#John Durkan

Honeysuckle is set to be an odds-on favourite for the Champion Hurdle. We are a week away from the Cheltenham Festival, and as final preparations begin to take place across the UK & Ireland, punters are beginning to finalise their ante-post positions ahead of the imminent entries.

By Andrew Asquith, Friday 06 January 2023 Posted in: Cheltenham Festival Tips Andrew Asquith looks ahead to the 2023 Cheltenham Gold Cup and picks out his best ante-post bet. A quick glance at the ante-post betting market for the 2023 Cheltenham Gold Cup shows what a cracking renewal this year's race could be with the first seven or eight in the…

By Andrew Asquith, Friday 06 January 2023 Posted in: Cheltenham Festival Tips Andrew Asquith looks ahead to the 2023 Ryanair Chase and picks out his best ante-post bet. Willie Mullins has won five of the last seven renewals of the Ryanair Chase and Allaho has won the last two renewals, so there is only really one place to start. He hasn't been seen…

Dual Ryanair Chase winner Allaho is one of 27 horses entered for the 2023 Ryanair Chase, which will be run on day three of the Cheltenham Festival on March 16, and the aforementioned Willie Mullins-trained raider will be a hot favourite for the 2m 5f contest. We take a look at the entries here and have all the latest odds for what should be a…

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…

Minella Indo and A Plus Tard, last year's first and second, top 30 entries for the Cheltenham Gold Cup - the highlight of the Festival meeting in March. Trained by Henry de Bromhead, the duo were separated by just a length and a quarter in 2021, but it is A Plus Tard who is the ante-post favourite at this stage after winning the Betfair Chase…

We are deep inside the final furlong of 2022. I'm hoping plenty of you will be powering to the finishing post hard on the bridle, rather than wearily struggling to the line or having pulled up sometime during the summer heatwave. That was then, this is now. We go again in 2023, and what a momentous year it promises to be. Here are ten reasons why…

See below the latest Cheltenham Gold Cup 2023 betting odds after Bravemansgame wins the King George VI Chase on Boxing Day, with his trainer Paul Nicholls saying he'll head straight to Cheltenham now. Plus, we've a stack of horse racing free bets you can claim to use on the 2023 Cheltenham Gold Cup, while the latest Gold Cup betting odds are…

Horse racing takes centre stage over the Christmas period with over twelve meetings taking place on St Stephens Day alone. From the William Hill King George VI Chase to the Lexus Chase and the Paddy Power Chase to the Welsh National, there is some brilliant racing to look forward to. Here is ten things you must know ahead of the action getting…

Only one of Willie Mullins' seven Supreme Novices' Hurdle winners have won this Grade 1 contest en route. That was Appreciate It in 2020, who was sent off 8-11 favourite for the festival opener and Facile Vega is likely to go off at even skimpier odds in March should he make it six from six in impressive fashion here. The five-year-old has been…

Five winners have been aged eight and another trio were aged seven, while we've seen one winner apiece aged six and nine in the past decade. The only six-year-old was Clan Des Obaux, who represents the same connections as this year's sole six-year-old Hitman, who coincidentally also carries the same official rating (160) into the race Clan Des…

Delta Work has become a little bit of a forgotten horse. True, he was well beaten in the Ladbrokes Champion Chase on his seasonal debut, but he is never at his best on his seasonal return, and he reportedly came home lame that day, so you can allow him that. Gordon Elliott's horse was one of the top staying novice chasers last season. He beat Le…

The Gordon Elliott-trained Itswhatunitesus successfully conceded weight all round in the opening Jim Ryan Racecourse Services Rated Novice Hurdle. The five-year-old was a maiden winner at Cork in November under the recently retired Davy Russell and, sent off at 5/4, duly followed up in the hands of stable jockey Jack Kennedy. Kennedy kept things…

