#Bryan Cooper

2022-01-17Shock in the King George VI Chase as Tornado Flyer makes history at Kempton It is 20 years since Florida Pearl got the better of triple Gold Cup winner Best Mate to give Ireland's perennial champion trainer his only previous success in the Kempton Park showpiece. Two decades on, Mullins fired a twin assault, with Asterion Forlonge very…

Though still in its relative infancy, the two-day Dublin Racing Festival on Saturday and Sunday has become a huge part of the Irish jump-racing scene already. The Leopardstown meeting takes place in early February and has fast become an all-guns-blazing dress rehearsal for the Cheltenham Festival for some of Ireland's leading National Hunt…

The world's most prestigious horse race returns to our screens on Saturday evening as the eagerly-anticipated Grand National takes place at Aintree. With the cancellation of last year's race due to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, it has been a full two years since race fans were able to watch the most anticipated race of the year. Last…

Gerri Colombe and Jordan Gainford land the Faugheen Novice Chase at Limerick Monday: Limerick Gerri Colombe made it six out of six on the track and two out of two over fences when recording a workmanlike yet convincing success in the Faugheen Novice Chase, giving trainer Gordon Elliott a second win in the race since it became a Grade 1 in 2018. The…

Kempton's Ladbrokes King George (3.00) was won by the outsider Frodon, giving trainer Paul Nicholls his 12th success in the race Bryony Frost judged her fractions to perfection as Frodon served up a 20-1 shock in the 2020 Ladbrokes King George VI Chase. The pair have had a tremendous partnership in recent seasons and hit the heights in the festive…

Horse racing fans are in dreamland this weekend as the Dublin Racing Festival takes centre stage at Leopardstown. The cream of Irish national hunt racing will strut their stuff and pecking orders will be established with Cheltenham on the horizon. If you need an idea of how good the racing is today then you only to need to look at the second race…

eel the roar greeting the opener at the Cheltenham Festival this afternoon and you will soon realise how much you missed it. With two novice races of nine runners or less, day one reflects the field-size issues that have become a major concern in British racing - yet the opener still goes back in time. Nicky Henderson supplies a hot favourite and…

Well two for Paul Nicholls and with neither Nicky Henderson or the Ditcheat maestro having runners in the feature - he looks firm favourite to take a 13th Trainers' Championship. We had a winner for Ireland - one for Scotland - and one for Wales... Make sure you join Andy Jones and myself for all of the action tomorrow from 10am. The feature race…

The Grand National Festival ends with the world-famous steeplechase today. The three-day race meeting at Aintree began on Thursday, continued on Friday with Ladies Day and will culminate for another year today. Come 5.15 pm on Saturday there will be 70000 on the racecourse for the Grand National and 500 million people watching the racing across the…

THE CHELTENHAM Festival is here...and we count down to the marquee race, the Gold Cup TODAY. The prestigious race caps a stunning week at Prestbury Park, as punters return for the first time since 2020. A Plus Tard remains top of the pile after his runaway success in the Betfair Chase at Haydock earlier this season. He was beaten narrowly by Galvin…

The Cheltenham Festival Gold Cup is perhaps the most prestigious race in the National Hunt calendar All of the runners and riders for this year's race have been confirmed, with the race itself set to start at 3.30pm on Friday afternoon. Jack Kennedy won it last year on the Henry de Bromhead-trained Minella Indo. Here's a complete list of all the…

THE Cheltenham Festival Gold Cup is the most prestigious National Hunt race in the calendar. And all the runners and riders have been confirmed. Jack Kennedy won it last year on the Henry de Bromhead-trained Minella Indo. It was heartbreak for Rachael Blackmore, as she gave up the ride on the winner for eventual runner up A Plus Tard. But she jumps…

Dodging Bullets, bred by Flat jockey Frankie Dettori, won the Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham for rider Sam Twiston-Davies and trainer Paul Nicholls. The 9-2 chance won by one and a quarter lengths from Somersby (33-1) with Special Tiara (18-1) third. Last year's winner Sire De Grugy finished fourth while the 2013 victor Sprinter Sacre -…

Willie Mullins' charge was one of the leading lights in the bumper ranks in the 2020-21 season, chasing home Sir Gerhard at Cheltenham before landing Grade One glory at the Punchestown Festival, but he proved disappointing over hurdles last term, winning only once in five starts. Switched to fences, the 1/5 favourite delighted jockey Paul Townend…

The Grand National isn't the most prestigious horse race in the world for nothing. It's an incredibly challenging course, featuring 30 jumps (16 fences, with 14 of those being jumped twice) on the four-mile and two and a half furlong race. But, while safety improvements have been made in recent years, the Grand National remains a challenging task…

The bookies could be running for cover on St Stephen's Day if everything goes to plan for Willie Mullins. The 15-time champion trainer has been a thorn in the side of betting firms on countless occasions over the years and they'll be hoping that some of his short-priced runners are beaten on Sunday. Mullins comes into the festive period in…

This is a glorious collection of the best chasers in Ireland. Seven of the ten runners are rated 161 or higher and perhaps what best sums up the quality of the fare is Grand National hero Minella Times is the outsider of the lot. It is absolutely delicious. Willie Mullins has won six of the last eight runnings, including the last three with the…

Minella Indo's owner Barry Maloney is relishing the chance to finally have a shot at the Ladbrokes King George VI Chase (3.05) with his Gold Cup hero, who is set to wear cheekpieces for the first time when he faces eight rivals at Kempton on Sunday. Maloney had been due to be represented in last year's King George by Monalee, but a travel ban due…

Galvin: quality chaser bids to build on a solid return to action at Punchestown last month Saturday's feature race at Down Royal is the Ladbrokes Champion Chase (2.32), in which Galvin heads the betting. Can the Gordon Elliott-trained chaser win a second Grade 1 or will one of his high-class rivals, including stablemate Conflated, spoil the party?…

THE Honey Monster was back with a bang at Fairyhouse on Sunday. Now a perfect 13 from 13 - reigning champion hurdler Honeysuckle returned in breathtaking form as she won back-to-backHatton's Grace Hurdles under Rachael Blackmore. The seven-year-old mare ran a high-class field into the ground and was able to coast home after the last to win…

Punters and racing fans will truly be treated this weekend with the racing in Ireland for the Dublin Racing Festival held at Leopardstown. The meeting will feature eight Grade 1 races and many horses that are being aimed at the Cheltenham Festival in just a few weeks, giving a much better idea on the market as we approach the highlight of the…

SUN Racing hops over to Ireland for a close look at the Guinness Kerry Grand National at Listowel on Wednesday. The betting bonanza takes place over three miles and will be run at 4.20pm. Here, we go through all the runners and riders with a verdict on each - and reveal our tip at the bottom. Hewick Jockey: Reserve Cost just €850, won Galway Plate,…

Tom Thurgood shares his views on the €200000 Guinness Kerry National, the highlight of the Listowel Festival. Enjoy Wednesday's big event live on Racing TV and Racing TV Extra. The Tote Galway Plate could well prove the key form line to Wednesday's Guinness Kerry National, with no less than eight contenders from that big race set to line up once…