Best Of Bets

Author: Best Of Bets

  • Lizzie Kelly British racing is in need of a serious revamp

    Lizzie Kelly British racing is in need of a serious revamp

    Lizzie Kelly: “British racing is in need of a serious revamp”

    “It’s difficult to ignore the shamrock-clad elephant in the room. Ireland delivered a ‘green wash’ at the 2021 Cheltenham Festival, beating the Brits with 23 wins to five and leaving many over here debating what had gone wrong and I don’t think it’ll be that different this week given the Irish remain so strong.

    “Their ranks include Champion Hurdler Honeysuckle, last season’s Gold Cup winner Minella Indo, Chacun Pour Soi, Energumene plus two-time Gold Cup winner Al Boum Photo and A Plus Tard, just to mention a few and it’s going to take some turning around and a serious revamp of the programme in Britain in order to be able to complete with the Irish.

    “As it stands, there are too many options to run in the UK, especially for the chasers, providing escape routes to avoid rivals and too many soft races. In contrast, less racing in Ireland means competitors have to clash more. They get battle-hardened, which can prove a big factor when the pressure is on at the Festival. And it goes to show as the Irish yards are incredibly focused on the three Festivals: Cheltenham, Aintree and Punchestown and the rest is pretty much irrelevant.

    “You look at last year’s Festival and the Irish wasn’t just winning, they were basically grabbing the first four placings. And when you look through the betting and the races, it’s a bit scary how long sometimes it takes to finally get to the British. You look down the list of the trainers and you’ve got Willie Mullins, de Bromhead and Gordon Elliott filling the first eight in the betting; but the issue is also that the Irish has so many more horses. Willie Mullins says he’s got about 55 to come over, Gordon Elliott says he’s got 60; and Paul Nicholls has got about 15. So that speaks for itself when our champion trainer isn’t even bringing up a quarter of what just one of the Irish trainers is brining so of course they’ll dominate the field.

    “We’ve got some great young horses in Bravemansgame, Jonbon, Constitution Hill, all the novices. And obviously Shishkin has got quite a lot of responsibility in this sort of sphere. But it simply isn’t enough to even get close to the Irish. Having said that, I believe we’re in a much better place this year, compared to 2021; but then again, we all thought Bravemansgame was going to win last year and he didn’t. So there’s every chance that any of the English ‘bankers’ might not actually come up with the goods.

    “Just looking at at the number of horses coming over from Ireland, I don’t think it’s even possible for the Brits to win The Prestbury Cup this year but I do think it’ll be a closer game this year than what we saw last year…and then hopefully we can build on that.”

    Lizzie Kelly’s Cheltenham Top Outsiders

    Put the Kettle on in the Champion Chase: 20/1
    “Although she’s been under a cloud recently, Put The Kettle On is known for great incredible performance at Cheltenham. Last year she won the the Queen Mother Champion Chase, once again proving herself to be as tough as they come, as she followed up her win in the Arkle, at the Cheltenham Festival, 12 months earlier. She’s definitely got what it takes to do really well in this race and she may even prove us all wrong by going all the way.”

    Editeur Du Gite in the Champion Chase: 33/1
    “He’s a fascinating runner and given his liking for Cheltenham one shouldn’t be too quick with writing him off. He’s proven he’s great horse and similar to Put the Kettle on, who also loved Cheltenham, it may be that the Cotswolds will revive him.”

    Imperial Alcazar in the Turners Novice Chase: 33/1
    “He’s been running over three miles and his jumping didn’t look good; but what was actually happening was that Paddy Brennan was using the fences as obstacles to try and get the horse to slow down as he was too keen.

    However, when they got the distance right and the horse was able to really roll over two and a half, then his jumping was absolutely fine and he won very, very nicely on trials day.”

    Mullenbeg in the Champion Bumper: 14/1
    “The Bumper is all about the Irish so you have go with it. This horse has shown some great potential and stamina and I do think he’s got a good chance here.”

    Knight Salute in the Triumph Hurdle: 10/1
    “There’s a lot to like about this horse but the fact that he’s unbeaten over hurdles speaks for itself; definitely worth backing him in one way or another.”

    Lizzie Kelly: Honeysuckle should be able to deliver but never underestimate Willie Mullins

    “I think a lot of people would love to see Honeysuckle win the Champion Hurdle – she’s the story and the fan favourite. And she should win this race unless Appreciate It comes up with the goods; and seeing that we haven’t seen him since last year’s Cheltenham, it’s difficult to know what he’ll be able to do. But knowing Willie Mullins, we wouldn’t start him unless he knew that he had a good chance. I’ve previously said that although I love Honeysuckle and want her to win, it’d be nice to see this division become a little bit more interesting.

    ‘Although there are some great horses running, including Teahupoo who had an incredible win at Gowran last month on ground he apparently resented, my concern with quite a lot of the field is that they are younger horses and therefore stepping up into this division, it’s very different from running in grade twos and threes against their own age group, to what it is to be running against a mare such as Honeysuckle who has been competing in this division for a long time; at the end of the day, Honeysuckle is good enough to get a breather in a grade one. So for those reasons, it’d not surprising that Honeysuckle is odds-on…as she should be.”

    Lizzie Kelly: Tommy’s Oscar is a great horse and I don’t think his odds is a fair representation of him and what he may be able to do at Cheltenham

    “Ian and Ann Hamilton are most definitely a success story and they’ve shown that you can do it on a shoestring budget. You don’t have to be necessarily a bigger trainer to get wins. Their biggest hope in the Festival is to be in the Champion Hurdle with Tommy’s Oscar who’s 33/1, which I don’t think is a fair representation of what this horse is actually capable of; and I can very much relate to this as I’ve been in the same boat, where I worked for a small trainer, but they had really good horses. And yet, the prices almost didn’t always represent the horses’ chance just because you were up against the bigger names. It’s the nature of the game but it’d be great to see Tommy’s Oscar and young jockey Danny McMenamin give some of the more senior contenders a run for their money.”

    Lizzie Kelly: Prengard is a great horse but as a racing fan, I want to see Tiger Roll win

    “Tiger Roll reinvented the Cross Country Chase, turning into one of the Festival’s most popular races; he’s also become a household name so yes, I’d love to win this week but I don’t think it’ll be as easy as one would like to think.

    “While Tiger Roll has the benefit of experience, six year old Prengarde has youth in his side and also coming from France where they have a lot of cross country races, he’ll should be able to just get into his stride and get his momentum very, very quickly. I think the interesting thing is that he’s obviously had a prep run at the end of February, which didn’t go very well at all. Having said that, I wouldn’t judge him based on that performance as it was over two miles in a handicap hurdle so you wouldn’t expect him to do well.

    “I don’t think many appreciate how intense a cross country race is. You looking at about 10 fences a mile, which is a lot. And you are always on the turn and there’s not really a chance to get a breather in anywhere – it’s quite relentless. And I think that having Tiger Roll running the race has given the race the sort of the kudos it needed, because for a while it was seen as a bit of a novelty race and a lot of people didn’t really enjoy it. But it’s not until you ride in the race that you actually realise what sort of a horse it takes to win a race like that.

    “Even to travel and jump and be competitive in that race is pretty difficult. And I don’t think you really understand the kind of quality type of horse you need to be able to perform in a race like that. And it really brings Tiger Roll to life just like fences do. For me he’s won it. He’s just been so much better than a lot of the horses in the race. So he will be tough to beat cause he does absolutely love it there.”

    Lizzie Kelly: I’m backing Shishkin to win the Queen’s Mother Champion Chase

    “Following the Clarence House Chase at Ascot at the beginning of the year, the Shishkin vs Energumene rematch has grabbed the racing headlines. In that race, Henderson-trained Shishkin just pipped it by an extremely close margin. But what’s worth remembering is that back in January when these two horses first met, it was a match race…whereas this week at Cheltenham it isn’t; in fact, it’s a deep race and it could be anyone’s race.

