The purchase of Blaklion is an act of pure optimism, but it is at least reminiscent of a Scottish Grand National winner of yoreI find myself thinking about Little Polveir, which is something to be grateful for. He was a game little beast who won the Scottish Grand National in 1987 and followed up in the real thing at Aintree two years later, when he led from halfway and ran on strongly up the run-in, seeing off late challenges by two big names, West Tip and The Thinker.Surely Little Polveir has also been in the recent thoughts of Darren Yates, who, it was revealed on Monday, has bought Blaklion in the hope of seeing his colours carried to victory in...
The trainer isn’t expecting vaccinations to affect Cheltenham Festival runs, but this week’s prep races may be a different storyAfter a weekend of flu-affected action, jump racing will return to something like a level playing field this week and Dan Skelton is one of many trainers hoping his horses will be able to run to their best despite an unscheduled round of vaccinations. The new rule requiring runners to have had a recent vaccination came in last Monday night, since when the normally prolific Skelton has had just five runners, but it will be a different story this week; lots of his horses got their jabs and will be eligible to run from Tuesday.The Warwickshire trainer told me of his...
In recent years, betting syndicates have become an increasingly popular way for smaller punters to play the gambling marketsMore than 200 racehorses will travel to a track in Britain on Friday, but the most significant name on any of the four cards is arguably one of those that won’t. Nickelsonthedime, from Kayley Woollacott’s stable, was declared for the last race at Fakenham and would almost certainly have set off as the favourite.The five-year-old will be staying at home, however, because he is one of 23 horses owned by the Layezy Racing Owners Club, whose founder, Mike Stanley, filed for bankruptcy earlier this week. The Rules of Racing make it clear that “insolvent individuals or entities are not permitted to own...
Field sizes are very much reduced on day two of racing’s return from its six-day suspensionIt was difficult to turn around at Plumpton on Wednesday without bumping into a camera crew, and the Sussex course – one of the most picturesque and friendly tracks in the country – duly enjoyed some priceless free advertising on all the major evening news bulletins. And all went well, with no horses turned away at the gate due to passport problems and nearly 1,200 racegoers in attendance, a fair jump on the 800 who turned up for a Wednesday card in mid-January. Related: Relief and rewards as hooves hit the turf at Plumpton after flu suspension | Greg Wood Twitter: follow us at @guardian_sportKelso 1.25...
‘It’s wrecked my weekend, big time,’ says Nicky Henderson of the new rule requiring runners to have had a recent vaccinationSo, racing is back – hurray! – but flu-related turmoil persists behind the scenes as everyone tries to work out which horses can run and which can’t. This is a complex issue because of: 1) the new rule requiring horses to have had a vaccination in the past six months, and 2) the fact that some of the swabs taken from racehorses within the past week have still not been tested. Related: 'It's a complete shambles': trainers rail at new protocols after flu outbreak Related: Grand National: Ballyoptic looks the best long-range pick – Talking Horses Kelso 1.25 Point Break 1.55...