Sportblog | The Guardian – Tagged "Cheltenham Festival" – Page 12

Mar 03, 2017

Talking Horses: soft going for Cheltenham? Plus best bets for Friday

Backers of Brain Power in the Champion Hurdle could really use a break in the clouds over Prestbury Park in the next week. Continue reading...

Mar 02, 2017

Talking Horses: Cheltenham Festival chat plus Thursday tips

It’s time to start thinking about trainer form. Is Nigel Twiston-Davies going cold at the wrong time?Chris Cook: Racing’s ruling body will carry out a review of novice chases at the end of the current jumps season, with the aim of seeing if anything can or should be done to get more runners in those races, making them more attractive to spectators and punters, while still providing a helpful introduction to steeplechasing for inexperienced horses. Richard Wayman, chief operating officer of the British Horseracing Authority, announced the review while taking questions at a ‘meet the BHA’ roadshow at Cheltenham racecourse on Thursday morning. Continue reading...

Mar 01, 2017

Talking Horses: Gordon Elliott Cheltenham team plus Wednesday tips

The Irish trainers’ championship contender and handler of last year’s Gold Cup winner, Don Cossack, gave a horse-by-horse guide to his Festival hopefulsGordon Elliott, who trained Don Cossack to win last season’s Gold Cup, held a pre-Festival media event at his stable on Tuesday morning. His team for Cheltenham does not contain as many ante-post favourites or Grade One contenders as that of Willie Mullins, his only rival for the Irish trainers’ championship this season, and around half of the 30 or so horses he sends to the West Country are likely to be handicappers whose chance will depend on the burden they are allotted when the weights are published on Wednesday morning. This is what he had to say...

Feb 28, 2017

Talking Horses: Willie Mullins’ Cheltenham team plus Tuesday tips

The trainer with more favourites than any other for the Festival gives the lowdown on the horses from his stable heading for the premier jumps meeting in a fortnightWillie Mullins, the champion trainer at five of the last six Cheltenham Festivals, threw his stable doors open to the media on Monday morning and spoke at length about his team for this year’s meeting, which is expected to include about up to 40 horses. Here’s what he had to say about some of the leading contenders. Related: Colin Tizzard confident of Cheltenham success despite Thistlecrack blow Related: Talking Horses: Nicky Henderson’s Cheltenham Festival runners guide Related: Talking Horses: Tips plus Paul Nicholls' Festival runners guide Continue reading...

Feb 24, 2017

Talking Horses: Colin Tizzard's Cheltenham team plus Friday tips

Thistlecrack may be out for the season but the Dorset trainer still has a big team of Festival contendersColin Tizzard was the latest trainer to open his yard to the media yesterday ahead of next month’s Festival at Cheltenham and, while much of the attention will be on Native River and Cue Card, the market-leaders for the Gold Cup on 17 March, he will have leading contenders for Grade Ones and handicaps throughout the four days. Here’s what he had to say about his main contenders. Continue reading...