    “But for me personally, Shishkin is the nicest horse in the field and I think he’s the classiest horse in the field. In some ways I’d probably say Chacun Pour Soi does have a huge amount of class too… as does Energumene, but we’ve sort of seen what he’s capable of when it comes to versus Shishkin and out of these two you have to side with Shishkin. If they go real quick, he can stay. If they go kind of slow and quicken into it, he’s quick enough to get it.

    “And for an outsider, I’d go for Put The Kettle on each way as she loved Cheltenham and tend to do really well there and taken the mare allowance into account, she’s definitely one to bear in mind.

  • Premier League Thursday night specials

    Premier League Thursday night specials

    As Premier League Gameweek 28 rolls on, Thursday night sees four crucial games at both ends of the table, with the battle for European places and the fight to avoid relegation intensifying. Of the three 19:30 kick offs on the menu, Norwich City’s home clash with Chelsea looks to have the most on the line.

    For the table-propping Canaries, a five-point gap to safety leaves this as another vital outing for Dean Smith’s men, with just five more games to play at Carrow Road after Thursday night. Realistically, however, the visit of Chelsea doesn’t hold much optimism of a result.

    The Blues, still looking slightly anxiously over their shoulder at third-place chasing Arsenal know that only three points will do here to keep the Gunners at arms-length. Having put four past Burnley at Turf Moor this past Saturday though, Thomas Tuchel’s men could be hitting form again at the perfect moment. Chelsea demolished the Canaries 7-0 in the reverse fixture at Stamford Bridge earlier this season, and though a repeat scoreline would take some doing, back-to-back four-star showings could materialise. For that to occur, 14/1 odds with Bet365, Betfred and Sporting Index look worth investigating, or to play it safer, for over 3.5 goals to be scored, Betfair’s 2/1 will treble your stake.

    Up front, it will be interesting to see whether Kai Havertz keeps his place in attack ahead of Romelu Lukaku, but if he does, given the forward has scored in three of the last six games in all comps, the German’s 9/5 pricing to score anytime with MansionBet and 10Bet is very favourable.

    Moving north into Yorkshire, Leeds United play their first home game under new boss Jesse Marsch as the Whites sit just two points above the drop zone having played a game less than Burnley and two more than Everton below them in the standings. Visiting Aston Villa will fancy their chances of making things more awkward for the American steward, after putting four past Southampton at the weekend but though Leeds rather flattered to deceive against Leicester in attack, they were improved at the back last time out. If Marsch is to pick up a vital and perhaps unlikely win on Thursday evening, it is likely to be in tight contest. Does a 1-0 home win for Leeds at 11/1 with William Hill look a stretch? Maybe not so far as first it seems.

    At Molineux meanhile, Wolves still harbour hopes of a European berth next season but after three defeats on the bounce, Bruno Lage has seen his hopes somewhat derailed. With Watford visiting the Black Country, The Hornets sit a win away from potentially jumping out of the bottom three so could Thursday night see Watford yet pick up at least a point against the stuttering hosts? On paper, that looks difficult given their conceding seven goals in the last three, however, they did hold Manchester United away in their last trip on the road. A draw at 5/2 with SBK could therefore appeal.

    Thursday evening’s other clash now takes on a mid-table feel, with Southampton entertaining a Newcastle United side who have not only escaped the relegation zone but are storming up the standings. Since the turn of the year, the Magpies have lost just one of their eight games played in 2022, that being their shock Emirates FA Cup defeat to League One Cambridge United.

    In the Premier League however, Eddie Howe has led his side to winning five in seven, taking seven points from nine on the road most recently. For the Saints meanwhile, having gone without a loss in seven also, a 4-0 thumping at Aston Villa could be a fork in the road, which could see a revitalised Newcastle fancy their chances here. Indeed, the away win looks appetising, offered at 14/5 by all four of BetVictor, SpreadEx, VBet and PariMatch.

  • Cheltenham Festival Ante-Post Betting

    Cheltenham Festival Ante-Post Betting

    Cheltenham Festival is fast-approaching and with that, the ante-post betting has become a very busy market; many of the ante-post favourites are horses that have impressed already this season including at the Cheltenham Trials in January as well as the Dublin Racing Festival in February. However, there are a few outsiders that have snuck in, including Willie Mullins Appreciate It, who’s yet to race this season. Despite the decision not to race him before Cheltenham, he’s second in the betting just behind Honeysuckle at 7/2.

    Last week saw Sir Gerhard topping the ante-post racing bets as he took a total of 16.8% of all bets in the Supreme (5/2) and in the Ballymore (11/8). However, in the last couple of days, as the ante-post betting is becoming busier, Sir Gerhard has dropped off and instead, it’s Constitutional Hill who’s come to dominate the betting; he’s currently 9/4 in the Supreme and 5/2 in the Ballymore and has, in the last 24 hours, attracted an impressive 19.7% of all bets in the market.

    The most backed horse for a single race is Shishkin (4/6), who’s set for an epic rematch with Energumene in the Champion Chase on Wednesday, followed by Allaho (4/6) for Thursday’s Ryanair Chase.

    Third on the list is Honeysuckle, who’s dropped a couple places, as she was the most backed ante-post horse for any individual race at Cheltenham at the beginning of the year. And the pressure is on as the eight-year-old has a perfect 14 from 14 record heading into the defence of her Champion Hurdle, in what could be argued, a tougher race than last year.

    Meanwhile, Gaelic Warrior, who’s never raced for Mullins before, finds himself in fourth place of the most backed horses ahead of next week’s racing, and he’s also at the very top of the market in the first day Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle (5/2).

    The feature race for the finale of the festival never disappoints. Minella Indo rode to victory in 2021, but he hasn’t been as prominent in the races as expected since then.

    Minella Indo was pulled-up at the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day after another loss to Frodon and Galvin at the Ladbrokes Champion Chase at Down Royal in October.

    On that evidence, it may be a fight between Galvin and A Plus Tard who both have shown real strength this season and are currently priced at 7/2.

    However, whilst the big money pile in for these favourites, Cheltenham has been as big a hit on the tote for the outsiders as it has been for the more favoured rides in recent years.

    So, who should we be taking a look at as potential names to make an impact in the Cotswolds and at a decent whack, either as winners or each-way flutters?

    Mighty Potter – Supreme Novices’ Hurdle 12/1 

    A stonking 29-length winner on his hurdling debut, Mighty Potter will arrive at Cheltenham fresh having not raced for a full month after electing to sidestep the Dublin Festival. Despite having finished third at Fairyhouse, Gordon Elliott’s mount soared back to a Grade One victory at Leopardstown in December and is quietly building momentum in the betting circles.

    Five-years-old and ready to make an impact, Mighty Potter could be the big horse for the big occasion and very much live up to his name.

    Unexpected Party – Coral Cup 9/1  

    Unexpected Party is another contender who is quietly coming up on the rails for Cheltenham 2022. A favourite of jockey Harry Skelton, this particular French fancy is now joint-second favourite in the betting currently, though the horses’ price remains attractive having shortened to from 11s.

     A 4 ½ length winner at Ascot in January, this one could deliver.

    Paisley Park – Stayers Hurdle 6/1

    If a rapidly-shortening Tiger Roll will be one of the more romantic dalliances in the paddock this year, Paisley Park will similarly, be one to keep a very close eye on.

    For anyone who witnessed the most remarkable race comeback – perhaps in history – during late January, Paisley’s credentials are still very favourable after stunning the field – and Ruby Walsh – despite being left by a full 15 lengths to storm through the field and take the 5/1 win over 3 miles. As the race suggests, this will again be a test of endurance, but Paisley Park already had that in droves even before his last and most momentous trip to Cheltenham only a few short weeks ago.

