#Sporting Life

Narrowly beaten on his racecourse debut at the Curragh, the son of No Nay Never went on to win each of his four subsequent starts, including the Windsor Castle Stakes at Royal Ascot. But it was his scintillating display on what proved to be his final juvenile appearance in the Group One Phoenix Stakes that saw him top the charts with a rating of…

The field for this week's RBC Heritage will have heaved a collective big sigh of relief when they discovered money-machine and now Masters champion Scottie Scheffler is taking a week off. The world No.1, a 16/1 winner for us last week, will need a computer to work out the winnings from that phenomenal four-victory-in-six week golden stretch but the…

Sheikh Mohammed winning the Champion Hurdle with a horse who'd been first past the post in the Gold Cup at Ascot... Barry Hills and Robert Sangster combining to land the Stayers' Hurdle... Saeed Manana's silks carried to victory in the Sun Alliance Hurdle and a Gold Cup that caused such a rumpus it ended with a Jockey Club Enquiry at Portman Square…

The five-year-old was sent off the 1/3 favourite for Sunday's Sky Bet Moscow Flyer Novice Hurdle on the back of a wide-margin Irish debut win in a Naas maiden during December. Supporters of Willie Mullins' son of Diamond Boy didn't have much to worry about throughout the two-mile contest, Paul Townend pushing the 1/3 favourite out to a six and a…

Willie Mullins' raider was just under three lengths adrift of the winner at the line, but having been ridden with patience in the early salvos, was rattling home at a fair pace under the Irishman, keeping on and reducing the deficit with every stride. Mr Incredible is owned by Paul Byrne, who was the owner of last year's Grand National winner Noble…

Willie Mullins and Ruby Walsh hold the records for the most wins by a trainer and jockey respectively at the Cheltenham Festival. Walsh, who was leading jockey at the meeting on 11 occasions, retired in 2019 having taken his Festival record to 59 when successful for the final time at Cheltenham on Klassical Dream in the Supreme Novices' earlier…

Galia Des Liteaux never put a foot wrong as she jumped her rivals into submission in the eventmasters.co.uk Hampton Novices' Chase at Warwick. Dan Skelton has made no secret of the regard in which he holds the seven-year-old mare, and when she won a Listed event for mares on her chasing debut the sky looked the limit. Upped to Grade One level for…

Nicky Henderson plans to waste no time in trying to secure Arclight some valuable black type after she maintained her unbeaten record over jumps facile in the Play Coral "Racing-Super-Series" For Free Fillies' Juvenile Hurdle at Kempton on Saturday. Faced with just the three rivals the daughter of Champs Elysees saw her task made all the more…

Kempton pay tribute to two former equine stars with the Grade 2 Silviniaco Conti Chase and the Lanzarote Hurdle featuring on their Saturday racecard, whilst Warwick is the venue for two further Grade 2 jumps races on the same afternoon. City AM Racing editor Bill Esdaile previews the best of the weekend action with Wally Pyrah discussing Sunday's…

The nine-year-old won six successive races over obstacles between November 2020 and December 2021, but has since endured a spell in the doldrums. However, having been pulled up on four successive occasions, Bushypark hinted at a return to form when runner-up as a 50/1 shot over hurdles at Newcastle last weekend and he was the 2/1 favourite turned…

Okay, it wouldn't be quite as dramatic as Lester Piggott at the 1990 Breeders' Cup. "I have decided to come out of retirement and ride for the short period while Jack [Kennedy] is on the sidelines," Russell said in his statement. But, with Kennedy breaking his leg for a fifth time at Naas on Sunday, the Cheltenham Festival, just two months away,…

Not sighted since winning the two-runner Grade 2 Jacquart Noel Novices' Chase at Ascot on December 202019, the grey Angels Breath makes his long-awaited return to action in Kempton's Coral Silviniaco Conti Chase on Saturday. Still owned by'Walters Plant Hire & Ronnie Bartlett' but under a new trainer having been switched from Nicky Henderson to Sam…

