Thursday's Meetings Southwell A/W 8 Races 11:45-3:25p.m. Towcester N/H 7 Races 12:25-3:35p.m. Exeter N/H 7 Races 12:35-3:45p.m. Dundalk(E) A/W 8 Races 4:30-8:00p.m. Chelmsford(E) A/W 7 Races 5:45-8:45p.m. Racecards At The Races Racing Post Bloodstock Sporting Life Good Luck
please log in to view this image Killultagh Vic set for Leopardstown Christmas return BY TONY O'HEHIR6:16PM 20 DEC 2017 Forgotten horse Killultagh Vic - a Grade 1 winner over hurdles and whose exciting novice chase season was curtailed by injury - is ready to rumble at Leopardstown next week following an absence of almost two years. The eight-year-old, who was favourite for the 2016 JLT Novices' Chase at Cheltenham before suffering an injury, is among the acceptors for the two Grade 1s at Leopardstown on Thursday - the Squared Financial Christmas Hurdle and the Leopardstown Christmas Chase. His trainer Willie Mullins said on Wednesday: "We haven't decided yet which race Killultagh Vic will run in at Leopardstown but he's well and ready to start back next week." Out of sight, out of mind is a phrase that springs to mind when looking for Cheltenham Festival ante-post quotes about Killultagh Vic, with few firms offering any prices, though he can be backed for the Timico Cheltenham Gold Cup, at 66-1, Ryanair Chase (20-1) and Stayers' Hurdle (25-1). Killultagh Vic, who won the Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle at the 2015 Cheltenham Festival before beating Thistlecrack by half a length in a Grade 1 novice hurdle at Punchestown a month later, is two from two over fences. He last ran in January 2016 when he and Ruby Walsh made a sensational recovery from a last-fence blunder to win a Grade 2 novice chase at Leopardstown before being sidelined with a suspensory injury and a pelvic injury. Regardless of which race Killultagh Vic contests, Djakadam is likely to join Yorkhill in the line-up for the Leopardstown Christmas Chase - formerly the Lexus - for which 22 horses remain after Wednesday's forfeit stage. Djakadam finished third in the race a year ago and has been taken out of the 32Red King George VI Chase by Mullins. His stablemate Yorkhill had been favourite for the Leopardstown Christmas Chase in early betting but has been usurped by Gold Cup hero Sizing John - he was a best-priced 9-4 on Wednesday evening. Gigginstown House Stud have 12 of the 22 left in the race, including 2016 winner Outlander. Machine on target Faugheen will face a maximum of five rivals - and probably fewer - in the Grade 1 Ryanair Hurdle at Leopardstown a week on Friday. His trainer Mullins said: "It's still the plan to run Faugheen in the Ryanair, and Cilaos Emery is also likely to run in the same race." Also remaining in the contest are the Gordon Elliott-trained trio Campeador, Mick Jazz and The Game Changer, and the Dan Skelton-trained Ch'Tibello, who was beaten three lengths when fourth behind My Tent Or Yours in the International Hurdle at Cheltenham last Saturday. The ground at Leopardstown was changed from 'yielding' to 'yielding, good in places' on Wednesday afternoon. The forecast is for mainly dry and mild weather over the next few days. Share this story
Be good to see the Vic back. To win that race after we he did was incredible - obviously different views on the manner of it though!
Hopefully he still has the engine!! I stupidly backed him for the fox hunters this March when they came out and said that was the target! But then they realised he was way too good for that
5.30-Acari 7/1.Got blocked in badly lto, with a clearer run this evening should be there abouts. 7.00- Baby Power 14/.Fustrating horse to follow but has decent place claims in an open race. Both big fields and it's Dundalk so going ew.
Peter Fahey sends 2 over all the way to southwell Alton Bay in the 11 45 7/1 Havelock in the 2 15 22/1
Calling SIR BARNEY ...a horse you gave us as a Boxing Day present a year ago - SHAAMA GRISE - goes in tgecsecond at Exeter ... a big ask but any thoughts ??