    Coming home only third as the 9/4 favourite last year, will trainer Emma Lavelle be celebrating this time around and at a better but shortening price?

    Knight Salute – Triumph Hurdle 12/1

    Perhaps one of the most in-form rides around, Knight Salute has won the last five races – most impressively at 18/1 at Sedgefield back in September – the Four Candles partnership will face a significantly sterner test in the Triumph Hurdle but can make an impact against Vauban and Pied Piper over the final fences. Backing an e/w result could bring rewards.

    Chantry House – Gold Cup 16/1

    Realistically, the winner of this year’s Gold Cup is likely to come from one of A Plus Tard, Minella Indo or Galvin, but Chantry House might just be one to back for a good finish. In his third trip to the Festival, Nicky Henderson’s now eight-year-old took the Novices’ Chase crown last year by three lengths at a well backed 9/1. The field is stacked here of course, but owner JP McManus’ horse has been a real contender in the bigger races on the calendar. If a slight lack of stamina could hinder over the final furlongs, Chantry House is a renowned strong finisher and could easily be placed if nothing else.

    Put The Kettle On – Mares’ Chase 10/1

    If a winner in the big one has eluded you, one of the final three races of the Festival could yet bring home the spoils and Put The Kettle On in the penultimate race of the meet looks good value. Henry De Bromhead will be looking to pull back bragging rights over Willie Mullins this year, and this one could be real outsider. A horse who loves Cheltenham, PTKO has won around Gloucestershire on four of the last five occasions and won the Queen Mother Champion Steeple Chase in 2021. Though without a win since Cheltenham last year, this eight-year-old can yet rise to the top.

    *all prices subject to change and available with most bookies

  • Cheltenham Festival Henry de Bromhead Stable Tour

    Cheltenham Festival Henry de Bromhead Stable Tour

    Henry de Bromhead has admitted the team at his Knockeen yard are “all getting a bit excited” as Cheltenham Festival is drawing closer.

    Last year de Bromhead team saddled an impressive six winners at Cheltenham, headed by a remarkable treble in three of the four championship contests as Honeysuckle won the Unibet Champion Hurdle, Put The Kettle On triumphed in the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase and Minella Indo won the most prestigious race of them all, the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

    Twelve months on he will be hoping star mare Honeysuckle can get him and stable jockey Rachael Blackmore off to the perfect start, by successfully defending her Unibet Champion Hurdle crown on the very first day of the Festival.

    Speaking to The Jockey Club, the Irish trainer said: “We’re probably all getting a bit excited at this stage and it’s just a case of trying to keep everything on the right track really.

    “It’s a cliché but it’s our Olympics. It’s the first big spring festival and obviously what everyone’s focusing on.”

    Referring to the final preparations taking place at his yard, de Bromhead added: “You’d hope to have most of your hard work done at this stage and it’s just a case of tweaking things really and just keeping everything right.

    “You start to decide which race everyone is going for but they don’t have to be done until near the weekend. We do our confirmations at this stage and you’ll see a lot more once everyone has confirmed.

    “You might leave a few down to declarations time in terms of finalising where you’re going. The way we travel is that our Tuesday and Wednesday runners leave on Saturday and our Thursday and Friday runners leave on the Monday, while I’ll come over on Sunday.

    “We’re probably hoping to bring around 15-20 horses over, which is pretty similar to last year.”

    With so much at stake next week, de Bromhead also admitted he may adopt one or two of the same routines he deployed in 2021 when he arrives at Cheltenham.

    He explained: “I may watch races in the same places! I watched the first couple in the parade ring and while they ran fine, we didn’t win anything, so I went to the track and watched them there beside the last and obviously Honeysuckle won, so it was pretty hard to get me away from there for the rest of the week really.”

    The trainer, whose 2021 also included a history-making Randox Grand National victory when Minella Times helped Blackmore become the first female jockey ever to win the Randox Grand National.

    His team for Cheltenham is looking very promising:

    • A Plus Tard and Minella Indo 

    Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup

    I was obviously getting very excited last year. I was concerned that my two had gone on and they were going to get picked up by Paul Townend (on Al Boum Photo) at that stage, but they stuck it out really well and it was incredible.

    They’re both in great form and really well this year. A Plus Tard worked really well the other day and Indo had a great run in the Irish Gold Cup, so they’re both really good.

    Indo’s first run was really good on a sharp track and then when we went to Kempton I was trying to put a square peg into a round hole and that just didn’t work, so it was great to see him back in the Irish Gold Cup and I thought that was a really good run.

    A Plus Tard was really impressive in the Betfair Chase at Haydock and he ran well in the Savills. I was a little disappointed to get beaten but still felt he ran really well.

    I’d say you could argue the Savills is the best form, when he was beaten by Galvin, so I couldn’t really say. I thought he was really impressive at Haydock and I thought he ran really well at Leopardstown. Rachael’s going to ride A Plus Tard.

    • Ain’t That A Shame 

    Ultima or Kim Muir 

    He seems good and he’s had a couple of nice runs over fences and he is going for the Kim Muir.

    • Ballyadam and Gua Du Large 

    Country Hurdle

    They’ll both run in the County. They’re in good form and I think both could hopefully run well.

    • Bob Olinger 

    Turners Novices’ Chase 

    I think he’s been really good, and he jumped fine at Gowran. I thought he then improved a lot at Punchestown, and he’s schooled since at Navan and jumped really well. Rachael was really happy with him and we’re really happy. He seems in great form and we’re looking forward to it.

    He’ll go for the Turners Novices’ Chase. His performance last year was really impressive, and he’s been good this year so hopefully he’ll go and do something similar.

    • Cappucimix 

    Johnny Henderson Grand Annual

    I’m not sure if Cappucimix will run in the Grand Annual. He ran very well in it last year but we haven’t decided whether he’ll go or not.

    • Cavalry Master

    Ultima, Plate or Kim Muir

    He will probably go for the Plate I’d say, either that or the Ultima. We haven’t finalised just yet.

    • Champagne Gold 

    Coral Cup or Martin Pipe

    Champagne Gold seems to be good and he’s coming back to himself. He didn’t seem to take to fences so he’ll go for the Coral Cup.

    • Coeur Sublime 

    Sporting Life Arkle or Grand Annual

    He’s in the Arkle and the Grand Annual. I’d say we’re leaning towards the Arkle. He schooled really well yesterday morning and seems in great form.

    • Dancing On My Own 

    Jonny Henderson Grand Annual

    Dancing On My Own is in good form and he’ll go for the Grand Annual.

    • Decimation 

    Martin Pipe

    Decimation ran really well the other day at Fairyhouse and he will go for the Martin Pipe.

    • Enovi Allen 

    Ryanair Chase or Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase

    He’s in great form and worked really well the other day. There’s been no final decision made. He’s in the Ryanair and the Champion Chase and we’ll see nearer the time.

    • Gin On Lime 

    Mrs Paddy Power Mares’ Chase

    She seems in good form, obviously she was possibly a fortunate winner around there last year but she’s had a really good season. We’ve backed off her and given her a really good break and I think she’s aiming towards there but we haven’t confirmed just yet.

    • Grand Jury 

    Entered in Sky Bet Supreme, Ballymore, Coral Cup, County Hurdle, Albert Bartlett and Martin Pipe

    He’ll probably go for the Martin Pipe and he’s in good form. Although he was disappointing at Leopardstown on his last run he seems in great form now so hopefully he’ll run well in that.

    • Honeysuckle 

    Unibet Champion Hurdle

    Obviously we had to discuss whether she should go chasing at the beginning of the season, but I think Honey made the decision for us and we were all happy to stay over hurdles.

