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Cheltenham countdown for 14 January 2008Filed on 14 Jan 2008 @ 16:08
Countdown to Cheltenham, w/c: 14 January | 21 January | 28 January | 4 February | 11 February | 18 February | 25 February 2008 | 3 March The expert view: Graham Richards' Cheltenham preview, Part one | Champion Hurdle ratings update | Triumph Hurdle ratings update Saturday 19 January 2008The ground at Ascot played a decisive part in the Grade One Victor Chandler Chase, with Twist Magic beaten by Tamarinbleu, who made the race a test of stamina and is cut to 8-1 for the Champion Chase. Twist Magic remains favourite for the race, with his trainer Paul Nicholls sayimg he will not run the horse on soft going again. Binocular, twice Listed-placed for his breeder Elie Lelouche in France, won by six lengths on his hurdling debut for Nicky Henderson and the four-year-old is introduced to the Triumph Hurdle market at 10-1. Owner J.P. McManus also owns ante-post favourite Franchoek. Long Walk Hurdle winner Lough Derg showed real guts and stamina to win at Ascot again, rallying in the straight to beat Warne's Way, and is a 12-1 chance for the World Hurdle. Wee Robbie was third to subsequent Paddy Power Gold Cup winner L'Antartique in the Jewson Novices' Chase last year, and a return to Prestbury Park is on the cards after his last-gasp win over recent Kempton scorer Mahogany Blaze on his first run for 266 days. Haydock has been abandoned after falling foul of the weather, but Ascot goes ahead, with the first race at 12:35 and the first televised race on BBC1 at 1:10. David Pipe has a possible Triumph Hurdle contender in Mamlook, formerly with Kevin Prendergast in Ireland, and the four-year-old, unbeaten in two starts over hurdles, could run at Huntingdon on Wednesday. The Pond House handler said: "I wouldn't go as far as to say he could be a dark horse for the Triumph but he'll have an entry, put it that way. He was rated 80-odd on the Flat in Ireland so he has ability, and he has the size and scope for fences later in life." The Eoin Griffin-trained Kazal won six from seven starts over hurdles last season, but has fallen and unseated his rider in two starts over fences this season. The seven-year-old is to revert to timber in the Alo Duffin Memorial Galmoy Hurdle over three miles at Gowran Park on Thursday. A good run could see him line up in the World Hurdle at the Festival. Six-year-old hurdler Forpadydeplasterer won his first two starts before a good second to Whatuthink in the Future Champions' Novice Hurdle over Christmas. He is now back in full work and trainer Thomas Cooper will aim him at the Deloitte Hurdle at Leopardstown on 10 February. A run at the Festival is planned, where his target is likely to be the Ballymore Properties Novices' Hurdle. Friday 18 January 2008Rain continues to dominate, with Wincanton, Towcester and Market Rasen's weekend cards all cancelled. The good news is that Haydock and Ascot look likely to race and will inspect in the morning. A host of Cheltenham entries are engaged, headed by Twist Magic at Ascot and Straw Bear at Haydock. Sunday's card at Fairyhouse has been postpones until Wednesday, and trainer Tom Taafe reports Kicking King still to be on target for the Grade Two Normans Grove. Thursday 17 January 2008Henrietta Knight's Calgary Bay, who was third when stepped up in class for Sandown's Tolworth Hurdle, will not run again until the Festival, when either the Anglo Irish Bank Supreme Novices' Hurdle or the Ballymore Properties Novices' Hurdle will be his target. The trainer reports he will be better on better ground. Entries for the Ladbrokes World Hurdle are revealed, with a top class field of 41, headed by Howard Johnson's Inglis Drever who is looking for a third win in the race. In the absence of Sweet Kiln, our columnist Ian Carnaby rates Inglis Drever the bet of the meeting at this stage. My Way De Solzen is entered by Alan King, after a thus far unsuccesful stint over fences, and the trainer also has Blazing Bailey prominent among the contenders - read a full analysis of the entry. Timeform top rated World Hurdle contendersInglis Drever 166 Francois Doumen today confirmed that he would have at least one runner in the Ladbrokes World Hurdle. Doumen has entered last year’s fifth Kasbah Bliss and Millenium Royal in the Grade One event and confirmed that 15-times French Champion jockey Christophe Pieux, who has had a handful of rides at Cheltenham away from The Festival, would be in the saddle. “I was a bit surprised by Kasbah Bliss’s under-par performance in the BGC Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot. He came out of it in splendid condition and he’s perky and well. The ground wasn’t too soft at Ascot, but it was quite tacky, and that’s a possible reason for his poor run,” said Doumen, who won the Ladbrokes World Hurdle in 2002 and 2003 with Baracouda. “But normally when it comes to Cheltenham in March, we are looking at ground which good as opposed to too soft, which would suit Kasbah Bliss down to the ground. He really doesn’t like soft ground at all. He’s definitely matured since last year’s Festival, and he put in two very good performances at Auteuil before running at Newbury. He’s the highest rated hurdler in France at the moment, and he’s won races every year since two. “If the ground is soft then we could run Millenium Royal in the Ladbrokes World Hurdle. He didn’t enjoy the good ground at Cheltenham when he ran in the Pertemps Handicap Hurdle in December, and he wasn’t lucky in running. In terms of ability, there is not much between Kasbah Bliss and Millenium Royal, and