again over the sharp six furlongs at the Lancashire course.

Weather permitting, the imperious Iffaaj should take all the beating if he turns out at the Lancashire course after an unlucky second to Les Arcs in the July Cup. Arguably the best sprinter in Europe right now, the Godolphin-trained colt won’t want the ground too soft if he’s to turn out at the Lancashire course.

In his absence the Jeremy Noseda-trained Soldier’s Tale would hold strong claims. He is less ground dependent than Iffraaj and after a lengthy absence his connections are hopeful that she can return to the fray in winning form at Haydock Park. Nunthorpe hero Reverence is another to consider if he can harness his sublime talents to the longer trip.

If it’s September then racing’s rolling caravan must be in Yorkshire for the St Leger, the world’s oldest classic which normally takes place at Doncaster. This time around the latter venue is being thankfully re-built at enormous cost and as a consequence the Leger meeting has been shoe-horned into two days at York - September 8 and 9 - instead of the usual four days.

This is no bad thing given the dodgy state of the ground on the Knavesmire and it will be relief when racing returns at Doncaster for 2008. Staged over a mile and six furlongs, the St Leger calls for stamina, courage and class in a prospective winner. A select field of eight or nine are likely to go to post and the hot favourite, Sixties Icon holds strong claims.

He’s looked a class apart from most of his rivals when waltzing away with the Gordon Stakes at Goodwood last time, a race which is an acknowledged trial for the St Leger. Of the rest, the Mick Channon-trained Youmzain showed fine speed to land the Great Voltigeur Stakes at the Ebor meeting but that piece of form doesn’t looks as strong as the Goodwood success of Sixties Icon.

The Tote Portland Handicap on September 8 is the big handicap race of the truncated Leger fixture and could go the way of the Stuart Williams-trained Hogmaneigh, an easy winner at Sandown last time who could well take in this race en route to a crack at the Ayr Gold Cup later in the month. Anna Pavlova is also a name to look out for in the Park Hill Stakes, a Group race for fillies on the same day.

Over at Leopardstown on September 9 the Baileys Irish Champion Stakes takes place at Leopardstown, and is one of the better clashes of the generations run over a mile and half all season. This time around all eyes will be upon Dylan Thomas as he bids to put a dreadful effort in the Juddmonte International at York behind him over a course that he has won over previously.

The following week racing heads north of the border or the three fine days of the Ayr Western Meeting and the Ayr Gold Cup, the richest spring handicap in Europe is the feature on Saturday September 16.

This year’s race, which has been landed in four out of the past five seasons by trainer Dandy Nicholls, features not one runner from the Nicholls yard after an administrative error meant that no horse from the stable was entered for the great spring contest. The air must surely have turned the deepest blue above the Nicholls yard on the day this blunder was discovered.

Still northern trainers, who tend to do better in this race than their southern counterparts, will be gunning to secure the valuable prize once again with Stewards’ Cup hero, Borderlescott sure to be among the leading fancies while Kevin Ryan’s Mutamared holds good claims and Ian Semple’s Scottish raider, Appalachian Trail is another for the short-list. Remember too that is a poor race for three-year-olds who often struggle in the large fields against their more experienced and older rivals.

Over at Newbury on the same day as the Ayr Gold Cup there’s the always informative and influential Cambridgeshire trial in the shape of the £100,000 John Smith’s Handicap which is required viewing for any prospective Cambridgeshire backers. Last year’s winner of the latter race, Blue Monday, was just touched off at Newbury and this year’s race may again supply the winner of the first leg of the autumn double.

On a cracking day’s racing Leopardstown also stages the Irish St Leger, the only classic run outside of Britain this month and this should provide the fast-improving stayer Yeats with a golden opportunity to add to his Ascot and Goodwood Cup successes. It’s had to see any horse being god enough to lower this one’s colours.

On September 23 it’s the chance for the top milers to strut their stuff in the Group1 Queen Elizabeth 11 Stakes at the newly re-vamped Ascot. George Washington’s eclipse at the hands of the workmanlike Caradak in a muddling Celebration Mile at Goodwood represented the low point of three-year-old fortunes against the older horses and it will

Be interesting to see whether the 2,000 Guineas hero can come good again in the Ascot showpiece.

This year’s classic generation has been wretched in competition with their elders and the Godolphin team will be hopeful of landing a fourth Queen Elizabeth Stakes in the past decade with their fast-improving Deauville winner, Librettist. A multiple winner this season, he should again go well now that he’s shown he can cut it at the top level.

Newmarket is the final port of call in September for three days of the Cambridgeshire meeting on the Rowley Mile. Those keen to glean further Classic clues for 2007 will be hoping that Jeremy Noseda’s star filly Sander Camillo turns up for the Cheveley Park Stakes for two-year-old fillies on September 28 while a day later the Prix Morny winner Dutch Art might will most likely be in action with the juvenile colts for the Middle Park Stakes. Whatever the final nature of the fields for races, the outcome of both contests could well have a significant bearing upon next season’s spring Classics.

A cracking months’ racing comes to an exiting close with the totesport Cambridgeshire on September 30 and there can be no better handicap run all season than this one mile and a furlong contest. Recent York winner Smart Enough looks a likely sort as does his fellow three-year-old Sir Gerard while of the older generation Fairmile makes plenty of appeal after a luckless defeat at Haydock in August.



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