Yanworth may be the highlight at Exeter but some top-class hurdlers never manage to make the adjustment to fencesYanworth’s debut over fences is the undoubted highlight of today’s cards, and while the betting suggests that he will scarcely break sweat on the way to an easy success, the switch from hurdles to fences is never one to be taken for granted. Efficiency outweighs accuracy over a hurdle, whereas over a fence, it is the other way around, and some top-class hurdlers never manage to make the adjustment. Sternrubin is the only horse in today’s six-runner field at Exeter who promises to give Yanworth any sort of a test, but the 1-4 favourite ran no sort of a race when favourite...
It was a tough weekend for Sheikh Mohammed’s team and our man feels they may fall short again on MondayWinning Monday’s Listed race at Pontefract, worth almost £20,000 to the first home, hardly offers Godolphin consolation for a bad day at Ascot on Saturday when none of their seven runners – which included favourites Harry Angel and Ribchester – reached the winners’ enclosure. Related: Aidan O’Brien aims The Pentagon and Saxon Warrior at Racing Post Trophy Continue reading...
Cracksman looks the right favourite for the Champion Stakes but Beat The Bank can turn over Ribchester in the QEIIAnother stellar year for John Gosden and Frankie Dettori should be capped off with victory in the feature race on British Champions Day, to be provided by Cracksman (3.50). This robust-looking son of Frankel was on the edge of becoming disappointing in the first half of the year, when beaten by unglamorous rivals in both the Derby and the Irish Derby, but things look rosier now. Related: Godolphin gear up for Champions Day under the watchful eye of Joe Osborne Continue reading...
Three recent cases of interference suggest the aggressor is no longer getting the benefit of all doubt from stewardsAnother excellent column by Richie Forristal in today’s Racing Post suggests there may have been a development in the way stewards are applying the interference rules. Richie points out three recent examples of horses being promoted to first place after suffering interference from the ‘winner’ in circumstances where, over many years, we’d become used to the stewards making no move. Related: Ulysses out of British Champions Day and saved for Breeders’ Cup Continue reading...
Operation on a kissing spine may help the Lexus Chase winner to leave behind the disappointments of the springThe jumps season starts here folks! Chepstow was all very enjoyable at the weekend but today at Punchestown we have some authentic Gold Cup horses taking each other on, headed by Minella Rocco, who was second in the big race at Cheltenham in March. Related: Ascot likely to stick to usual track for Champions Day but keeps weather eye Continue reading...