The Horse racing thread

[Donnellys Hollow]

He is 4/1 with Sky Bet for the 2011 Champion Hurdle.

If he wins at Cheltenham, all going well he'll run in the Champion Hurdle at Punchestown against Solwhit, Go Native and hopefully Hurricane Fly. Should give us a good idea as to how good he is.

[sammymaguire]

He is 4/1 with Sky Bet for the 2011 Champion Hurdle.

If he wins at Cheltenham, all going well he'll run in the Champion Hurdle at Punchestown against Solwhit, Go Native and hopefully Hurricane Fly. Should give us a good idea as to how good he is.

he'll piss all over them all DH, this is the Sea the Stars of the National Hunt

[Silky]

Will the board be running a Chelenham competition this year? Who looked after it last year?

[Donnellys Hollow]

He is 4/1 with Sky Bet for the 2011 Champion Hurdle.

If he wins at Cheltenham, all going well he'll run in the Champion Hurdle at Punchestown against Solwhit, Go Native and hopefully Hurricane Fly. Should give us a good idea as to how good he is.

he'll piss all over them all DH, this is the Sea the Stars of the National Hunt

I'd expect so Sammy but heaven forbid he has a bad experience at Cheltenham. Plenty of horses have travelled over the water with massive reputations and came back broken horses. Nick Dundee and Beef Or Salmon are two that spring to mind - never the same after their falls at Prestbury.

[winsamsoon]

off to a flyer lads £10 on positivity @8/1  I like the look of Tarquinious today and saltagioo

[winsamsoon]

And down went saltagioo   

[sammymaguire]

nothing earth shattering about this but the Nicholls yard are confident of a busy Saturday of winners at Warwick and Newbury - my main bets are Forest Pennant and Takeroc

13Feb10  1:30  Inchidaly Rock NEWBURY (Overnight), toteplacepot Novices' Chase  --
 
13Feb10  1:45  Forest Pennant WARWICK (Overnight), Bet totepool On All UK Racing Novices' Chase  --
 
13Feb10  2:00  Elusive Dream NEWBURY (Overnight), totescoop6 Handicap Hurdle  --
 
13Feb10  2:00  Alfie Sherrin NEWBURY (Overnight), totescoop6 Handicap Hurdle  --
 
13Feb10  2:15  Take The Breeze WARWICK (Overnight), totesport.com Kingmaker Novices' Chase Grade 2  --
 
13Feb10  2:30  Denman NEWBURY (Overnight), Aon Chase Grade 2  --
 
13Feb10  2:30  Tricky Trickster NEWBURY (Overnight), Aon Chase Grade 2  --
 
13Feb10  3:05  Takeroc NEWBURY (Overnight), totesport Trophy Hurdle (Handicap) Grade 3  --
 
13Feb10  3:20  Super Formen WARWICK (Overnight), totesport 0800 221 221 Handicap Chase  --
 
13Feb10  3:40  Master Minded NEWBURY (Overnight), totepool Game Spirit Chase Grade 2

[Donnellys Hollow]

Should be an informative day. Can't see a bet on either Warwick or Newbury card though. I can't see either Diamond Harry or Long Run getting beat but they are far too short considering they may not be fully revved up before the festival.

Hopefully Denman goes in comfortably and sets up the Gold Cup. Not sure about Master Minded. I can't see what will beat him today but the market vibes aren't too positive. He'd be 1/5 if they were sure he was back to his form of two years ago. I've had a few bob on Kalahari King for the Champion Chase in case he shortens up if Master Minded is unimpressive.

[winsamsoon]

Masterminded looked back to something of his old best today but again wasn't up against much tbh

Think Kauto is now a shoe in for the gold cup@4/5 think this is a fair price aswell can't see Denman coming back from this one as imo it is just one clinch too many and although it was the jumping which cost him today i don't think he was travelling as well as he should have (he would still have pissed up though)

[The Worker]

Denman will win the gold cup. In this, I have no doubt.

[boojangles]

Ruby has a nice book of rides 2mrw at Navan.Cadspeed and Uimhiraceathair stand out. Osana should win altho I wouldn't like to back against Ruby on Shakervilz either.