    Once we’d decided to do that, we took the view that ‘if it ain’t broke don’t try to fix it’ and we stuck with the same route as last year. Touch wood, it’s gone well so far.

    It looks a very good race, as you’d expect with any Champion Hurdle. I thought last year’s looked very good as well. I suppose on ratings it possibly is her biggest test so far, but it’s as you’d expect this race to be. It’s really competitive and there’s some great horses in there – much like last year.

    I’ve been told that Honeysuckle could go off as the shortest-priced Champion Hurdle favourite this century (Istabraq was 8-15 in 2000) but I had no idea. It’s probably more pressure in that of course you want her to win, but it’s like with any of them, you want them to run their best race.

    It would be unbelievable stuff if she could win again – there’s not many that can win two Champion Hurdles so it would be incredible. Her unbeaten run is amazing but all we can do is get her there as well as we possibly can and then hope we have a bit of luck and that it all goes well.

    • Irascible 

    County Hurdle

    He had a nice run at Fairyhouse the other day after being off for a while, but he seems really good and he’ll go for the County Hurdle.

    • January Jets 

    Jonny Henderson Grand Annual

    January Jets will probably go for the Johnny Henderson Grand Annual.

    • Journey With Me 

    Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle

    He’s in really good form and will go for the Ballymore.

    • Magic Daze 

    Sporting Life Arkle

    She’s in the Arkle and will go there. She worked really well the other day and she’s in great form.

    • Oker Party and Plan Of Attack 

    Glenfarclas Cross Country

    I’d say both will run and they’re both in good form. It’s Poker Party’s first go but he’s really enjoying it at home so he’ll have a go.

    Plan Of Attack has had two really good runs in the handicaps over the Cross Country fences so he’s going for that but obviously the conditions of the race may not suit him as well as the handicaps.

    • Put The Kettle On 

    Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase

    She’s turning her bottom and getting angrier again and fresh, which is a good sign. She worked really well the other day, so we’re delighted with her. She’s got the option of the Mares’ Chase but we felt she was entitled to go back and defend her crown and that’s where we’re going.

    I couldn’t tell you why Cheltenham seems to bring out the best in her but she seems to love it over there. Her form is really good and she really comes into herself when she’s there.

    She was a beaten favourite in the Shloer on very good ground. I thought it was a similar run to when she won it the previous year but that came in very slow ground and it gave her a chance to peg them back. I don’t know whether it was just that she was rusty at the start of the season or what. Then she ran no race at Fairyhouse so in fairness you have to excuse those couple of runs.

    The year before she won the Shloer and then was third to Chacun Pour Soi – although well beaten – at Leopardstown. She’s often underestimated when she goes there and she’s been a pretty good price when winning the Arkle and the Champion Chase. She loves it around there and let’s see. She seems to be really coming to herself now.

    • Shantreusse 

    Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle

    He won really well the other day and he stays really well, so he’ll go for that.

    • Telmesomethinggirl 

    Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle

    She seems in really good form and we’re happy with her. She worked really well the other day and all is good.

    I haven’t really spoken to Kenny (Alexander, owner) recently but I’m sure he’s getting excited for it all, it’s a big day for all of us and we’re really looking forward to it.

  • Cheltenham Festival bookmakers reveal which members of the royal family will be in attendance

    Cheltenham Festival bookmakers reveal which members of the royal family will be in attendance

    Horse racing fans are gearing up for the start of Cheltenham Festival next week and already, eager punters are trying to guess who will be in the Royal Box. Most years there will be at least one member of the Windsor clan cheering on the horses at the four-day festival. BestofBets.com have listed the Royals most likely to attend the Festival this year.

    The Queen

    Apart from Prince Andrew, The Queen is the royal who is most unlikely to attend next week’s racing extravaganza. Although the 95-year-old monarch is a massive horse racing fan, she’s early seen at Cheltenham. The last time she was in attendance was in 2009 when she was there to watch Barber Shop, a horse owned by the Queen Mother prior to her death in 2002, in the Gold Cup. Before that, she was pictured enjoying herself with Zara Tindall in 2003 when she unveiled a statue to her national hunt loving mother.

    Instead, Epsom and Ascot are said to be her favourites and her doctors have almost certainly ruled out any visit to chilly Cheltenham.

    Attending Cheltenham Festival odds: 50/1

    Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall

    Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, is one of the favourites to attend the Festival. She’s in fact a fairly regular visitor to her local racecourse and often presents a cup to the winner of The Queen Mother Champion Chase. She attended Ladies Day in 2019 and has been snapped there with her children.

    Both Charles and Camilla are members of the influential Jockey Club and have two horses, Carntop and Pacify.

    Attending Cheltenham Festival odds: 2/1

    Prince William and Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge

    Back in 2006, Kate Middleton attended the Festival as a guest of Prince Charles, leading to speculation that he thought the then 24-year-old was future queen material. Last time Kate was spotted at the Festival was in 2013, whilst pregnant with Prince George.

    Considering, William and Kate are planning a 12-day tour of the Caribbean next month, they’re unlikely to be at the races next week.

    Attending Cheltenham Festival odds: 10/1

    Princess Anne

    Princess Anne loves Cheltenham and it’d be very surprising if she didn’t attend Festival. The Queen’s daughter’s ties are so close to Prestbury Park that she presents the prizes and even has a building named after her there. The 71-year-old opened the Princess Royal Stand after a £45 million redevelopment of the racecourse in 2015.

    The keen equestrian, who is Patron of their charity, Racing Welfare, usually attends with her husband Sir Tim Laurence and can often be seen on the balcony of the royal box enjoying the unique view from the stand bearing her name. It is the only box that boasts a dual view, meaning that guests can look at the side of the racecourse as well as the front-on view.

    Attending Cheltenham Festival odds: 1/5

    Zara and Mike Tindall

    Cheltenham simply would not be Cheltenham without a glimpse of Zara’s posse heading for the enclosures in sensible but classically cut wool coats, boots and fedora hats. The 40-year-old has become as familiar a sight as the horses at Prestbury Park and questions would be asked if she wasn’t there.

    She and her husband have even owned, bred and pre-trained several racehorses.

    Attending Cheltenham Festival odds: 1/10

    Mia Tindall

    In January Zara Tindall’s eldest daughter Mia was spotted with her mum at the Cheltenham Festival Trial. The eight-year-old was the star of the show as she hugged her mum while wearing a pretty dress with chunky boots and a hairband.

    No doubt royal fans will be hoping to get another glimpse of the little royal who has been riding since the age of two.

    Attending Cheltenham Festival odds: 4/1

    Prince Harry 

    Although it’s very unlikely that the Duke of Sussex will turn up to the races next week, the Duke’s favourite charity WellChild has partnered with the Festival this year so there’s a slight chance that he, as a patron of WellChild, that Harry would attend Cheltenham; especially as he’s due to attend a service of thanksgiving for grandfather Prince Philip in Westminster Abbey on March 29…so he may just combine the two.

    Prince Harry attending Cheltenham Festival odds: 16/1

    Meghan Markle attending Cheltenham Festival odds: 200/1

    Prince Edward and his wife Sophie, the Earl and Countess of Wessex,

    Unlikely, but you never know. They might want to raise their profile as Charles looks at ways to slim down the monarchy. They will probably save it for Epsom when the Queen is said to want a three-line whip on all members of the family.

    Attending Cheltenham Festival odds: 12/1 

  • Pointers for Cheltenham Festival 2022

    Pointers for Cheltenham Festival 2022

    No ‘Luck of the Irish’ at Cheltenham

    It is arguably the biggest date in the British horse racing calendar but in five of the last six years, Irish-trained horses have won more races at the Cheltenham Festival than their home counterparts. Last year was an especially humbling experience for the Brits, with the Irish winning 23-5 across the week. That trend is unlikely to end any time soon and particularly this year, the leading Irish trainers have plenty of expensive young horses to call upon boasting huge strength in depth.