Planet Sport's tipsters and betting experts have been studying the form to give you the best chance of success at the Festival. First up we'll give you a quick list of the horses with the best chances for the main five races that are being shown on ITV this Tuesday afternoon. Then for those of you that like a bigger price we have a handful of juicy…

Bought from France where he was a Listed winner on very soft ground, L'Eau Du Sud looks to have been gaining some vital experience in his first couple of starts for Dan Skelton in Britain. He seemed badly in need of the outing first time out, following 230 days off the track, at Haydock in November but stepped forward from that when a good third -…

Nicky Henderson's Jonbon was safely tucked away in his Seven Barrows box at Christmas but he still got some festive cheer when Boothill won the Wayward Lad at Kempton. Before that boost - he had easily seen off Harry Fry's horse in the Henry VIII at Sandown - his chasing form had little substance to it (in terms of what he had beaten), even if he…

Straw Fan Jack has won two of his three starts over fences for owner Graham Wilson, including taking the scalp of Gordon Elliott's Ash Tree Meadow when landing the two-mile squareintheair.com Novices' Chase under Sean Houlihan at Cheltenham in October. The grey then had his colours lowered by Frere D'Armes in the Fulke Walwyn Trophy at Newbury the…

Gavin Beech puts the six short-priced, ante-post favourites for the 2023 Cheltenham Festival under the microscope and provides his analysis on their credentials. There are currently six horses chalked up at 6-4 or shorter in the ante-post markets for this year's Cheltenham Festival, with Constitution Hill, who is a best-priced 4-11 for the Unibet…

2pts Thomas Detry top European at 7/1 (bet365) 1pt Detry top overall scorer at 16/1 (BoyleSports) 1pt Richard Mansell top GB & Ireland at 16/1 (Sky Bet) 1pt Mansell top overall scorer at 33/1 (Sky Bet, William Hill) The Hero Cup is a new team event on the DP World Tour. It takes place for the first time in 2023 after Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald…

The week just gone over jumps was a welcome pause after the unrelenting Christmas and New Year action, but it has nevertheless thrown up several Festival clues in the last few years. The feature event at Sandown, the Unibet Tolworth Hurdle, has gone to subsequent Sky Bet Supreme winners Constitution Hill and Summerville Boy in recent seasons, while…

Having beaten a pair of better-fancied horses from each of Willie Mullins' and Gordon Elliott's yards, the son of Walk In The Park is now as short as 8-1 for the Weatherbys Champion Bumper at the Cheltenham Festival on March 15. Fascile Mode had to come wide in the two-mile contest under 7lb claimer Charlie Mullins, but had the race in the bag a…

Pat Eddery, one of the greatest jockeys of the postwar era, with three victories in the Epsom Derby and four in the Arc de Triomphe to his credit, as well as two Breeders' Cup races in the United States, died on Tuesday. He was 63. Teddy Grimthorpe, the European racing manager for Juddmonte Farms, who worked with Eddery for many years, confirmed…

The Ditcheat handler began the afternoon on 97 winners for the campaign and sent a strong team of five runners across Somerset. He was double-handed in the Broadway & Horton Cricket Club Novices' Hurdle, with punters unable to split stablemates Iliko D'Olivate and Pleasant Man, who were the 6/4 joint-favourites. Pleasant Man ran with credit in…

1pt win Stattler in Cheltenham Gold Cup at 14/1 (General) I unashamedly find it quite hard to take the plunge when it comes to antepost bets on the Cheltenham Festival. If you believe what you read elsewhere then the real value is only on offer around September/October time the previous year and there is, of course, a modicum of truth in…

Not without late support but sent off at 100/30 as the Willie Mullins second-string behind stablemate Grangeclare West, Champ Kiely set off in front and barely saw another rival en route to winning Sunday's two and a half-mile feature. The seven-year-old son of Ocavango, who disappointed when only fourth as the odds-on jolly in the Royal Bond over…

Despite getting a few things wrong, Tahmuras made it three from three over hurdles as he stepped up in grade to land the Tolworth Hurdle at Sandown. He made mistakes at the last two flights and still looked green as he wandered on the run-in, but he saw the race out well under testing conditions. There is clearly more to come as he gains experience…