[Donnellys Hollow]

Really like Osana today at the price. Should be odds-on. He has excellent form at Navan and ran a very respectable race against the best two novice chasers in the land at Christmas. Shakervilz and Major Finnegan aren't in the same league as Sizing Europe and Captain Cee Bee.

Much to ponder after yesterday. Wasn't impressed with Diamond Harry. Can't see why he is so short for the RSA compared to Pandorama who is at least his equal on a line through Mikael D'Haguenet.

Long Run looks a bit of a machine but I fear the jockey will put him on the deck at one of those downhill fences at Cheltenham. He'd only be a betting proposition if Barry Geraghty gets the leg up.

Can't be having Denman at 7/2 for the Gold Cup now. He may have been idling coming to the fourth last but AP was getting serious with him and he wasn't going away from Niche Market and he is no Gold Cup horse. The fall was just one of those things. He stood off a mile and landed in the middle of the fence.

The money came for Master Minded and he looked superb though I'd question the quality of the opposition. Great balance by Ruby to stay aboard after the last.

[Donnellys Hollow]

Ruby has a nice book of rides 2mrw at Navan.Cadspeed and Uimhiraceathair stand out. Osana should win altho I wouldn't like to back against Ruby on Shakervilz either.

Kerb Appeal wins pulling a plough. Willie/Ruby could well have a four or five timer today. That Cadspeed is a right old hound though. Have backed him once or twice and he always seems to get run out of it when he comes off the bridle. It's a very weak maiden today and he's definitely good enough to win it but I wouldn't back him at a short price Booj.

[Denn Forever]

Former Novelist and Jockey Dick Francis has died aged 89.  Enjoyed his books but I'd say he is more famous in the horse racing fiel.

Obituary: Dick Francis 


Dick Francis: Successful jockey and author
If it had been a scene in one of his books, it would have been laughed off as too far-fetched.

Devon Loch, ridden by Dick Francis, is leading the 1956 Grand National when, having cleared the final fence, mysteriously bellyflops, thereby depriving its owner, the Queen Mother, of her first and, as it transpired, only National victory.

It was the most extraordinary event in racing history.

The reason for Devon Loch's collapse is still debated. Dick Francis believed the horse was probably overcome by the extraordinary noise of the crowd anticipating a royal win.

"His hind quarters just refused to act for a split second. He brought his forefeet up as if he was jumping. But he wasn't jumping. I was still far enough ahead to have won if I could have got him going but he more or less collapsed again. I just had to walk off in disgust."

Champion jockey

Before becoming a novelist who sold more than 60 million books translated into more than 20 languages, Dick Francis rode 300 winners as a National Hunt jockey.

He was born at Tenby in South Wales in 1920 where his father managed a hunting stable. He was a skilled rider while still in his teens.



Devon Loch's mysterious bellyflop 
He became a pilot during World War II, and then rode as an amateur jockey before turning professional in 1948. He was champion National Hunt jockey in 1953/4, but never won a Grand National.

He retired in 1957 and joined the Sunday Express as racing correspondent, a job he held for 16 years.

In the same year, he wrote his autobiography, The Sport of Queens, which was well received. As a result, he was encouraged to try his hand at novels.

Novel success

His first, Dead Cert, was published in 1962, and he continued to publish one a year almost throughout his life.

Racing was a recurrent theme in them. All were written in the first person, in long hand and all carefully researched.

Forfeit, in 1968, won the Edgar Allan Poe Award, and Whip Hand in 1979 the Golden Dagger Award of the Crime Writers Association. A television series, The Racing Game, was based on his story Odds Against.



Receiving his CBE with wife Mary in 2000
Francis also wrote a biography of Lester Piggot and he gave a copy of each of his books to the Queen Mother with whom he kept in touch throughout her life.

In 1986, Dick Francis moved from his home in Berkshire to Florida. His wife suffered from asthma, and the climate suited her better.

Later, he moved to the Cayman Islands where he rarely missed his morning dip.

In October 1999, Dick Francis's publishers confirmed that his wife made a substantial contribution to the novels.

However the books emerged, they provided readers with plenty of intrigue, but no sex. They were once described as crime novels for gentlefolk.

[Abble]

is there a site somewhere that has a link to denmans run there on saturday ?