    Willie Mullins has trained more winners than anyone else

    The ace in the hole for the Irish has been Willie Mullins. Indeed, no trainer in the history of the Cheltenham Festival has sent out more winners than County Carlow-based trainer. Mullins was crowned champion trainer at the meeting for the eighth time last year and his total tally now stands at a staggering 78 wins. Nicky Henderson, who last won the leading trainer title in 2012, is his closest pursuer on 70 winners.

    Mullins has won 15 of the 21 races restricted to mares at the Festival

    The race Mullins has won more than any other is the Champion Bumper, which he has now taken an astonishing 11 times, including last year with Sir Gerhard. He has also won the Mares’ Hurdle nine times, including on six occasions with Quevega, and has dominated the early editions of the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle, winning five of the first six runnings. Given that success, it’s perhaps unsurprising that he sent out a one-two in the first renewal of the Mares’ Chase last season.

    Henry de Bromhead last year became the first trainer to win Champion Hurdle, Champion Chase and Gold Cup

    Mullins may have won the leading trainer title on countback last season edging the verdict due to having sent out more second-placed runners, but Henry de Bromhead wouldn’t have swapped places for the world as his six wins included the Champion Hurdle, Champion Chase and Gold Cup. Becoming the first trainer to win the three most prestigious races in the same week last time out, De Bromhead will be hopeful of claiming at least two of trio of races again, with Honeysuckle set to defend her Champion Hurdle crown. A Plus Tard meanwhile, is favourite to go one better than last year in the Gold Cup.

    Irish eyes smile on Rachael Blackmore

    Rachael Blackmore’s Grand National success aboard Minella Times may have been the most memorable moment of last season, but her exploits at the Cheltenham also took high rank 12 months ago. Blackmore was crowned leading rider at the Festival with six winners, including the aforementioned Honeysuckle in the Champion Hurdle, Bob Olinger in the Ballymore and Allaho in the Ryanair.

    Davy Russell the leading active jockey

    No active rider has ridden more winners at Cheltenham than Davy Russell, whose tally of 25 wins places him behind only Ruby Walsh, Barry Geraghty and Pat Taaffe on the all-time list. Russell was forced to miss the meeting last year with injury but had three the previous season with Envoi Allen, Samcro and Chosen Mate.

    Gordon Elliott boasts level-stake profit with handicap hurdlers

    All three of those were trained by Gordon Elliott and if Mullins is indeed on the lips of many punters this month, Elliott is not far from the same whispers in the paddock. Only five trainers have sent out more winners in the Cotswolds than the relative youngster at 43 and Elliott looks set to build significantly on his tally of 32 this year. A key part of his success has been with his handicap hurdlers and ten of his winners have been with such types. Such is his credence in the winner’s enclosure, you would have turned a profit of just over £60 to a £1 level stake at SP alone, backing all his handicap hurdlers at the Cheltenham Festival since 2010.

    Tiger Roll bids to equal win record

    One horse has made a big contribution towards Elliott’s Festival tally of 32: Tiger Roll. Best known for becoming the first horse since Red Rum to win back-to-back editions of the Grand National, he has also won five times at the Cheltenham Festival, landing the Triumph Hurdle, National Hunt Chase and three editions of Cross Country Chase. Bidding for number six this year, if he is successful, Tiger will equal Mullins’ own Quevega for the record of most Festival victories.

    Champion Chase favourite Shishkin is Timeform’s highest-rated horse

    One of the most eagerly-anticipated races at this year’s meet is surely the Champion Chase, which features a rematch between the two highest-rated horses on Timeform’s ratings. Shishkin (181+) and Energumene (180) fought out an epic edition of the Clarence House Chase only weeks back, where it was Shishkin who eventually stormed home to victory having looked in trouble for most of the home straight. Shishkin will be bidding to confirm that form in the Champion Chase as he goes in search of a third win at the Cheltenham Festival after landing the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and Sporting Life Arkle.

    Allaho could repeat 2021 best performance

    Shishkin was hugely impressive in the Sporting Life Arkle, but the showstopper at Cheltenham last year – again based on Timeform’s figures – was Allaho’s 12-length demolition job in the Ryanair Chase. It was a completely dominant display after an unrelenting gallop that resulted in more than half the field being pulled up and Allaho will be tough to beat again this year.

  • Cheltenham Festival 2022 Best of Bets outsiders

    Cheltenham Festival 2022 Best of Bets outsiders

    It’s time to hear the roar once more…

    With less than a fortnight to go until the biggest meeting on the National Hunt calendar arrives, Cheltenham Festival fever is ramping up for punters.

    As the big money begins to pile in for the favourites, Cheltenham has however, been as big a hit on the tote for the outsiders as it has been for the more favoured rides in recent years.

    So, who should we be taking a look at as potential names to make an impact in the Cotswolds and at a decent whack, either as winners or each-way flutters?

    Mighty Potter – Supreme Novices’ Hurdle 12/1

    A stonking 29-length winner on his hurdling debut, Mighty Potter will arrive at Cheltenham fresh having not raced for a full month after electing to sidestep the Dublin Festival. Despite having finished third at Fairyhouse, Gordon Elliott’s mount soared back to a Grade One victory at Leopardstown in December and is quietly building momentum in the betting circles.

    Five-years-old and ready to make an impact, Mighty Potter could be the big horse for the big occasion and very much live up to his name.

    Unexpected Party – Coral Cup 9/1  

    Unexpected Party is another contender who is quietly coming up on the rails for Cheltenham 2022. A favourite of jockey Harry Skelton, this particular French fancy is now joint-second favourite in the betting currently, though the horses’ price remains attractive having shortened to from 11s.

    A 4 ½ length winner at Ascot in January, this one could deliver.

    Paisley Park – Stayers Hurdle 6/1

    If a rapidly-shortening Tiger Roll will be one of the more romantic dalliances in the paddock this year, Paisley Park will similarly, be one to keep a very close eye on.

    For anyone who witnessed the most remarkable race comeback – perhaps in history – during late January, Paisley’s credentials are still very favourable after stunning the field – and Ruby Walsh – despite being left by a full 15 lengths to storm through the field and take the 5/1 win over 3 miles. As the race suggests, this will again be a test of endurance, but Paisley Park already had that in droves even before his last and most momentous trip to Cheltenham only a few short weeks ago.

    Coming home only third as the 9/4 favourite last year, will trainer Emma Lavelle be celebrating this time around and at a better but shortening price?

    Knight Salute – Triumph Hurdle 12/1

    Perhaps one of the most in-form rides around, Knight Salute has won the last five races – most impressively at 18/1 at Sedgefield back in September – the Four Candles partnership will face a significantly sterner test in the Triumph Hurdle but can make an impact against Vauban and Pied Piper over the final fences. Backing an e/w result could bring rewards.

    Chantry House – Gold Cup 16/1

    Realistically, the winner of this year’s Gold Cup is likely to come from one of A Plus Tard, Minella Indo or Galvin, but Chantry House might just be one to back for a good finish. In his third trip to the Festival, Nicky Henderson’s now eight-year-old took the Novices’ Chase crown last year by three lengths at a well backed 9/1. The field is stacked here of course, but owner JP McManus’ horse has been a real contender in the bigger races on the calendar. If a slight lack of stamina could hinder over the final furlongs, Chantry House is a renowned strong finisher and could easily be placed if nothing else.

