#Gaillard Du Mesnil

The 2023 Grand National is just over three months away and there have already been plenty of form pointers for the big race. Last year's winner Noble Yeats is the favourite in the latest Grand National odds after winning two of his three outings this season. However, with the handicapper likely to saddle the eight-year-old with a big weight, he may…

Honeysuckle and Rachael Blackmore will aim to bounce back from her first defeat at Fairyhouse to win a fourth consecutive Irish Champion Hurdle This year's Dublin Racing Festival looks set to play host to a star-studded line-up after early entries for the two-day Irish calendar highlight at Leopardstown were revealed on Thursday. Eight Grade 1s…

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,…

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…

MONSTER hurdler Constitution Hill is already on track to beat a Cheltenham Festival record - nine weeks before it begins. Nicky Henderson's superstar two miler is 1-4 to win the Champion Hurdle on the first day of the Festival. Nothing has got within 12 lengths of Constitution Hill in his five runs under rules. And his 17-length demolition job of…

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…

The treats are going to come thick and fast for racing fans over the Christmas week. They include Leopardstown's four-day Christmas Festival, which begins on St Stephen's Day (December 26). This is a superb meeting with a wide array of Graded contests, competitive handicaps and informative bumpers for punters to enjoy. Danny Archer looks ahead to…

It was another fantastic festive period of equine action as Leopardstown and Limerick took centre stage at the end of December. Not surprisingly, Kilkenny trainer Willie Mullins continued to dominate the training sphere over the days after Christmas as he saddled 16 winners, of which were five Grade 1's. In total Mullins had 73 runners over the…

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…

Dan Sheridan/INPHOCould State Man give Constitution Hill a race at Cheltenham? # The Challenger Champion Hurdle still a live event with State Man set to give Constitution Hill a crack Johnny Ward reports from another Willie Mullins-dominated final day at Leopardstown. WE HAVE SEEN this week that Willie Mullins saddling the first three home in a…

State Man continued his march towards a likely clash with Constitution Hill at the Cheltenham Festival in March with a comprehensive victory in the Matheson Hurdle at Leopardstown. 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…

2022-12-29Grade One glory again for Willie Mullins as Gaillard Du Mesnil romps home Willie Mullins and Paul Townend grabbed another Grade One success this week as Gaillard Du Mesnil claimed an easy victory in the Neville Hotels Novice Chase at Leopardstown. Although winless in six previous outings over the larger obstacles, the dual Grade…

Gaillard Du Mesnil: clears a fence on the way to Grade 1 win at Leopardstown Thursday: Neville Hotels Novice Chase, Leopardstown Willie Mullins believes Gaillard Du Mesnil would have little difficulty excelling over the National Hunt Chase distance, after his high-class six-year-old picked the perfect moment to make his breakthrough over fences in…

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…

Racing tips for Thursday come from Kelso and Doncaster with the Christmas Festival continuing at Leopardstown. talkSPORT have gone through the race cards and form so you don't have to, with betting tips on some of the biggest meetings in the UK. There were a couple of surprises at Leopardstown on Wednesday's meetings but there might not be in the…

The ITV Racing team will again head to Leopardstown on Thursday, as their Christmas Festival draws to a thrilling conclusion. Along with four races from Leopardstown, ITV viewers have two strong races to take in at Doncaster, including a Listed chase for mares. Mares' Hurdle runner-up, Queens Brook won nicely on her reappearance at Punchestown and…

Bob Olinger (left) must overcome Flooring Porter (right) if he's to win Leopardstown's Christmas Hurdle This division is all over the place at the moment but if Monday's rescheduled Long Walk Hurdle told us anything, it was that the old guard still has plenty to offer in the new world of staying hurdling. Paisley Park taught the new dogs a few…

On only two occasions in the past decade has either Gordon Elliott or Willie Mullins failed to win this top-level prize, a race that has been won in that time by the likes of Carlingford Lough, Don Poli, Our Duke, Shattered Love, Delta Work and Monkfish. Ireland's two powerhouse trainers come to the fore once again, with Mullins' sole…

