JP Festival - Cheltenham Festival 2010

Banker of Blowout? A guide to horses under 4/1 at Cheltenham Festival 2010

jonathan.pollinger@gmail.com (Jonathan Pollinger) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 09:33:00 +0000

I'm not generally a layer. I can't get into the psychology of wanting a horse to lose. But seeing a weak favourite doesn't mean you have to lay it. You can back an alternative in the same race if there are also good reason for it to win.

There are currently 15 horses under 4/1 at the Cheltenham Festival and they are not all going to win. Before you lump on a few favourites or combine them in accumulators it's worth noting that in 2008 13 horses started under 4/1 and only 2 won. Inglis Drever at 11/8 and Master Minded at 3/1. Over the past four Festivals there have been 99 horses sent of 4/1 or less of which just 23 have obliged. Below is a concise banker or blowout guide for the 15 short priced horses.

Dunguib - Banker - This horse excels in many areas and barring accidents will win easily.
Captain Cee Bee - Blowout - Jumps low and fast. A dangerous style over the Cheltenham fences.
Go Native - Blowout - In a very open race he has a good chance but no more so than many others.
Garde Champetre - Banker - I'm not a fan of the cross country race but this favourite should win.
Quevega - Blowout - Not raced this season so extremely hard to win on comeback.
Voler La Vedette - Banker - In the same race as Quevega. Race lacks strength and should win.
Rite Of Passage - Blowout - Hasn't won a graded race and price is based on potential only.
Long Run - Blowout - Amateur ridden and he's a difficult ride. Likely to make jumping errors.
Punchestowns - Blowout - In the same race as Long Run. Has been lame so has had interrupted preparation.
Master Minded - Blowout - Didn't beat much at Newbury and I don't think he's as good as he was in 2008.
Big Bucks - Banker - I've opposed him with Karabak each way but Big Bucks is different class.
Alaivan - Blowout - Doesn't grab me at all in a very open race. Not a standout in any respect.
Kauto Star - Blowout - Good chance but he's been at the top for a while now. 10 yr old winners are rare.
Denman - Blowout - Another 10 yr old in the Gold Cup. He was simply awful at Newbury.
Roulez Cool - Blowout - Plenty of other chances in this open race.

So there you have it. I'm reckon 4 winners out of 15 horses currently under 4/1. I hope it give you some thought even if you don't take the above advice literally. Come back at the end of next week to see how my predictions worked out

Field trip to Grange Hill Farm stables - home of Imperial Commander

jonathan.pollinger@gmail.com (Jonathan Pollinger) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 10:36:00 +0000

Early door yesterday I had to the good fortune to drive out into the Cotswolds to visit Grange Hill Farm stables. This is where Nigel Twiston-Davies and his business partner Carl Llewellyn train around 140 horses including top challengers for the Gold Cup and Champion Hurdle in the shape of Imperial Commander and Khyber Kim.

It was a perfect crisp morning for watching the horses gallop up the all weather strip in the Spring sunshine. There are oak trees all around and the view across the Cotswolds is superb. In contrast to all this natural environment, a double decker bus is parked at the top of the gallops. It reminds me of the Sunday Sport headline: "World War 2 Bomber Found on Moon.

We see the big two and other contenders put through their paces and talk to Carl about horses. "Horses want to commit suicide," he says. "And it's our job to stop them." So that's the key to winning two Grand Nationals and helping running a top jumps stable then. Simples.

Next a tour of the various yards and boxes and there seem the be loads all over the large site. Carl says the place has expanded massively since he started riding but then we are talking about 48 years ago!

Nigel treats all his straw bedding to reduce the risk of dust and bugs to the horses. It's interesting that not all trainers do this although many use shavings but this is more expensive. A man is employed solely to treat the straw day in and day out.

The outdoor swimming pool means that the horses have a fantastic view over the Cotswolds when they are doing a few lengths or to be more accurate a few circles. It's used to build muscle and to help horses recover from injuries. Must be quite bracing having a dip on som occasions. Over at Jackdaws Castle (Jonjo O'Neills) they have an indoor pool and even a solarium but perhaps racehorses can be too pampered?