    Put The Kettle On – Mares’ Chase 10/1

    If a winner in the big one has eluded you, one of the final three races of the Festival could yet bring home the spoils and Put The Kettle On in the penultimate race of the meet looks good value. Henry De Bromhead will be looking to pull back bragging rights over Willie Mullins this year, and this one could be real outsider. A horse who loves Cheltenham, PTKO has won around Gloucestershire on four of the last five occasions and won the Queen Mother Champion Steeple Chase in 2021. Though without a win since Cheltenham last year, this eight-year-old can yet rise to the top.

     

    *all prices subject to change and available with most bookies

     

  • Liverpool vs Chelsea Carabao Cup final betting

    Liverpool vs Chelsea Carabao Cup final betting

    As the domestic season approaches its business end, Sunday sees the first silverware of the season decided in England as Liverpool and Chelsea clash in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley.
    In what will be the 191st meeting between the two old rivals, their latest clash is a rerun of the 2005 League Cup final at the Millennium Stadium, where the Blues toppled the Reds during extra time in Cardiff’s thriller 17 years ago.

    With an all-Germanic battle on the touchlines between Jurgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel in the capital, during the last 10 games they have met, Liverpool have won five times to Chelsea’s two, with three draws playing out.

    Favoured slightly due to their league position, the Merseysiders are marginally fancied by the bookies at 27/20 with MansionBet, 10Bet, VBet and SportNation, with Chelsea 28/11 with SBK.
    In the Premier League this term, however, the spoils have been shared on both occasions in score draws, so could extra time be needed once more to reach an outcome? In what is expected to be another tight encounter, draw odds at 23/10 with SkyBet and PariMatch could be a more frugal option to explore.

    Taking a look over the goalscorer market, Mohamed Salah’s anytime scorer boost price at 3/1 with SkyBet looks too good to overlook, whilst for Romelu Lukaku to net in 90 mins also, Betfred is the place to visit, at the same tantalising price. With Lukaku out of form though, perhaps picking up Kai Havertz to score anytime at a boosted 9/2 with William Hill could be a better punt.
    If a scorer double ticks your box, a Salah-Mason Mount double at 16/1 with SkyBet looks a stretch, but with the latter returning from injury, it could yet come in for decent spoils.

    Correct scorelines are also one to peruse on your bet slip this weekend meanwhile, and a 1-1 repeat from Anfield back in August looks one to consider at 11/2 with SportingIndex.

    As two sides that are set-piece dominant, corner kicks might become a pivotal ingredient in the final in North London. As such, another price to catch the eye is Bet365’s evens for over 10 corners to be taken.

    Casting our eye over the other price boosts available finally, a 5/2 price for a penalty to be awarded with BoyleSports could be of interest, whilst for Trent Alexander-Arnold to have at least one shot on target from outside the area looks good at 10/3 with PaddyPower.

  • William Buick odds-on to land his first Flat jockeys’ crown after Oisin Murphy ban

    William Buick odds-on to land his first Flat jockeys’ crown after Oisin Murphy ban

    William Buick, who has finished runner-up in the Flat jockeys’ championship for the last two years, has been inserted as 1/2 favourite for the 2022 title by in the wake of Oisin Murphy’s 14th-month ban.

    With three-time champion Murphy unable to defend his crown, Buick assumes the role of market leader ahead of Tom Marquand and Hollie Doyle, who are priced at 5/2 and 11/2 respectively.

    Buick is still waiting for his first champion jockeys’ title but could yet be crowned the 2020 champion as it was pointed out by the BHA’s barrister that Murphy rode 11 winners during the time he should have been self-isolating. Murphy beat Buick by eight winners that year.

    Buick went even closer last year when beaten by just two winners after a titanic tussle with Murphy, who said the pressures of the title race contributed to his reliance on alcohol as a coping mechanism.

    At 8/1 David Probert is the only other contender at a single-figure price, with the jockey likely to pick up plenty of rides for Andrew Balding with Murphy unavailable.

    Cieren Fallon, who is second jockey to Murphy at Qatar Racing, is a 33/1 shot, while previous champions Silvestre de Sousa, Jim Crowley and Ryan Moore are priced at 33/1, 50/1 and 66/1 respectively.

    Frankie Dettori can be backed at 100/1.

    2022 Flat Jockeys’ championship odds: 

    • William Buick 1/2
    • Tom Marquand 5/2
    • Hollie Doyle 11/2
    • David Probert 8/1
    • Ben Curtis 20/1
    • James Doyle 33/1

    Oisin Murphy Statement

    Oisin Murphy admitted his issues with alcohol had led him to make “grave” errors that resulted in the 14-month total suspension handed out by the British Horseracing Authority on Tuesday.

    The three-times champion jockey addressed the independent judicial panel at length during the hearing, recalling his uncle, Cheltenham Gold Cup and Grand National-winning jockey Jim Culloty, warning him alcohol could be a “slippery slope”, while Ballydoyle maestro Aidan O’Brien had always cautioned about the dangers of excessive drinking.

    Murphy spoke of how he avoided any difficulties until 2018, when he went to Hong Kong and “experienced the nightlife there”.

    He said: “The first time I realised I might have a little problem was when I turned up to ride Beat The Bank work out there and Andrew (Balding, trainer) said my breath smelt of alcohol.

    “I was second in the championship in 2018 to Silvestre de Sousa and I really wanted to win it, but at the same time my social life was growing.”

    Murphy failed his first breath test at Salisbury in June 2019 and said that incident had “scared” him and recounted the occasion that led to him serving a three-month suspension after testing positive for cocaine in France in 2020 – when he successfully argued that it was a case of environmental contamination from a sexual encounter, with scientific hair test evidence to back him up.

    He continued: “Later that year I went to Ayr chasing the championship and picked up a seven-day ban for careless riding. My girlfriend at the time suggested a holiday and I knew some people who were going to Mykonos.

    “I remember some days before we travelled there was talk some countries were going on the red list, but I knew stepping foot on the plane that I was going to be telling some people I wasn’t going there and that I would be committing a lie.

    “I had media commitments I had to carry out and if I was doing them from somewhere sunny, I would have to have a story.

    “I lied to anyone who asked me where I’d been. I did have a phone call from the BHA and I felt I had to keep up the lie, I felt it could be contained and I wasn’t feeling any symptoms.

    “The France Galop thing was in the back of my mind, the pressure was starting to take its toll. In the past I felt like I wasn’t to blame for things that had happened, this time I was.

    “I got the three-month ban and I tried to put racing out of my mind. My mother came over but I was drinking most days. It was early in 2021 my mum warned me about my drinking, but I knew the BHA were on to me about Mykonos.

    “I knew they were about to get me, it was a matter of time, but I still chose to lie.”

    Murphy explained how he used alcohol to get to sleep, resulting in the Chester failure which he found out about prior to Royal Ascot.

    He said: “I got through Ascot, I was leading rider and felt I could take whatever was being thrown at me, but David Redvers (racing manager for retained owner Qatar Racing) and Anna-Lisa Balding (trainer’s wife) were in my ear asking how I was coping.

    “At Glorious Goodwood I knew they’d be testing every day but I was still drinking on the way home in the car. It was then it dawned on me I had a dependence on alcohol. Since 2018 I’d been using it to get me to sleep. I couldn’t remember going to bed any night that week.”

    Murphy was involved in a prolonged battle with William Buick for the 2021 title, with the championship only decided the day before the seasonal finale on Champions Day at Ascot – a battle he felt had taken its toll, resulting in an incident in a Newmarket bar on October 7, the evening before he again failed a breath test on the first day of the Cesarewitch meeting.

    He said: “The next morning my friends started telling me stories about what I’d done and the panic set in. I realised my drinking was out of control. I never drank in the morning but in the evening I could drink one glass of wine or 10.

    “I took until October 8 for me to finally give in and realise that my issues of coping with pressure had led to me developing a dependence on alcohol. I should have realised earlier, David Redvers tried to help me but I convinced myself I could control it.

