[video=youtube;Qu27AqUe6O4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=Qu27AqUe6O4[/video] Noel Meade stable tour.
Sporting Life website reports that Alan King has been forced to admit defeat in his quest to get GRUMETI to the Cheltenham Festival. Got to feal sorry for them, they have had wretched luck these last few months with injuries.
Really terrible luck for Alan King in what should have been a most promising season. I hope he can get Invictus and Battonier back fit and well next season. Has he got anything kept aside for the Adonis? He usually has a stronger Triumph hand than what we have seen so far.
Just about to update the latest scratchings for: Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup Sportingbet Queen Mother Champion Chase Ryanair Chase Stan James Champion Hurdle Ladbrokes World Hurdle See appropriate thread for details
****UP AND GO RULED OUT OF NEPTUNE HURDLE AT CHELTENHAM***** -Real shame, ran a stormer at Ascot this weekend and would have been a very interesting runner.
MY TENT OR YOURS = SUPREME BOUND/FININANS RAINBOW CHAMPION CHASE BOUND Nicky Henderson has stated My Tent Or Yours will run in the William Hill Supreme Novices' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival next month. There had been speculation the talented six-year-old could be supplemented for the Stan James Champion Hurdle following his effortless victory in the Betfair Hurdle at Newbury, but connections have decided to run him in the Supreme on March 12. "He's very good and he goes for the Supreme. I have been speaking to AP (Tony McCoy), Frank Berry (racing manager) and JP McManus (owner) and that is the plan, I believe," said Henderson. Henderson plans to put a number of his big Cheltenham hopes through their paces in a workout after racing at Kempton on Saturday. "Barney Clifford (Kempton clerk of the course) has allowed us to work some horses after racing at Kempton on Saturday," said Henderson. "Long Run, Binocular, Bobs Worth, Kid Cassidy and Rolling Star are going as part of their preparations." Henderson later said Riverside Theatre would join the travelling party at the Sunbury circuit. Finian's Rainbow floundered in soft ground at Ascot on Saturday, and is now poised to defend his crown in the Queen Mother Champion Chase. Henderson said: "Barry (Geraghty) is adamant he doesn't go on soft ground, and I think we're looking at two miles (Champion Chase)." -ATR
Up & Go ruled out through injury or by connections??? Real shame, as I said a couple of days ago he pissed it on Saturday and was heavily, heavily eased.
Trying to get more info on it George, RP have just reported it very briefly but said McCain scrateched him this afternoon.
RE:UP AND GO -ATR Donald McCain has taken his impressive Ascot winner Up And Go out of the Neptune Investment Management Novices' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival. The regard in which McCain holds the youngster was made clear when he made his debut in a Grade Two at Sandown, when he fell two out. He made no mistake at Wetherby next time and looked a very bright prospect at the weekend when handing out a six-length beating to dual Cesarewitch winner Aaim To Prosper. Bookmakers made him around a 14-1 chance for the Neptune, but McCain said: "I`ve taken him out now so we are not tempted to run. It was a smashing performance at the weekend, but he's still only five and we want to take our time with him." The trainer added: "We may go to Aintree, I'm not sure yet, but he'll be an even better chaser. "The attitude he showed at the weekend is what we saw in his point-to-points, so it bodes well. "We saw it a bit at Wetherby and even more so at Ascot." McCain also reported that 2011 Champion Hurdle runner-up Peddlers Cross came out of his race at Musselburgh in good shape.
KASHMIR PEAK: Straight to Cheltenham-ATR Triumph Hurdle contender Kashmir Peak will bypass an engagement in Wednesday's 32Red.com Juvenile Hurdle at Doncaster and head straight to next month's Cheltenham Festival. The four-year-old was last seen unseating Dougie Costello at Musselburgh's Cheltenham Trials Meeting when the horse seemed to stumble after clearing a flight in the back straight. Winner of a Grade Two heat at Doncaster in December, Kashmir Peak had been set to shoulder top weight back on Town Moor this week, but trainer John Quinn has decided a final prep run is not necessary. "It was clear that he didn't fall at Musselburgh, we all saw that. If he had then we may have needed to get a run into him," said Quinn. "But he's a very straightforward horse and we've done plenty of schooling with him. His work is very good and we are happy enough to go straight to Cheltenham "If there's nice ground, we would expect him to run a big race." Kashmir Peak is as low as 12-1 for the Triumph with William Hill while Our Conor and Rolling Star lead the ante-post lists. Email this page to a friendYour NameYour EmailFriend's NameFriend's EmailComments
ROAD TO RICHES (Noel Meade/Gigginstown: Albert Bartlett bound-ATR Noel Meade has confirmed that the unbeaten Road To Riches will head straight to the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham. The six-year-old claimed a bumper in October and has won twice over hurdles, including his most recent start in a Grade Three event at Cork in early December. He also holds an entry in the Neptune Novices' Hurdle but Meade confirmed it would be the longer race for Road To Riches. "The plan with him is to head straight to Cheltenham," said Meade. "We decided he could go straight there without another run and it will be the three-miler."
OSCAR WHISKEY set for World Hurdle -ATR Owner Dai Walters has confirmed Oscar Whisky is likely to take his chance in the Ladbrokes World Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival next month. Trainer Nicky Henderson and Walters have had sleepless nights over the Cheltenham target for the dual Aintree Hurdle winner. But after he ran a fine race to be touched off by Reve De Sivola in the Cleeve Hurdle over three miles, the World Hurdle is now preferred over another crack at the Champion Hurdle, in which he finished third in 2011. Oscar Whisky was fifth in the World Hurdle last season, but connections remain convinced the horse was not himself that day. Walters told At The Races: "He's very well. We'll wait and see what the weather is like. "I'll be fair to the public and say he'll go for the World Hurdle, but I have paid £1,000 this week to leave him in the Champion Hurdle as things can change."
Can I ask why the press bother doing an Open day at the Pipe's? He refuses to ever answer a straight question. Waste of time.
At his open day on Monday, Nicky Henderson spoke about his Champion Hurdle prospects with Grandouet and Binocular... GRANDOUET: "He is clean-winded and does not need as much work so he won't be going to Kempton on Saturday (to work after racing). He ran very well in The International (behind Zarkandar) and does not need to find an awful lot on that form. "I would like Darlan back, but sadly I cannot have him, because he might have been the one - that is the way it goes." BINOCULAR: "He worked last Saturday with Long Run on Mandown. We boxed them both up and drove them around village twice so they did not where they were going. He worked well. Hurricane Fly beat Binocular comfortably in Ireland but he won't beat us so comfortably at Cheltenham. The run has brought him along a lot." "He was lame after last year and then late in which explains the one run this season - I was tempted to run him last Saturday but the ground was heavy. "He will go to Kempton on Saturday and work after racing. His schooling sessions tell us how he is."
'Darlan could have been the one' - I have got the impression this year that he was always Hendersons number one hope and it is putting me off Grandouet. Maybe he is just putting us off him like he did Binocular in 2010?!
Nicky Henderson's comment there about Grandouet... starts saying Darlan could have been the one... is he telling me not to back Grandouet?
I'm out and about today so can't put up individual posts, but here are the latest entries for the Novice hurdle events.