Yet more horses and more stables and we stop and say hello to Khyber Kim (pic on left), who has a good chance in the Champion Hurdle.

Carl says that winning races is about stamina and not speed. Horses that win tend to maintain a constant gallop from start to finish. He then says that Imperial Commander is slow. Yikes! This is not good as I really fancy him for the Gold Cup. But Carl reassures me and says Imperial Commander is all about stamina and will stay the Gold Cup trip. Although, through of as a soft ground horse Carl says he'll love the likely good ground and thinks he has a great chance in the Gold Cup. He respects Kauto Star but doesn't fancy Denman at all.

Someone mentions breakfast and it's off to the Hollow Bottom for a great feast. The walls are adorned with racing paraphernalia and lots of Imperial Commander scarfs. I wonder if they are they taking the piss a bit?
After more racing talk and a quick flick through the Racing Post it's time for Carl to head to Stratford races and for me to head back to Cheltenham.

Seeing a top class racing stables first hand with a racing professional was superb experience. The morning was arranged through Course and Distance Racing Tours. To find out more you can visit their website. As well as stable visits they also arrange trips to the Arc and the Velka Pardubicka.

Travel information and tips on getting to Cheltenham Racecourse, Prestbury Park

jonathan.pollinger@gmail.com (Jonathan Pollinger) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:30:00 +0000

Train travel

Cross Country Trains is the official travel partner of the Cheltenham Festival and is urging racer-goers to enjoy a relaxing journey, avoid queuing for tickets and gain extra time on the course.‘Bu s add on’ tickets are available to buy online at the same time as your train ticket, allowing you to hop straight on to the dedicated Cheltenham bus transfer which runs directly from Cheltenham train station to the racecourse every 10 minutes.

You can buy both tickets online in advance or up to three hours before you travel at www.crosscountrytrains.co.uk and also find out more about the extra dedicated Festival train services running to Cheltenham from Birmingham New Street, Bristol and Derby.

You can travel to the Festival in style aboard the totesport special train from London Euston including Reserved Seats, Breakfast, Private Transfers, Club Badge, Private Marquee and Dinner during return journey - all for £289 (Tues or Weds) or £299 Friday (train does not operate Thurs) - Call Totesport hospitality: 0800 666 160.

Road travel
For GPS users the Cheltenham Racecourse postcode is GL50 4SH.

Free minibuses from town
The Beehive and Fiery Angel are offering a free minibus service to and from the racecourse for racegoers who have breakfast with them.

Buses from town
Stagecoach service D runs every 10 minutes during the day and between 10 minutes and every hour on Monday to Saturday evenings. The service runs hourly on Sundays. Service 527 also provides a regular service from Cheltenham Centre to Bishops Cleeve and Gotherington via the Racecourse roundabout. For local Stagecoach information please call 0870 6082608.

Car share
Visit www.carsharegloucestershire.com or call 08700 111199 for information about sharing a car.

Steam train
You can travel to the Racecourse by steam train from Toddington. For more information, please contact Classic Hospitality on 08456 528 888 or visit www.classichospitality.co.uk.

Air travel
Ryanair is the official airline partner and offers flights to and from three local airports for The Festival. For details visit www.ryanair.com. For helicopter flights call RDK Emprise on 01453 821307 or email operations@rdkemprise.co.uk . To arrange to land your own helicopter, call Helicopter & Aviation Services on 01427 718 800, visit www.helipad.co.uk or email info@helipad.co.uk.

A stroll in the Park? - JP Festival Banker Bet for Cheltenham Festival 2010

jonathan.pollinger@gmail.com (Jonathan Pollinger) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 18:36:00 +0000

Enterprise Park in the Albert Bartlett Novices Hurdle is me banker bet for Cheltenham. He's trained by Willie Mullins and is likely to be ridden by Ruby Walsh, both of whom have superb records at the Cheltenham Festival.

