#Wayward Lad

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…

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…

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…

Twice early in its history the Cheltenham Gold Cup fell foul of the weather, both times in the 1930s. The atrocious winter of 1962/63 abated just in time for Cheltenham to go ahead as normal that March but snow on the final day of the 1978 Festival resulted in that year's Gold Cup, won by Midnight Court, being postponed four weeks until…

The Cheltenham Festival doesn't exactly have a rich musical heritage. True, the Irish folk duo who played the nearby Prince Of Wales pub every evening for seemingly 30 years did perform a wonderful rendition of The Ballad Of Dawn Run twice-a-night. And twice-a-night ratings experts took exception to the line "And Wayward Lad, he knew he'd met the…

Twelve months after tipping up at the last in the Grade Two prize, when holding every chance, the nine-year-old son of Milan will bid to atone that defeat when forming part of a strong team Murphy will send to the home of jump racing on Sunday. After getting no further than the first on his return at Aintree in November the Barbara Hester-owned…

AFTER a few false starts and with the weather causing havoc, the National Hunt finally looks like kicking into top gear over Christmas. And the highlight will be the blockbuster King George on Boxing Day. Sky Sports Racing and Racing TV will have their fair share of the action. But ITV remains the only place to see all the big races without having…

Racing tips for Wednesday come from Catterick, Leicester and Limerick, 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's a story behind the Christmas Hurdle that will make it all the more special if…

Having only found the mighty Jonbon too good last time out in the Grade One Close Brothers Henry VIII Novices' Chase at Sandown Park, Boothill came home the ultimately comfortable winner of the Grade Two Ladbrokes Wayward Lad Novices' Chase over two miles at Kempton Park on Tuesday, day two of the Ladbrokes Christmas Festival. With 13-8 Favourite…

Having only found the mighty Jonbon too good last time out in the Grade One Close Brothers Henry VIII Novices' Chase at Sandown Park, Boothill came home the ultimately comfortable winner of the Grade Two Ladbrokes Wayward Lad Novices' Chase. With 13/8 favourite Lac De Constance unseating Harry Skelton at the eighth fence, Boothill made smooth…

12:45 Kempton - Artistic Choice 13:05 Chepstow - Broken Halo (each way) 13:20 Kempton - Boothill 13:40 Chepstow - Scriptwriter 13:55 Kempton - Get A Tonic 14:10 Chepstow - Flight Deck (each way) 14:30 Kempton - Nube Negra 14:50 Chepstow - Truckers Lodge (each way) 15:09 Kempton - Kitty's Light (each way) *All prices are bang up to date with our…

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…

2022-12-23Andy Gibson's Eyecatchers service: Is Jonbon a worthy short-priced favourite for the Arkle? Jonbon is currently trading around 5/4 for the Arkle Chase in March on the strength of his eight-length success over the 147-rated Boothill in the Henry VIII Novices' Chase at Sandown in early December. His time comparisons with the Tingle Creek…

A scroll through Twitter on the evening of December 26 in recent years has tended to reveal Paul Nicholls celebrating King George success with a McDonald's on the way back from Kempton. The Ditcheat maestro, who is seeking a record-extending 13th win in the race, could well be lovin' it again on Monday with Bravemansgame and Hitman among the main…

Dusart was sent off favourite for the open 3m handicap hurdle at Cheltenham on Friday, but could finish only sixth behind his stable companion Captain Morgs. Both runners attracted support, but it was Captain Morgs that coped better with the way the race unfolded. The omission of the final hurdle due to the low sun meant the tempo lifted only after…

The most anticipated meeting in the entire racing calendar, Aintree's 21 races over three days attract hundreds of millions of viewers worldwide and picking a horse out for the main event has become a tradition for many. The Grand National, first held in 1839 and won by Lottery, remains the headline race but the spring festival is packed full of…

The furore around the ground at Ascot and the withdrawal of Constitution Hill meant the quality of Boothill's performance in winning the Hurst Park Handicap Chase went under the radar. It shouldn't have done: Boothill, having just his third start over fences, put up a performance that would put him right in the mix for any graded novice chase…

86 - the number of runners Alan King has saddled at the Cheltenham Festival since his last winner Only four British-based trainers - Nicky Henderson (twice), Sue Smith, Jonjo O'Neill and Will Biddick - hit the target at last year's Cheltenham Festival as no fewer than 23 of the 28 races held at the fixture were won by their Irish counterparts. That…

Those who brave the early start for a round of golf at Naunton Downs are likely to catch a unique glimpse at the stars of one of the most in-form racing yards in the country. Set alongside the well-kept course is the secret to a remarkable resurgence from Cheltenham Festival-winning trainer Ben Pauling. A two-year vision of Ben and his wife Sophie,…