CHELMSFORD: 5.30 Maharajas Express, 6.00 Bonnsie, 6.30 Giant, 7.00 Barging Thru, 7.30 PANDEMIC PRINCESS (NAP), 8.00 Bluebells Boy, 8.30 Three Dragons. KEMPTON: 12.50 Tagabawa, 1.20 Dragonball Prince, 1.50 Mighty River, 2.20 Rooful, 2.50 Covert Mission, 3.20 Uther Pendragon, 3.55 Hot Day. LINGFIELD: 12.30 Range, 1.00 Bobo Mac, 1.30 Furkash, 2.00 Hoe…

Galopin Des Champs ran out an impressive winner at Punchestown under Paul Townend (left) Galopin Des Champs was cut to 7-4 favourite from 5-2 by Paddy Power for the 2023 Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup after producing a performance of real quality for trainer Willie Mullins in the John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase. The eight-day delay in the…

ALL racing in Britain and Ireland is off today - with the freezing cold temperatures causing devastating fixture chaos. Lingfield and Chelmsford were the only hopes of action on the all-weather today. But Surrey track Lingfield was called off live on ITV4 on Saturday morning with Essex racecourse Chelmsford axing their fixture shortly…

The two-and-a-half-mile Grade One is the centrepiece of a meeting that was originally due to take place last Sunday, but was cancelled due to a frozen track. Horse Racing Ireland moved quickly to save the card, though - and while the course was still unraceable on Saturday morning, rising temperatures mean Punchestown's racing manager Richie Galway…

JP McManus nods at the white boards at the other end of the office. It's late September in Martinstown and the rain is coming down in great grey sheets outside. "Our horses in training," he says, gesturing at the names of hundreds of thoroughbreds and their respective trainers. When asked the number he replies, "Marian Finucane once asked me how…

Thyme Hill is fancied to finally land a big Cheltenham win in the Paddy Power Stayers' Hurdle. Philip Hobbs' runner, 5-1 with bookies Betfred, has past champions to see off in Thursday's feature. Over 60000 people will be at the track on St Patrick's Day, all hoping to find some winners. Unlike 2021, when Ireland dominated, the British runners are…

Punchestown's John Durkan Memorial Chase card, frozen off last Sunday, is set to be run this Monday, eight days later. Thursday's Naas card has been re-scheduled and is set for Tuesday, Fairyhouse's Saturday card, defeat admitted on Friday morning, has been moved to Wednesday, and what was originally a week that was starved of Irish National Hunt…

Martin Brassil says there are not enough options in the Irish calendar for relatively inexperienced chasers. Cheltenham Festival and Aintree Grand National-winning trainer Martin Brassil has lamented a lack of options that has compelled him to take on the formidable Galopin Des Champs with his Coral Cup runner-up Fastorslow in Monday's Grade 1 John…

FAKIR D'OUDAIRES can land a big prize for Ireland in the Grade 1 Marsh Chase. Joseph O'Brien's chaser is as tough as they come and bounded clear by 11 lengths in this race 12 months ago. Returning in his usual consistent manner, JP McManus' seven-year-old recorded a 15-length score at Grade 2 level in November. There was no disgrace in finding…

The mercury has plummeted, the snow is falling, and horse racing across the UK and Ireland has fallen foul of the weather. Saturday at Cheltenham - day two of the International Meeting - was scrapped due to frozen ground while Doncaster and Hereford were also forced to cancel for the same reason. The ITV Racing team switched their focus to…

Of course, this whole article depends on the weather Gods playing ball. It's going to be cold later this week and some more meetings could fall by the wayside. Fingers are firmly crossed for Cheltenham and Doncaster, who have made provisions in the way of frost covers and fleecing. Both racetracks are due to race on both Friday and Saturday and…

The Grade One-winning hurdler was brilliant in winning three times over fences last season and would have been four from four had he not crashed out at the final fence in the Turners' Novices' Chase at the Festival in March. He is a best priced 11/4 to provide trainer Willie Mullins with a third Gold Cup success following the back-to-back wins of…