    “I couldn’t undo the lies and deceit. Now that I’m sober I’m a different person and I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have made those errors sober, but I can’t go back in time and I’m afraid they were grave issues.

    “I dealt with success and failure the same. Drink was the rock I perished on. People had told me this could happen but I failed to avoid it and fell into the trap.

    “The day I picked up the championship trophy there was no element of joy in it for me. I admit all the breaches and just wish I could have dealt with them better.”

  • Chacun Pour Soi may cause trouble for Shiskin & Energumene

    Chacun Pour Soi may cause trouble for Shiskin & Energumene

    Lizzie Kelly Chacun Pour Soi may cause trouble for Shiskin and Energumene

    With Cheltenham around the corner, the talks of the battle between the Brits and the Irish is dominating headlines. Looking at last year, where Ireland took home 23 out of the 28 prizes, The Brits have to come back fighting hard.

    In your opinion, is there enough there for the Brits to become a serious challenger or will Ireland dominate for yet another year?

    Lizzie Kelly:
    I think that the power balance will take a while to correct itself because of the fact that the good horses that the Irish trained last year are simply either moving up from novice company to open company, which means they’re still as dangerous.

    And the horses that won big races last year, Honeysuckle, A Plus Tard, and Minella Indo, yes A Plus Tard finished second., but that is still an incredible result, and all those horses still have really good chances this year…which means trouble for the Brits.

    But you also have to factor in handicaps; and the Irish do tend to get their horses into handicaps, and most of these horses are more dangerous than some of the English ones that run in handicaps. So therefore, I do think it will take a while to address that power balance because, at this moment in time, it’s still such a huge difference. And I actually think we can expect to see a continuation of that, but hopefully this year there’ll just be a few more horses for the English to start to even out the table.

    But it’s not just the British vs Irish horses, that goes head to head, it’s also the trainers. What trainer(s) do you think will dominate the Festival?

    Lizzie Kelly:
    I think the Paul Nicholls and the Henry de Bromhead thing, there’s more that has been made of it than perhaps there should have been really.

    Paul Nicholls wrote on his blog the other week that he wasn’t particularly happy with the way that his horses had been running over a two week period. In that time he had still had a couple of winners, but he just wasn’t certain that they were all firing in the way they should have been.

    Obviously, we’ve still got four weeks to the festival. That’s plenty of time for people to put things right, if it is something as simple as, I think in Paul Nicholls’ case, he felt that their hay didn’t have as much calcium and potassium in it as it should necessarily have had. If you’ve managed to figure out that that’s the problem, that’s fairly easy to rectify with things like additives and stuff that you can get from feed merchants.

    Henry de Bromhead’s form was perhaps little a bit below par, but he has had the most phenomenal season the year before.

    So, you’re now comparing it to him being firing on absolute every single cylinder that there possibly could be; and that’s a very hard thing to continue doing year in, year out. I think they’ll still be pretty dangerous when they’re going into these big festivals.

    Bravemansgame, for example, was a perfectly acceptable winner over the weekend. He ran a really good race. And I think that Henry de Bromhead has been pretty happy with his results.

    Honeysuckle obviously being a horse that does a lot of winning, and she was still well able to win at the Dublin Racing Festival.

    And then, of course, you factor in people like Willie Mullins, Gordon Elliott, Nicky Henderson. Those trainers are still as dangerous as they ever have been. And I think how Henderson probably goes in with a slightly better hand this year than he did last year. At this point, it’s a difficult one to call but I still think Ireland will take it this year… although perhaps slightly less convincing to last year’s Festival.

    Following the Dublin Racing Festival and also the racing from Newbury, what horses have impressed you the most and that you are looking forward to seeing at Cheltenham?

    Lizzie Kelly:
    I’m a really big fan of Bravemansgame. I think he’s a horse that since moving to fences has been spectacular. And I think the fact that he ran in handicap and gave away so much weight and still won fairly, really concisely, speak volumes.

    He didn’t really look like he was in trouble at any stage of the race. There were plenty of them still in the race jumping the second last and the last, but he just put them away quite easily. I think he was giving away 16 pounds, that’s a lot of weight to give away and he still did that fairly readily – something you don’t see too often.

    Interestingly, Willie Mullins said at the Dublin Racing Festival, that Facile Vega was the horse that he kind of enjoyed watching the most; and I’d been inclined to agree with him. I thought that was quite a spectacular performance really. The bumpers are a little bit tricky because, of course, you haven’t seen a huge amount of them. They normally only run a handful of times, but this is a horse that looks like he’s really exciting for sure.

    Shiskin vs Energumene – do you think Shiskin has what it takes to win at Cheltenham?

    Lizzie Kelly:
    Shishkin’s Cheltenham form is very good. You’re factoring in plenty of decent performances at Cheltenham and at the Festival. He clearly likes the course and that’s a big plus and he’s also able to deal with enormous crowds, which again, is a huge bonus.

    The match between himself and Energumene at Ascot was obviously fantastic – and it was fantastic for racing. It was great to have such an important race away from the festival as well and I think that has done so much good for National Hunt Racing overall.

    But it’s worth remembering that it’s not just a two horses race and someone like Chacun Pour Soi , who came out at the Dubin Racing Festival absolutely brilliantly, may cause trouble for the two front runners. However, for this to happen, they’ll have to train him in a way that takes into consideration the fact that he doesn’t like to travel to England.

    Willie Mullins said that he’ll try to leave him a little bit short of work because the traveling over on the ferry almost seems to push him over the edge to avoid him getting too exhausted from the ferry, which I thought was a really interesting insight into kind of how you have to factor in all these things like traveling.

    But to sum it up, I do think Shishkin has got absolutely every chance of keeping his crown.

    Willie Mullins will unleash Appreciate It on Honeysuckle in the Unibet Champion Hurdle next month without having a prep run – is this a risky game that Mullins is playing? Do you think Appreciate It will steal Honeysuckle’s thunder?

    Lizzie Kelly:
    It’s fairly unconventional to enter a horse into a Festival such as Cheltenham without any runs and not something that we see on a regular basis. Especially bearing in mind that this will be Appreciate It’s first go in an open company.

    Having said that, in one way, they’ve got nothing to lose. And even if you finish seconds to Honeysuckle, seeing that everyone’s going to be on the Honeysuckle bandwagon and huge favourite fan, you’ve still done really well. So it’s a nothing to lose, everything to gain kind of scenario.

    It’s not ideal, but having said that, I probably wouldn’t really doubt anything that Willie Mullins did if I’m honest. He’s clearly a master of his craft and if that’s the decision that him and his team have come to, I will be really interested to see how he goes.

    I think that particular category needs a little bit of a shake up. Honeysuckle needs something. I felt that at Dublin Racing Festival she needed that horse to kind of come with her after the last, for her to really show how good she is; at the moment, there’s no one to really challenge her and once she cleared the last one, it’s simply a matter of cantering home. Therefore, I think if there was someone to actual challenge her, she will show herself off in a much better and convincing way.

    Me personally as a fan of racing, I want to see a newcomer in that sphere and I think this will be a brilliant race with Honeysuckle and Appreciate It both running.

    Tiger Roll goes for a fourth win in five years in the Glenfarclas Cross Country this year and his odds are shortening rapidly at 4/1. Will one of the true punters’ favourites make it another glorious outing at Cheltenham or might Prengarde spoil the party? Who had what it takes ti stop Tiger from another win?

    Lizzie Kelly:
    Prengarde is a really nice horse. There’s no getting away from that and I’ve gone back and watched those runs over in France and they’re good, really good and his experience will be pretty vast when it comes to jumping all the different fences.

    My only concern for Prengarde is that if you go back and watch Tiger Roll win last year, the speed throughout the race is a lot quicker, whereas Prengarde’s races, especially the last race he ran, he made the running but you can see it’s quite a bit slower. And as a race develops, obviously they need to go quicker. And one thing is for sure, they don’t hang around in the cross country races; they’re very intense.

