Balder Succes: a wonderful legacy

Picture: Michael Stevens THE sport lost one of its favourites yesterday. The gorgeous Balder Succes succumbed to a shoulder injury sustained in a fall in the Melling Chase at Aintree on Friday. He was a real favourite of this blog and was a horse who somehow captured the imagination of thousands of true racing fans. …[Read More]

Saturday Yankee

THE next three weeks is a funny time. It is the calm before the storm as the racing community builds itself into a frenzy in the run-up to the Cheltenham Festival and pundits jump on the lucrative gravy train of preview nights. But Saturday’s racing still has a stamp of quality and it is last …[Read More]

Final pointers for the Cheltenham Festival

TOMORROW is last-chance saloon for a clutch of Cheltenham Festival wannabes. A strong card at Kempton sees the contenders put their Prestbury Park credentials on the line. The highlight is the clash between IRVING and First Mohican in the Dovecote Hurdle. There is little to choose between them in the betting tomorrow although, oddly enough, …[Read More]

Racing Post Arkle Challenge Trophy

VALDEZ has always been a real favourite of mine. Maybe it’s his big white blaze or the way he tries to pull Choc Thornton’s arms out, but since he won his two bumpers as a very young horse he has captured my imagination and promised to be very, very good. As a novice hurdler last …[Read More]

2014 Cheltenham Festival: Latest movers and shakers

THE tapes go up for the 2014 Cheltenham Festival four weeks tomorrow. And after a magnificent weekend of racing in both the UK and Ireland, the ante-post market has seen a raft of changes. LAST INSTALMENT was the biggest mover of the weekend after his scintillating victory in the Hennessy Gold Cup at Leopardstown. (His …[Read More]

Cheltenham Festival: D-day for Alan King

I’M a huge fan of the Alan King yard. I’ve followed his fortunes closely this season, when a golden autumn quickly changed into a grey, grim winter of discontent. The yard sensibly shut up shop in January to contain and eradicate a bug that affected most of the Barbury Castle inmates. Happily, the tide is …[Read More]

Saturday selections: Midnight has plenty of Appeal

JUMPING will be the name of the game over the big fences at Aintree on Saturday with both the Becher Chase and the Grand Sefton over the shorter trip. The standout bet is in the latter race where MIDNIGHT APPEAL could be just the type for Liverpool. Wayne Hutchinson got a lovely tune out of …[Read More]

Saturday selections: Tanks For That

CHAMPIONS Day has been dealt with elsewhere on the site, so the focus is on some sparkling jump racing at Cheltenham. It’s fabulous to welcome back top quality National Hunt and Saturday’s Prestbury park card is excellent. In fact, this meeting is attracting more quality races year on year and I expect a lot of …[Read More]

Saturday selections: Sky the limit for Balder Succes

BALDER SUCCES is a nervy individual but a very talented horse. It didn’t really happen for him last season after a promising start and the fact he was hampered and knocked over by the loose Grandouet in the Champion Hurdle kind of summed up his season. But he has always looked like a chaser and …[Read More]