There is no telling how good this horse is an he is unbeaten in a bumper and two hurdle races and readily wins his races. He knuckles down to the job and gets it done. The 6 year old, Enterprise Park meets the key trends of the Albert Bartlett in that he is the right age, has won over 2m 5f or further and has won or finished 2nd in a graded hurdle last time out.

He's only run on soft but the same is true of all the other leading contenders. A key point for me is that he's by Supreme Leader whose offspring prefer good going so there is every chance he'll improve when meeting ground better than he's raced on so far. His race is run on the Friday and by then warmer weather and better ground is very possible if not probable. The other main contenders are less likely to be suited by good ground.

In his last race, Enterprise Park won a 2m 6f graded race at Limerick on 28 Dec when Quito De La Roque was 2nd and Hugo De Vindecy was third. The form is strong with both these horses winning since. On form he is arguably a better horse than the same stable's highly touted Quel Esprit. Hugo De Vindecy was beaten into second by a length and three quarters by Quel Esprit in the middle of November but the former was 8 lengths behind Enterprise Park in the Limerick race. Quel Esprit has an entry in this race but he's more likely to run in the Neptune Novices Hurdle on the Wednesday.

The one negative is possibly Enterprise Park's jumping as he can be a bit sloppy but this is likely to improve on better ground and a faster pace both of which he's likely to get at Cheltenham.

I have been monitoring all news about this race for some time and believe that Enterprise Park has a great chance of keeping up the 100% record if JP Festival bankers after Celestial Halo (10/1 in 2008) and Big Bucks (6/1) last year.

Further encouragement has come today with strong support in the market, although the downside of this is that he's no longer available at a double figure price. 9/1 is available with Stan James and William Hill but it's best to take the 8/1 with Ladbrokes as they will give you your money back if he doesn't run in this race.

In summary, Enterprise Park has excellent connections, he's unbeaten, meets the trends and looks as if he'll improve on good going.

Recommended bet: 1 point ew Enterprise Park 8/1 - NR-NB with Ladbrokes

JP Festival guide to Cheltenham Festival pubs

jonathan.pollinger@gmail.com (Jonathan Pollinger) — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 16:45:00 +0000

Below is a brief guide to a selection of well known and less well known Cheltenham pubs. A good route for a pub crawl is to start in The Fiery Angel, The Swan or St Paul's Tavern after the last race before working your way into the Town Centre and up to Montpellier, before finishing in Tivoli or the Suffolks. You can then do the reverse in the morning and repeat the pattern until Friday!

Racecourse side of town

Fiery Angel on Hewlett Road - in the same ownership as The Beehive reviewed below and a similar place ie a well run modern pub with character and atmosphere with a good selection of beers. Well known for its Open Mic night so expect renditions of Cheltenham (Downtown). On the racecourse side so busy with racegoers before and after racing. They do a good breakfast and a free minibus up to the course. A good first stop after the walk back from Prestbury Park.
[Fiery Angel on Facebook]

The Swan, High Street - great pub and friendly atmosphere which has a strong following from locals. Good beer and great service. They make an effort and look after customers well. Heaters and plenty of room outside for smokers or those seeking fresh air.
[Swan website]

Après and The Brewery - This Scandinavian style large bar opened in time for Festival 09 and this year is part of the Guinness Village at the Brewery where there will be a live Irish Band; The Roving Crows, a ska/jazz/skiffle band; Thrill Collins and Guinness bars and street entertainment. Lots of TV screens here for watching the racing if you can't make it to the course and replays in the evening. Some good drinks deals but stick to Guinness (there will be promos) and avoid the Peroni unless you've backed at least 2 winners! The Brewery restaurants will be serving breakfasts.
[Après website]

St Paul's Tavern, St. Paul's Road - The recently refurbed 'Tav' won't get many mentions elsewhere but is a real find. It's a really great student/local type pub with great food and excellent prices. If you want somewhere friendly and a bit quieter than town centre pubs this could be the place.
[St Paul's Tavern on Facebook]

Town Centre

Montys Bar, St. Georges Road - Upmarket and sophisticated basement cocktail bar (part of The George Hotel) that does great cocktails around a tenner each. Good place to celebrate a win with a quick cocktail but it can become cramped as it gets busy.
[Montys Bar website]