Leopardstown is once more the mainstay for the ITV Racing team on Thursday, with another brace of Grade 1 races from the Foxrock track on the final afternoon of its Christmas Festival. The Neville Hotels Novices Chase (1.45pm) and the Matheson Hurdle (2.20pm) are the features from Leopardstown, with ITV showing four races from Ireland alongside two…

1pt win Spirit Of Legend in 2.55 Leopardstown at 7/1 (bet365) 1pt win Boldmere in 2.40 Doncaster at 8/1 (bet365) Thursday's ITV4 coverage takes in four from Leopardstown and two from Doncaster and we kick-off with the Grade 2 BeattheBank.ie Irish EBF Mares Hurdle in Ireland. This shouldn't be too difficult to solve if QUEENS BROOK is at her best,…

Full results from day two of the Dublin Racing Festival at Leopardstown. Honeysuckle, Galopin Des Champs and Sir Gerhard were among the favourites to win on Sunday's card Five horses, including winner Lily Du Berlais (green), race for the winning post at Leopardstown Several bookmakers were saved from a seven-figure payout as a 40-1 outsider took…

State Man and Paul Townend race away from their rivals to win in style Friday: Alanna Homes Champion Novice Hurdle, Punchestown On a day when Willie Mullins notched his 200th win of the season, the Closutton maestro emerged from Punchestown with a fresh Champion Hurdle prospect in the form of State Man. The Marie Donnelly-owned five-year-old added…

Another blank week of jumps racing has forced me, not unreluctantly I should add, to widen the scope of the column this week. The latest prolonged cold snap might not have been as severe as some of those in my living memory - December in 1981 in Newcastle in my second year at Uni living in a soon-to-be-condemned terrace in Elswick with three others…

We're into the festive season and that means lots of brilliant horse racing meetings to enjoy, with thousands of Irish racegoers descending on Leopardstown between December 26-29. The Christmas Festival is a hugely popular event and will be taking millions of bets throughout the four-day meeting. William Hill are one of the biggest bookmakers in…

Dusart: three from four over fences last season At Fishers Cross used this race as a springboard to top-level glory a decade ago and this year we might have another Grade 1 horse whose handicap days are numbered in Dusart. This unexposed seven-year-old has lost only twice and both were creditable efforts in defeat at the highest level. Dusart found…

Mighty Potter ridden by Jack Kennedy jumping the last to win at Down Royal This is a Drinmore drenched in quality. Only Gaillard Du Mesnil is a maiden over fences but that doesn't do him justice as the choice of Paul Townend was third to L'Homme Presse in the Brown Advisory and filled the same position in the Irish Grand National at this venue last…

Subsequent Gold Cup hero Don Cossack (2013), Delta Work (2018) and Envoi Allen (2020) are among the Cullentra handler's previous winners of the Grade One contest and this year he saddles two Grade One-winning hurdlers who are one from one over fences. Three Stripe Life, whose top-level success was achieved at Aintree in the spring, made a smart…

Honeysuckle: heads a quality field as she bids for a fourth consecutive Hatton's Grace Hurdle Honeysuckle will face seven opponents when she bids to eclipse Limestone Lad, Apple's Jade and Solerina to become the first four-time winner of the Bar One Racing Hatton's Grace Hurdle (2.30) at Fairyhouse on Sunday. Henry de Bromhead's star mare will make…

Reigning champion Minella Indo will be hoping to make it successive Gold Cup wins toward the end of the 2022 Cheltenham Festival, but will face plenty of competition from the likes of last year's National Hunt Chase winner Galvin and previous two-time winner of this race Al Boum Photo. That all comes after four full days of racing though, with…