The Henry De Bromhead-trained daughter of Stowaway, winner of the mares' novices' hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in 2021, hadn't tasted success in any race since that high-profile Grade Two score but had made an encouraging enough start over fences at Thurles last month. She was 5/4 to go one better and ultimately proved six lengths too good for…

By Andrew Asquith, Friday 06 January 2023 Posted in: Cheltenham Festival Tips Andrew Asquith looks ahead to the 2023 Champion Chase and picks out his best ante-post bet. The entries for the 2023 Champion Chase were made earlier this week and one of the most notable absentees was 2021 Sporting Life Arkle winner Shishkin, who was pulled up when…

It may have been a race comprised of old favourites but, in keeping with the theme of late, there was a big-price shock in the Veterans' Final at Sandown on Saturday. Wishing And Hoping, one of four teenagers in the line-up, was a 50/1 shot and a shorter price than only one of his 17 rivals, but he rolled back the years to register a…

1pt win Ballygriffincottage in Brown Advisory Novices' Chase at 16/1 (Coral, Unibet, Ladbrokes, bet365) There might not be a huge amount of strength in depth when it comes to the British novice chasers this year but Sporting Life Arkle favourite Jonbon obviously looks the real deal, while the likes of Thyme Hill and The Real Whacker have thrown…

Love Envoi was an ultra-impressive winner of the Listed Unibet 3 Uniboosts A Day Mares' Hurdle at Sandown and propelled herself towards the head of the market for the David Nicholson Mares' Hurdle at Cheltenham. The Harry Fry-trained seven-year-old travelled supremely well throughout in the two-and-a-half-mile contest and pulled herself to the…

The New Year has certainly seen an upturn in the fortunes of the Tony Carroll string and that augurs well for the chances of Poetic Force in the 1.10 at Lingfield. He's comfortably the oldest in the field but his efforts at Wolverhampton before Christmas confirm that he's no back number just yet, beaten just a short-head and nose when third in…

1pt win Francesco Clemente in Cazoo St Leger at 25/1 (Sky Bet) No shortage of water yet to pass under the bridge prior to the Cazoo St Leger on September 10 so with one firm cutting Westover to a ridiculously skinny 6/4 for the Doncaster Classic on the back of winning a decidedly weak Irish Derby last weekend, I can't resist exploring some of the…

Four teenagers feature among the 18 runners in the eighth edition of the Veterans' Final and they will be bidding to emulate Seeyouatmidnight (2021) and Pete The Feat (2017) who both took the prize at 13. Pete The Feat also went close the following season when runner-up to Buywise as a 14-year-old, more than a decade after he had made his debut.…

The gelded son of Authorized will face seven rivals when bidding to extend his unbeaten run over hurdles on his return to Grade One company in the two-mile prize, which was claimed 12 months ago by current Unibet Champion Hurdle favourite Constitution Hill. While victory for Moore would be a first in the race, he feels it would be extra fitting for…

The Challow Novices' Hurdle has a stellar roll of honour this century and Paul Nicholls, responsible for the last two winners, Bravemansgame and Stage Star, won it again with Hermes Allen (144p from 135p). This renewal combined both quantity - it was the first double-figure field since 2009 - with quality, though the testing conditions took their…

We'll also have the latest Sporting Life Price Boost courtesy of Sky Bet, which will be available each day of the meeting. Not yet got a Sky Bet account? There's no better time to when you place your first wager with Sky Bet (Ts&Cs apply). Timeform Verdict: A tricky one to unpick but NAVELLO is seemingly still on the up and hasn't had the rub of…

Picking up from my last column to cover the remainder of the holiday program (December 28 to January 1) in what was the busiest post-Boxing Day period for some time, the narrative seemed to me more of the same - some horses enhanced their reputations, a bigger number diminished theirs, and a standout performance to breathe new life into some…