Revolution, Clarence Parade - aka Vodka Revs. Large venue with great cocktails, drinks and food range at reasonable prices. Good atmosphere, good music (cranked up as it gets later) and you might even get a seat. My favourite Cheltenham bar. Likely to be an eclectic mix of young fashionably dressed hotties and suited and booted punters. My bank manager has told me not to go this year to avoid the shoulder massage girls.
[Revolution Cheltenham website]

The Bank House, Clarence Steet - aka new Weatherspoons, aka posh Weatherspoons, aka 'where Que Pasa was'. A new venue for Festival 2010 having opened in October. Only been in once and I read the Racing Post from back to front before I was served. Has gone down well with locals though and Guinness here is about 2/3rds the price of the racecourse. Might be worth a try before the carpets get sticky. A better option than 'Old Weatherspoons'.

Yates Wine Lodge, Crescent Terrace - Yates err...Wine Lodge? Sounds like a chilled place with 6 different varieties of Sauvignon Blanc. It isn't. However, the word is that it will be undergoing a refurb the week before race week to become a flagship Yates Wine Lodge. Will this make any difference? Update (09/03/10) Apparently it has made a difference! £300k spent and looks good by all accounts. Re-opens this Friday.
[Yates website]

Tailors, Cambray Place - great sports pub with nice open area out front with tables and benches. Easy to spot as it's a big building covered in Ivy. Plenty of large TV screens both upstairs and in basement bar which will house a live band that shakes the foundations. Good selection of beers and friendly bar staff. Last year they showed re-runs of the races. Also, not a bad place to start the day as they do a hearty breakfast.
[View Tailors on Facebook]

Montpellier

Montpellier Wine Bar - known globally as 'the Wine Bar' it's not to everyone's taste as viewed as a bit snobby by some. But that's not the case in Festival week. Great atmosphere and fun to drink outside on the pavement and get involved in some racing banter as punters walk by. I've met journos, newspaper photographers, the World Spoof Champion! and a few actors/actresses in here. There are likely to be some mature ladies looking for monied racegoers and new husbands - you have been warned!
[Wine Bar website]

O'Neills, Montpellier Walk - Go here for the best pint of Guinness in town. Great atmosphere, good range of drinks, racing themed, live music and it's loud. You can eat here if you get back from the course quickly. Has to be the place to go on St Patrick's Day (Wednesday) where there should be a great Irish Craic fuelled by singing, dancing and Guinness. Expect some promos from the Guinness girls.
[O'Neills website]

The Queens Hotel - Overrated and extremely crowded. Unless you are staying here or have booked a chair in the bar to sleep in (I kid you not!) I wouldn't bother. Much better to skip the Queens and go to the adjacent Blanc Brasserie cocktail bar which adjoins the hotel. A good place to eat too.
[Queens website]

Tivoli

The Jolly Brewmaster, Painswick Road - local type of pub with excellent selection of real ales and several draft ciders. Plenty of room in the garden for smokers. Quite difficult to find (and therefore not as busy as town centre pubs) as in middle of a residential street. Worth seeking out for the good quality drinks and friendly atmosphere.
[Jolly Brewmaster website]

Lansdown

Lansdown Inn - very much a sports pub with even more TV panels than last Festival so great for watching the racing if you can't make it to the course. Younger punters go here. Quite busy despite not being in the town centre. Good prices. Not a bad place to get a quick dinner after the races alhough it's the other side of town. The restaurant upstairs is usually quieter than town centre restaurants in Festival week.

The Suffolks

The Retreat, Suffolk Parade - Like the Wine Bar lots of suited and booted moneyed punters here eyeing up the horsey hotties (generally ex Cheltenham Ladies College gels) in tweed. Small garden outside for smokers. Smart, trendy, not too busy and everything is red.
[Retreat website]

The Beehive - the atmosphere really buzzes here. A good modern 'local' with a great mixed crowd. Garden outside for smokers. Great choice of real ale, lagers and cider. Good place for chatting to other racegoers and Cheltenham residents. as it's friendly. Recommended.
[Beehive on Facebook]

Why Imperial Commander can win the 2010 Cheltenham Gold Cup

jonathan.pollinger@gmail.com (Jonathan Pollinger) — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 15:31:00 +0000

Here is a follow up piece to my Christmas Day (how sad is that) article selecting Imperial Commander for the Gold Cup.