    On average, you’ve got 10 fences a mile and that would be my only concern is that particular horse, he tends to go a little bit slower in the beginning of the race.

    If you don’t think Prengarde wins. Have you got your eye on any other horses that might stop Tiger Roll?

    Lizzie Kelly:
    It’s interesting that Easysland has been moved. He was previously trained by David Cottin, but has now moved to Jonjo. We know that McManus is a big supporter of Jonjo and I wonder whether he just wanted to send over a nice horse.

    I think the other horse that actually really does peak my interest would probably be Ajas as he’s got really, really good form over there. He’s won Grade Two’s, Grade Three’s at Auteuil. Actually his worst run really was when he finished seventh in the Grand Steep, which is basically their Gold Cup, where he was beaten a long way by a horse that he’d already beaten. So for whatever reason, to me, you could kind of make a case that the fact that he just ran a bad race that day. He would be an interesting horse for me.

    I think if you are going on the basis that Tiger Roll is in the same form and will run the same race as he did last year, then he’s going to be a hard horse to beat.

    However, if, for whatever reason, age has caught up with him or he is just not quite in the same form as he has been in previous years, I think there are other horses in the race that are potentially really interesting.

    Sky Pirate was heavily fancied for the Betfair Exchange Spirit Chase at Newbury on Saturday, only to finish last behind the both Sceau Royale and Funambule Sivola. Priced at 8s at the weekend, Nick Scholfield’s horse has now lengthened to 16/1 to defend the Grand Annual next month. Available at the same price as weekend winner Eldorado Allen, could Sky Pirate represent excellent long-range value for Cheltenham?

    Lizzie Kelly:
    You’re looking at it from the perspective that yeah, he could be good value, but only if he’s able to beat the horses that are shorter in the betting. Yes – he’s run respectful races this year but I’m not sure he’s the one.

    You also have Brave Seasca, a horse that is much shorter than Sky Pirate in the betting around 8/1, but I’m not convinced he’ll be able to turn around form from Warwick.

    There’s nothing really happened in the race that would make you think that if something had happened differently then he could have beaten that horse. So for me, obviously you’ve got course form, you’ve got festival form.

    As yes he may have won last year, but there are much more fancied horses in the field, but, I love going each way on a big price, where I think I’ve found value.

    But overall, I think you can make a case for a lot of horses in that particular field.

    Another favourite is A Plus Tard. What do you think we are going to see from him at the festival?

    Lizzie Kelly:
    He’s run over in Ireland when we saw him last and he was very good. But Galvin seems to be getting better and better and at the moment, I think that Galvin may have what it takes to go all the way at Cheltenham. He’s really shown what a great horse he is and last time A Plus Tard and Galvin went head to head, despite a couple of the race moves that Rachael made that hindered Galvin, he still managed to overcome them to win. And that speaks volumes.

    But the Gold Cup this year is not a two horse race; there are quite a few horses that may cause upset. Bearing in mind that A Plus Tard finished second last year to Minella Indo, I think there’s slightly more in the race this year that could trouble him.

    Rachael Blackmore is once again grabbing headlines much thanks to what happened last year. However, she hasn’t been as strong this season so in terms of her mindset going into the festival, do you think she’s feeling as positive or perhaps slightly more anxious considering the pressure that’s on her following last year’s mega success?

    Lizzie Kelly:
    I think what’s really interesting about Rachael is that she doesn’t Get involved with the media; she very much keeps it at arms length. And I think that that’s probably quite a strong thing about her.

    So whatever she’s feeling just now has much to do with the outside pressure. I think there’s inside pressure from her own expectations of how she wants the the week to go and how she feels the horses will perform.

    And that’s a real strength because if you are worried about the outside perspective, you lose focus on what is actually happening. If she’s riding horses that are running really, really well, they’re running good races, but she’s finishing second on them all. Yes, it would be frustrating, but she’ll know the horses are running as well as they can and she’ll know she’s riding as well as she can.

    And actually when it comes down to it, it is the Festival. You are not going to get away with horses running bad races and winning. But if they’re running good races and she’s riding well, that’s all she can do.

    And she has got a couple of really big horses to look forward to. Honeysuckle obviously being one of them, and I’d be surprised if she didn’t win. But equally, considering Honeysuckle’s fan favourite status, that also comes with a fair amount of pressure as Rachael knows that people want her to win.

    Any outsiders that you think is worth looking at fro Cheltenham Festival?

    Lizzie Kelly: I had a look at the Stayers Hurdle and we had a very peculiar performance by Paisley Park on trial stay. But for me, I think the horse that I took out of it was actually Lisnagar Oscar who sat a really good fractions in front, made it a proper test and ran a really good race to finish third himself. I think that this Stayers Hurdle is quite deep. There’s plenty in it that’s quite exciting.

    You‘ve got Thyme Hill, Paisley Park, Flooring Porter, Klassical Dream; and I’ve only mentioned a few. It’s a seriously good race this year and probably a little bit more complex than some of the other championship races that we’ve got.

    Looking at Paisley Park. Do you want to briefly comment on that incredible performance a couple of weekends ago – he was 15 lengths behind.

    Lizzie Kelly:
    To be fair, I think one thing that has to be said straight away is the connections with Paisley Park never lost faith in him. They were always absolutely adamant that they could get him back to the form that he’d shown previously.

    And I think everyone just sort of said, “Oh yeah, of course, of course.” And thought, “There’s no way you’ll get him back.” But then, that performance was something else.

    It’s legendary. I’ve never seen anything like that…but the question is…will it happen again… also, what’s worth mentioning is that in an interview afterwards, Aidan Coleman said to Tom Stanley on Racing TV, he’s been thinking about this. Pulling a little stunt like that at the start for a couple of races. And if he does it again, I know Lisnagar Oscar set good fractions in front, but you’ve got Klassical Dream and Flooring Porter who are both very much front runners and really won’t hang around. And I just slightly worry that if he does pull the same stunt again, he won’t get away with it as the field at Cheltenham Festival is very strong.

    It’s worth adding that the person that did the best job with the Paisley Park on that particular day was the starter whose reaction to Paisley Park not starting was very, very quick and got him going again; it would be difficult when there’s a bigger field if the same thing happens again. Hopefully he doesn’t do it again. And I’d love to see him win another Stayers Hurdle. But my problem is I just feel he’s a little bit tricky; he’s a little bit of an enigma and I wouldn’t trust him with my money.

    Who do you think will win:

    Lizzie Kelly:
    – Gold Cup: Galvin (4/1)
    – Champion Chase: Shishkin – Evens
    – Champion Hurdle: Honeysuckle 1/2
    – Supreme: Dysart Dynamo (10/3)(much because this race tend to be all about Willie Mullins so you kind of have to pick one of his horse)
    – Stayers is a tricky one and I find the Stayers Hurdle probably the most interesting race of the week this year. There are a lot of really good horses running. I like Flooring Porter (7/2) a lot, but I’ve just kind of got this question mark hovering around him; he’s fallen and I think he’s unseated.
    Yes, he finished second to Klassical Dream, but then that form kind of went a little bit haywire. Meanwhile, Klassical Dream (6/1) is an incredible horse. I love his attitude to racing. He loves it and it’s amazing to see.

    But Thyme Hill (5/1), Paisley Park (7/1), Lisnagar Oscar (40/1) are all great horses with plenty of potential.

    However, if I was riding in that race, I’d say Klassical Dream. Also, Willie Mullins is the man to prepare them for the big days; yes there’s been the off days but one can’t read into these too much. At the end of the day, this horse is brilliant with the most brilliant attitude to racing – what more can one want?!?