Energumene (left) and Galopin Des Champs are both set to return on Sunday Cheltenham Gold Cup favourite Galopin Des Champs is a step closer to making his seasonal reappearance after his trainer Willie Mullins left him in Sunday's John Durkan Memorial Chase at Punchestown (2.00) at the five-day declaration stage. Galopin Des Champs is a best-priced…

THE Cheltenham Festival ante post markets have been in full swing since March. Shrewd punters have been busy plotting and predicting how this year's races will finish. Irish trainers dominated last year and with the likes of Willie Mullins and Henry de Bromhead having such strong yards, it's no surprise many of their superstars lead the way…

ONE of the biggest days of the year is finally here. Yeah, yeah Christmas Day was OK - but it's really all about the amazing racing on Boxing Day. Sun Racing brings you all need to know for a massive few hours of action, all shown live on Sky Sports Racing, Racing TV and ITV. And don't forget to see our free bets page too. This is a list of all the…

We're on the road to the Cheltenham Festival with the leading lights of the National Hunt game coming out to play. A number of clues for all four championship races - the Champion Hurdle, Champion Chase, Paddy Power Stayers' Hurdle and Gold Cup - are set to be dropped over the coming months. The Cheltenham Festival 2023 takes place between Tuesday,…

KLASSICAL DREAM can triumph in the Paddy Power Stayers' Hurdle (GBB Race) (3.30pm), the feature on the third day of the 2022 Cheltenham Festival. Willie Mullins' eight-year-old could easily bring up a Grade One treble for the Irish trainer in what could be a spectacular afternoon for the County Carlow handler. Klassical Dream has had his problems…

Skirting around the issue: Chacun Pour Soi bypasses what should have been the final fence en route to running out an emphatic winner of the Paddy's Rewards Club Chase The Queen Mother Champion Chase is about the only marquee jumps race Willie Mullins has still to plunder and Chacun Pour Soi cemented his position at the head of its ante-post market…

Jump racing fans were treated to a bonanza weekend that reshuffled the pecking order of many markets for the Cheltenham Festival. From Gordon Elliott's seven-timer at Navan on Saturday to Kilcruit getting beaten at odds of 1/14 on Sunday, there was a lot to digest. Here we look at the potential ramifications for the Champion Chase, Ryanair Chase,…

I'm delighted to see our winter horses coming back on the scene with good runs. I thought Paul Townend was excellent on both Dolcita and Blue Lord at Clonmel on Thursday. The former looks a really good jumper and has obviously improved for a fence. She could improve over the winter. Elimay needed her run but I'm sure she'll come forward for it. She…

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…

Henry de Bromhead reports Minella Indo to have returned to Ireland "shook" following his disappointing effort in the Ladbrokes King George VI Chase. Having made a promising start to his campaign when third at Down Royal, last season's Cheltenham Gold Cup hero was well fancied for Kempton's Boxing Day showpiece. But after matching strides with…

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…

Rachael Blackmore could be the toast of punters once again when she partners Gold Cup hero Minella Indo in the Ladbrokes King George VI Chase at Kempton. The top Irish jockey, recently voted BBC World Sports Star of the Year, has already teamed up with trainer Henry de Bromhead to plunder the Betfair Chase this season. The 32-year-old has an…

Gordon Elliott: started Sunday with another two winners, taking his winning run to nine consecutive races Gordon Elliott made history on Saturday with a 37382-1 seven-timer at Navan and picked up where he left off on Sunday by winning the first races at Cork and Punchestown, extending his extraordinary sequence of domination to nine races. Iberique…

Watch how Desert Orchid, French Holly and Yorkhill won the Tolworth Hurdle as Andy Stephens takes a nostalgic look back Desert Orchid won the Tolworth in 1984 on his way to great things (Racingfotos) The Unibet Tolworth Novices' Hurdle, first run in 1976, has a rich roll of honour and Saturday's renewal could yield another star with Constitution…

With the flat season concluding at Ascot's prestigious British Champions Day back in October, the National Hunt Racing season has once again taken centre stage and it was fantastic to finally see racegoers back at a jumps event when they turned out in their thousands for the Cheltenham November Meeting - the season's traditional curtain…