Seemingly a two horse race between Kauto Star and Denman, there are not many other genuine contenders for the Gold Cup and the race lacks strength in depth.

Cooldine and Imperial Commander are the only other contenders that have shown anywhere near the form and ability to win the Blue Riband of jump racing.

The latter at 14/1 with William Hill is great value to take charge of the Gold Cup by upsetting the big two and putting Cooldine to the sword.

In Imperial Commander, trainer Nigel Twiston Davies has an improving classy chaser who simply loves Cheltenham. He took the Ryanair Chase at the Festival last year and the Paddy Power Gold Cup in 2008. Five of his six victories have come at Prestbury Park, where he boasts a 55% strike rate (better than Kauto Star’s 50% record).

The favourite, Kauto Star is going to be tough to beat but in the Betfair Chase at Haydock Imperial Commander came within a whisker of beating Kauto Star. Yet, Kauto Star is odds one and Imperial Commander is 12/1. So the bookies are saying that Kauto Star has more than 12 times the chance of winning the big race? I don’t think so. The Haydock race was an improved performance from nine year old Imperial Commander and at this optimum age for a chaser he is likely to improve again.

The Haydock race proved that Imperial Commander can stay a 3 mile trip and he didn’t look as if he was stopping. The 3m 2f of the Gold Cup should not be a problem. At Haydock, he also demonstrated that he doesn’t need to make the pace and this versatility will be important come Friday 19 March.

Kauto Star and Denman are now ten years old. The last ten year old winner was Cool Dawn in 1998 and there have only been two 10 year old winners in the past 20 years. Are either of them improving at 10 years old? No. Is Imperial Commander. Yes.

Denman’s performance in the Hennessy Gold Cup was simply awesome but at Newbury in the Aon Chase he fell and seemed to lack his usual zip. Hardly an ideal prep for Cheltenham.

The same could be said of Imperial Commander who was thrashed by Kauto Star in the King George at Christmas. However, his record suggests he just doesn’t operate on right handed tracks. This was his last run so he will be fresh and ready to run for this life at Cheltenham.

Cooldine ran a good trial in the Hennessy Gold Cup at Leopardstown when coming second to Joncol. If continuing to progress he would have a chance but he is a full stone behind Imperial Commander on Official Ratings.

To sum up, Imperial Commander has all the attributes needed to take charge in the Gold Cup and is very much a value bet.

Take a punt on Planet in the Ryanair Chase

jonathan.pollinger@gmail.com (Jonathan Pollinger) — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 19:28:00 +0000

Following the latest forfeit stage on Wednesday and a key trial at Ascot on Saturday, now is a good time to have a close look at the Ryanair Chase. It seems like a well established fixture at the Festival, but in fact there have only been five runnings since it was introduced when the Festival became a four day event in 2005. In fact, in the first year it was sponsored by the Daily Telegraph with Ryanair taking it over in 2006. For the past 2 seasons it's been a Grade 1 event and deserves that status. In it's short history it's been only been won by the well established trainers, Nicholls (twice), Henderson, Pipe and Twiston-Davies whose Imperial Commander won last year.

The general view seems to be that this year's renewal is really competitive but for me there are question marks about most of the main protagonists. Let's look the major contenders in more detail. I put Poquelin on the short list for this race after he ran a good 2nd in the Paddy Power in November and he's now the favourite. He must have a good chance especially on the likely better going but the doubt for me is that he's not performed outside of handicap company and this is a Grade 1 Chase. He is capable of improvement though and a good performance would be no surprise. He is very short in the betting given his form with Tranquil Sea.

Next in the betting is Barbers Shop who firmed in the betting today. But he hasn't won a race since about 1963 (well, a 5 runner race in December 2008) so I can't have him at around 6/1. Having said that, Nicky Henderson did win this race with a similar type in Fondmort.