Willie Mullins has farmed the New Year's Day feature in winning eight of the last 10 runnings, but Minella Indo's battling display in the hands of Rachael Blackmore ended the Closutton handler's five-year stranglehold on the Grade Three contest and gave Henry de Bromhead his second win in the race after Champagne West's success in 2017. Winner of…

The high-class James Du Berlais made no mistake as 1/4 favourite on his debut over fences and first run for 612 days in the McInerney Beginners' Chase. Willie Mullins' charge has always held a lofty reputation since arriving as an experienced hurdler from France, so much so he made his belated first start for the yard in the 2021 Unibet Champion…

The exciting Jet Powered lost his unbeaten record in the Coral Racing Club Join For Free'Introductory' Hurdle at Newbury as Jupiter Du Gite recorded a wide margin success at 66/1. Sent off at a prohibitive price, Jet Powered tracked Jupiter Du Gite through the early stages with the field well strung out at halfway. The field closed a little on the…

There is an old saying that if something looks too good to be true it probably is. So what of Arazi, hailed as the wonder of the age after a spectacular victory in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile but regarded as a flop as a three-year-old? Arazi's demonstrable superiority over the best two-year olds in North America - following a string of victories in…

Ruby Walsh has offered his expert insight into the upcoming Cheltenham Festival with the legendary jockey expecting another thrilling week of action in England. Walsh is no stranger to Cheltenham having been the leading jockey 11 times at the Festival, nabbing 59 winners and twice racing to Gold Cup glory. And previewing the races, Walsh is backing…

Shewearsitwell provided Willie Mullins with a sixth victory in the last seven runnings of the BeattheBank.ie Irish EBF Mares Hurdle at Leopardstown. Two subsequent Cheltenham Festival heroines in Let's Dance and Concertista are among the champion trainer's recent winners of the Grade Three contest and Shewearsitwell was actually sent off favourite…

Nicky Henderson's Constitution Hill is long odds-on to lift the Champion Hurdle crown in March following his latest demolition job in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton on Boxing Day. And while connections of the unbeaten five-year-old are unlikely to be quaking in their boots, State Man gave further evidence he may well prove his biggest threat with…

It was a shame Edwardstone unseated Tom Cannon at the fifth in the Desert Orchid Chase at Kempton. He had been brilliant in the Tingle Creek and this was supposed to be further evidence that he's ready to have a real crack at Energumene in the Queen Mother Champion Chase. Alas, it wasn't to be, but at least he returned unscathed and the Champion…

Winner of the Irish Gold Cup here last season, the 2/1 favourite was always travelling sweetly towards the head of affairs and was in front two out. Jack Kennedy's mount was last off the bridle and he had this won some way out, drawing five lengths clear of Kemboy (18/5). His task was made easier when favourite A Plus Tard was withdrawn at…

The date: Thursday June 20, 2013. The place: Ascot. Royal Ascot, to be precise. A four-year-old filly called Estimate, ridden by Ryan Moore and trained by Sir Michael Stoute, powers past ColourVision in the final furlong and holds off the late challenges of Simenon and Top Trip to land the Gold Cup in a pulsating finish. The cheers of the 62000…

The outstanding performer in the bumper sphere last season with wins at the Dublin Racing Festival, the Cheltenham Festival and the Punchestown Festival, the five-year-old made a smooth transition to the jumping game at Fairyhouse earlier in the month. Returning to Grade One level, the son of Walk In The Park and six-time Cheltenham Festival…

The sextet includes a brace of Grade One prizes with Blue Lord capturing the Paddy Power Rewards Club Chase and Facile Vega maintaining his unbeaten record in the Paddy Power Future Champions Novice Hurdle. Winter Fog made a winning start for the yard when coming clear in the Paddy Power'Je Suis Une Baguette' Handicap Hurdle while the Closutton…

Edwardstone was lobbing along at the back of the field when he got in too close to one down the far side leaving Cannon no chance as he was catapulted out of the saddle. Editeur Du Gite was bowling along nicely in front under Niall Houlihan at that stage and he didn't see another rival as he galloped on relentlessly for a 13-length success from…