Join our channel to stay up to date on the latest in marketing Racing TV's Road to Cheltenham presenter Lydia Hislop has been covering the Festival for many years. On that weekly show throughout most of the core jumps season, there are plenty of betting tips on offer. Bet £10 Get £30 In Free Bets Bet £10 Get £30 In Free Bets Use bonus…

NOW the dust has settled on a fantastic Christmas and New Year period of racing, it's time to look forward to the holy grail of National Hunt racing - the Cheltenham Festival. Firms are opening markets for the handicaps and some are going non-runner no bet on a few races already. This is the time where the ante post bets begin to become more…

Shishkin and Energumene are on course for a mouth-watering rematch at Cheltenham on Wednesday with the pair among eight runners declared for the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase. The top-class duo served up one of the races of the season in January's Clarence House Chase at Ascot when the Nicky Henderson -trained Shishkin narrowly got the better…

Day two of the Cheltenham Festival is always highlighted by the Queen Mother Champion Chase, a Grade 1 race over the short journey (for steeplechasers) of two miles. It has provided numerous memorable moments over the years, most notably in recent times with the dual triumph of the very popular Sprinter Sacre. The program also includes three other…

At the time of writing, there are mixed messages about the weather forecast for Tuesday night going into Wednesday at Cheltenham. The Old Course, which plays host to the first two days of the Festival, hadn't been watered at all in preparation and the times from the first day suggested the going was good. Yet having looked as if there was clearly…

There are just four weeks left until the Cheltenham Festival in mid-March. On Saturday and Sunday there was another cracking weekend of action, with the main dishes coming in England after the Dublin Racing Festival took centre stage the previous weekend. The leading novice chasers on British soil will fancy their hopes of Cheltenham Festival glory…

Local trainer Dermot McLoughlin has incredibly won the Irish Grand National for the second year running. Lord Lariat was ridden to victory by jockey Paddy O'Hanlon, who lives close to the track, at odds of 40/1. The victory comes after Ratoath trainer McLoughlin won the €500000 contest with 150/1 shot Freewheelin Dylan 12 months ago. Gaillard Du…

There is a feast of action to look forward to on Racing TV over Easter and undoubtedly one of the highlights is the €500000 Boylesports Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse on Monday. The contest has a roll of honour which includes Rhyme'n' Reason (1985), Desert Orchid (1990), Bobbyjo (1998), Commanche Court (2000), and Numbersixvalverde (2005). This…

It was back in 1926 that Barbara Eupean Todd, the creator of Worzel Gummidge claimed that'Winter comes on the tail of the last St Leger horse'. With the entries for the Charlie Hall approaching and the Jumps stable tours coming think and fast, it's fair to say that winter is ranging up and ready to grab the lead. With that in mind the team at…

Freewheelin Dylan: Irish Grand National winner could bid for rare repeat No horse has managed to win back-to-back runnings of the Irish Grand National since Brown Lad achieved the feat in 1975 and 1976 but Dermot McLoughlin is hoping Freewheelin Dylan can bridge the near 50-year gap at Fairyhouse on Easter Monday. Freewheelin Dylan pulled off a…

The Irish Grand National 2022 takes place at 5pm on Monday, April 18. It's the big race on the third and final day of the Easter Festival at Fairyhouse that will have a lot of fans interested. Jockey Robbie Power has won the Irish Grand National before, on Our Duke in 2017 and knows what it takes to win the big races.

17:00 Fairyhouse, Monday Live on ITV4 Good efforts in valuable staying handicaps the last twice, 15½ lengths fourth of 12 to Diol Ker in Leinster National at Naas (24.6f, heavy) 36 days ago. Big effort needed to defy top weight. Eight wins from 19 NH runs. Little impact in competitive handicap company this season, well held in Topham at Aintree 10…

Shishkin and Energumene are on course for a mouth-watering rematch at Cheltenham on Wednesday with the pair among eight runners declared for the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase. The top-class duo served up one of the races of the season in January's Clarence House Chase at Ascot when the Nicky Henderson-trained Shishkin narrowly got the better…