Guillaume Macaire’s Master Dino has been ruled out of the JLT Novice Chase at Cheltenham through injuryLess than 48 hours after an impressive win in one of the strongest races ever staged at Plumpton, Guillaume Macaire’s Master Dino has been ruled out of the JLT Novice Chase at Cheltenham in March after it emerged that he sustained a hairline fracture to a hind leg on his way to victory. Related: Talking Horses: Harriet Tucker caps comeback with emotional win Lingfield Continue reading...
Festival-winning jockey was told she might not ride again after suffering multiple dislocationsThe most amazing success at the last Cheltenham Festival has now led to an equally amazing comeback story. Harriet Tucker pushed out Pacha Du Polder to win the Foxhunters Chase despite dislocating her troublesome right shoulder on the run-in, an achievement for which she was celebrated at the time; unknown to all but those close to her, she was then told that her shoulder was in such a bad way that one more fall might lead to her losing the use of her right arm. Related: Master Dino stakes Cheltenham claim with impressive Plumpton success Since Harriet Tucker last rode competitively in April she has endured a shoulder...
The selection has form on good to soft ground and, at 20-1, makes a lot of appeal with the Venetia Williams yard also in formSandown’s increasingly popular final to the veterans chase series has once more produced a big field of familiar names but the oddity this year is a drying surface which is unlikely to be perfect for many of them. Houblon Des Obeaux (3.00) could not be mistaken for a fast horse but he has plenty of form on good to soft ground and, at 20-1, makes a lot of appeal with the Venetia Williams yard suddenly in tremendous form.Now 12, he did not appear to relish heavy going for his first two starts this year but he...
Owners have a right to pick and choose where and when their horses run but this decision looks founded on very limited dataFour days after it emerged that Paul and Clare Rooney, who have one of the largest strings of jumping horses in the UK, have instructed their trainers to boycott Cheltenham until further notice, both the track and the wider racing public are still waiting for further details about the “safety concerns” that apparently prompted the owners’ decision.All that is clear thus far is that the Rooneys feel that their runners face an increased risk of injury when racing at Cheltenham, and believe that they have statistical evidence to back them up. Paul Rooney seemed to suggest this week...
There is something to be said for the changes made this week by both of racing’s dedicated channelsFor someone who’s instinctively resistant to change, I find myself surprisingly unworried about all this week’s shifts in the landscape of racing broadcasting. Could it be that, from the viewer’s perspective, progress is being made across the board? That is, apart from the loss of replays of past Irish racing, which I was ranting about on Wednesday. Related: Balnaslow may be stripped of 2018 Foxhunters’ Chase victory Ludlow 12.40 Capone 1.15 Le Precieux (nap) 1.45 Silver Kayf 2.15 Agent Memphis (nb) 2.50 Financial Conduct 3.25 Elena Sue Continue reading...