Boxing Day?!? Boxing Day?!? What’s that?!? Shaama Grise as expected was improved 20 lbs by those old rogues over hurdles (going up from an opening 114 to her current, in that discipline, of 134). In my view she ran satisfactorily on her fencing bow earlier in the month but today, with that run under her belt, will obviously tell us a lot, lot more about how she will fare over fences this term. She’s back in a ‘mares only’ heat which will make things easier but in Casablanca Mix and The Nipper Shaama Grise has a couple of very worthy opponents. I would especially be worried about the former who got very close to Willoughby Court on her penultimate run and then last time out won ridiculously easy. And, of course, she’s barned with a genius that man with a brilliant brain and magic hands, the forum’s favourite trainer, Mr Henderson. Haven’t backed Shaama Grise but will watch her run with great interest. If someone held a gun to my head though, although I’m sure no-one would ever want to do that, I’d have to say my prediction would be 1. Casablanca Mix, 2. Shaama Grise.
Cheers Sir Barney and a million apologies for my irreverence ... I clearly should have noted the day as ST. Stephens day ... I shall consider myself rebuked - thanks again and good luck with the lunchtime nose bag !!
The fool that I am Stick, I'm taking you on for the win and having Awake At Midnight 6/1. I'm not a complete idiot though so also done the reverse forecast
Paul Webber to Mr Henderson. To use a footballing analogy that’s a bit like moving from Chippenham Town to The Arsenal!
The Nipper beats them both! Shaama Grise again though respectable as she went down by just a length. Didn’t see the race but I take it Casablanca Mix didn’t complete? Sporting Life have just got N/A next to her name. Can anyone elaborate????
Thanks. Cor blimey was she. I take it she’s OK??? That must have been some effort then from Casablanca Mix, up to that point, as The Nipper and Shama Grise are both 130+ rated mares and she was giving them 6 lbs as well.
Tired fall at the last but she got up ok from what I could see on the replay - looked to be standing ok on all 4 legs. The Nipper nearly lost it on the run-in, out on her feet and nearly nabbed on the line.
Can I please be allowed to intrude on this thread to ask a question. Since retiring to France I am afraid that my interest in UK sport has completely waned apart from Football. Whilst I was never a big gambler Horse Racing was always my number 2 sport and I fondly recall the winner machine which was the Martin Pipe stable. I seem to recall that 10 winners from that stable on a Bank Holiday was not unusual. Whilst David Pipe never seem to match those high peaks he was always successful and turned out many winners both in quantity and quality. I only nowadays follow your sport when I return to the UK for a visit and having searched the runners over that last few days was amazed to note a lack of runners from the Pipe stable and those which were there were mainly long shots. Further investigation revealed that since the start of the current season they have only turned out 17 winners of which only 2 were highly considered enough to be favourites. Whatever has happened to the once great Pipe stable?
Today is my last day at the Coalface before Christmas, and indeed this year, so now seems like the perfect time to wish everyone, and I do mean everyone, ‘A Very Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous 2018’. In days gone by my Christmas present to the dear old regular readers always used to be the profitable message ‘go for a Long Run on St Stephen’s Day after the excesses of the day before’ but this time around it’s to point you in the direction of an unraced 4YO filly, barned with Mr Henderson, monikered SIMONIA (her dam was a 4 time winner in the NH sphere and Simonia is a half-sister to, no less a luminary than, Simonsig). Simonia should be out, at some point, in the next couple of weeks maybe as early as St Stephen’s Day – keep an eye on the entries, people. Furthermore, it’s worth pointing out that Simonia’s dam won on her NH bow as did Simonsig and another of Simonia’s most recent siblings, Drumcliff in December ’15, also obliged first time out. I know the regular readers like nothing better than unwrapping my Christmas Bauble and let’s hope this proves as profitable as in previous terms. Have a great Christmas and New Year and until the next time…take care.
Dundalk - 5.30 He's Our Music - 4/1 Bet365 Dundalk - 6.30 Rummaging - 7/1 Bet365 Singles & Double Good Luck
