Peter Fahey runner can follow up victory for Surprise Package, the only Irish-trained runner in a 22-strong field last yearThe valuable Imperial Cup card at Sandown on Saturday afternoon is subject to an 8am morning inspection after nearly an inch of rain since Tuesday, with Andrew Cooper, the clerk of the course, describing the situation as “difficult” on Friday, “with challenges on potentially two fronts as we’re also forecast a sudden, sharp frost tonight”.If the elements are kind, however, there is an excellent pre-Cheltenham card in prospect, with an 18-runner field declared for the William Hill Imperial Cup, which offers a £100,000 bonus if the winner can follow up at Cheltenham next week. Continue reading...
Davy Russell has high hopes of adding to his 25 Cheltenham Festival winners after Kennedy misses flagship meetingJack Kennedy, the No 1 rider for Gordon Elliott’s powerful Irish stable, has been ruled out of the Cheltenham Festival later this month after failing to recover in time from a broken leg, sustained in a fall at Naas in January.“He tried his best, but it [the Festival] is just coming too soon,” Kevin O’Ryan, the rider’s agent, said on Friday. “He is keen to get back as soon as possible, but he is going to give it all the time it needs. Hopefully it will be a couple of weeks after Cheltenham.” Continue reading...
The hot favourite who romped through the fog last time may have to play second best at Newbury to lightly raced novice It feels like a nod to the Betfair Hurdle’s plot-ridden past – not least in its early years in the 1960s when sponsored by Schweppes – that Filey Bay, the hot favourite for the latest renewal at Newbury on Saturday, was obscured by fog for much of his latest outing at Wincanton in December.Emmet Mullins’s hurdler eventually emerged from the murk to record a cosy one-length success and has since been sold to JP McManus, who loves to target this race, while remaining with his exceptionally shrewd trainer. He is an obvious favourite given his form and connections,...
Paisley Park’s owner Andrew Gemmell raises an issue which will not get solved before transparency over media rights deals In the age of big money and mega-stables in jump racing, the plucky band of smaller owners who manage to grab a slice of the cake too are arguably more important than ever for encouraging fans into the sport.Owners like Andrew Gemmell, for instance, whose run of success with Paisley Park has been one of the most popular and memorable stories of recent seasons. And so when Gemmell feels that smaller owners are being unfairly penalised in some of National Hunt’s biggest events, it might be an idea to take note of his concerns. Continue reading...
Scottish trainer Sandy Thomson’s string is in excellent form with a 23% strike rate and a big level-stakes profit this seasonThe Grade One Scilly Isles Novice Chase is the feature event at Sandown on Saturday afternoon but the richest contest on the card is the three-mile handicap hurdle at 2.55pm and it is a fascinating puzzle for punters to unravel.The versatile Remastered, who landed a valuable handicap chase at Kempton over Christmas, can race off his lower hurdles mark on Saturday and is vying for favouritism with Flight Deck, who was a cosy winner at Chepstow the same afternoon. Continue reading...