the ground at The Festival will decide which one we run in the Ladbrokes World Hurdle. Wednesday 16 January 2008The 38 entries for the Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle are revealed - see race analysis - with Harchibald heading a field dominated by Irish Challengers. Osana and Katchit head the home defence. Timeform top rated Champion Hurdle contenders:Harchibald 164§ Ferdy Murphy all but ruled Aces Four out of the Festival. The nine-year-old was pulled up on his only start this season, in the Charlie Hall Chase, and has a blood blister that has kept him out of full work. The Nicky Richards-trained Money Trix won the Springfield Honda Graduation Chase at Newcastle by 11 legths on his chasing debut, and attracted quotes of 12-1 for the Royal & SunAlliance Chase after a pleasing debut in which he jumped notably well. Tuesday 15 January 2008Khyber Kim, whose impressive three length win in an introductory hurdle at Newbury last month saw him promoted to favouritism for the Anglo Irish Bank Supreme Novices' Hurdle, will not take up his planned engagement at Haydock on Saturday due to testing conditions. Trainer Nicky Henderson is looking to get one more run into the six-year-old before Cheltenham. Henderson also trains Zebra Crossing, a Grade One winner on the Flat in South Africa and a Kempton winner over hurdles. "He's fine and worked this morning. He's in good order and he'll be back. but I don't want it to be this wet for him," said the trainer. Meanwhile trainer Edward Harty reported himself mystified by the strong support for Captain Cee Bee, who was backed from 25-1 to 12-1 for the race. The seven-year-old will probably run in a Grade Two at Punchestown as his final prep for the Festival. Paul Nicholls's 2006 Supreme Novices winner Noland is a 16-1 chance for the Arkle Trophy despite the fact that he is yet to make his chasing debut, which has now been postponed following the abandonment of Wednesday's Newbury card. The Arkle favourite Tidal Bay was to step back in trip at Ascot on Saturday but is unlikely to run, again because of worries over testing conditions. Monday 14 January 2008Arkle Trophy and Royal & SunAlliance Chase Irish trainer Willie Mullins had an excellent weekend and is pondering the Arkle Trophy for his exciting novice chaser Glencove Marina, the ten length winner of the 2m 5f Grade Two Novice Chase at Leopardstown on Sunday. Mullins thinks the six-year-old, the winner of the Grade One Champion Novice Hurdle at Punchestown in April, has the speed for the Arkle Trophy, but could stay the trip in the Royal & SunAlliance Chase. Mullins was also on the mark with Scotsirish in the Beginners' Chase at Leopardstown and is has yet to decode on his target: "I'd imagine we will run Scotsirish in the Irish Arkle and we'll send Glencove for the Dr.P.J. Moriarty Novice Chase at Leopardstown on Irish Hennessy Day. "He'll be entered in both the Arkle and the SunAlliance at Cheltenham and we'll see how he and Scotsirish run in their next races before making our minds up." Champion Hurdle Mullins won the Supreme Novices' Hurdle last season with Ebaziyan, but the seven-year-old failed to win in five subsequent stars until successful in the two-and-a-half mile hurdle at Punchestown on Saturday. Mullins said: "I think better better ground suits him. He likes it better and his class just probably won it for him yesterday. "I thought he struggled but he just had enough class to win the race. His home work is fantastic. What he did at Cheltenham is what he does at home." Ebaziyan is a 20-1 chance for the Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle. Triumph Hurdle Beau Michael has recently got his act together, winning at Leopardstown after Christmas and building on that in the Grade Three Punchestown Juvenile Hurdle on Sunday, where he showed he could be a contender in the Triumph Hurdle rather than the Fred Winter Hurdle. Ballymore Properties Novices' Hurdle Carruthers was a fine winner of the Grade Two Leamington Novices' Hurdle at Warwick on Saturday, leading from start to finish to beat fancied opposition including Nephunar Collonges and Souffleur. He could now be aimed at the Ballymore Properties Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham's Trials Day on 26 January. Trainer Mark Bradstock has yet to select his Festival target. Victor Dartnall's Lodge Lane beat Carruthers on his last start at Exeter, and he could run in the Grade Two River Don at Donaster or a three-mile hurdle at Bangor, depending on the ground. Meanwhile Souffleur, who had thrilled many with his wins at Aintree and in the Grade One Challow Hurdle at Newbury before his tame defeat to Carruthers at Warwick, came out of the race coughing and will spend a few weeks on the easy list, but remains a 20-1 shot for the Ballymore Properties Novices' Hurdle at the Festival. Gold Cup Former Gold Cup winner Kicking King has been pleasing trainer Tom Taafe on the gallops and is ready to make his return from injury in the Grade Two Normans Grove Chase on Sunday. Taaffe said: "He's not run for two years so Sunday will be all about getting the rustiness out of him and getting some match practice again. "He's fit and well and we'll hope he runs a good race but he's obviously lacking a bit of practice. "We'll get it out of the way over two miles, which should sharpen him up, and bring out a better horse again the next day. "I want to try to get him to a Gold Cup and if we can, I want to get him there in the best possible shape we can so this is a stepping stone towards that." Filed on 14 Jan 2008 @ 16:08
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