Then there's Tranquil Sea who hacked up in the Paddy Power looking something special. His only run since was when coming second to Golden Silver over 2m 1f which is probably too short for him. Taking the lowest and highest prices it is hard to fathom why he is more than double the price of Poquelin at 7/1, who he beat in the Paddy Power when receiving only 2lbs. An Irish horse has yet to win this race but it's early days in its history and Tranquil Sea was the first Irish horse for 29 years to win the Paddy Power. So reasons to oppose him but the Irish stat not one of them. The big problem is lack of any news from the Edward O'Grady yard regarding his wellbeing or target. He seems to have gone completely off the radar.

Others to consider are Schindlers Hunt but he's another like Barbers Shop who rarely wins and he not improving at age 10. Voy Por Ustedes was a hot favourite for the race last year and he also isn't getting any younger and has done little this season. I wouldn't be surprised if he bounced back to grab a place but I can't see him winning.

That leaves Planet Of Sound who is my selection. He has strong form in two races he's contested this season. He won the Haldon Gold Cup with Twist Magic (giving 15lbs) back in third. Then at Ascot in a Grade 2 he caught Albertas Run on a going day but was a good 2nd (was giving away 6lbs) after making a mistake at the ninth. Voy Por Ustedes and Schindlers Hunt were behind in 3rd and 4th. So he has form mixed up with some really good horses, is a winner of a Graded Chase and he's open to improvement. He has been trained specifically for this race and has a top trainer in Philip Hobbs. Finally, he has Festival form with a third in the Arkle last year.

Planet Of Sound is a value each way bet at a double figure price. Let's make the bookmakers for not cutting his odds after Joncol's withdrawal in mid-week by hoovering up the 10/1 with Corals, Hills or Bet365. He is favourite to win the Betfair Chase on Ascot and a win there will see his price drop to singles figures. Let's hope he flys in on Saturday en route to winning the Ryanair.

Recommended bet: 1 point ew Planet Of Sound 10/1 - generally

Update - 19 Feb 2010: Following my comments above yesterday on the lack of news regarding Tranquil Sea, it was announced today that he will run at Naas on Sunday. Edward O'Grady stated, "He's in good form and if all goes well he'll head for the Ryanair Chase."

Full version of Cheltenham (Downtown) song

jonathan.pollinger@gmail.com (Jonathan Pollinger) — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 20:58:00 +0000

Denmania awaits!

jonathan.pollinger@gmail.com (Jonathan Pollinger) — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 09:47:00 +0000

Off to Newbury today for some superb jump racing action, Cheltenham Festival 2010 clues and Denmania! I'll be reporting live via @jpfestival on Twitter and in the Weekly Update which will be sent out on Monday.

If you're not on Twitter you can still follow the updates on the right hand side of the site. If you're not yet subscribed to the Weekly Update please sign up, again on the right.

Only 31 days to go until the Cheltenham roar!

Your Introduction to the Cheltenham Festival 2010

jonathan.pollinger@gmail.com (Jonathan Pollinger) — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 08:34:00 +0000

You can read an article I wrote for Eclipse by following this link: Your Introduction to the Cheltenham Festival 2010 from Eclipse. It's aimed at people new to racing and I hope it conveys the magic of the four days in March.

Cheltenham Festival 2010 preview events

jonathan.pollinger@gmail.com (Jonathan Pollinger) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 10:38:00 +0000

Below are details of upcoming Cheltenham Festival 2010 preview events in the UK listed in date order. Please check with the organisers to confirm the event details before making any arrangements. Once you have confirmation early booking is advised as many of these events sell out.

If you are aware of any other events or additional details for the events please let me know and I’ll add them to the listing. Thank you.

Wednesday 10 March 2010
Newbury Racecourse - 8.00pm West Berkshire Racing Club Cheltenham Preview Evening
Panel chaired by Mark Kershaw and includes Tanya Stevenson, Tony Stafford. They'll be a raffle for Help for Heroes.
Tickets are £2 for members and £5 for non-members. Contact Carole Seaton at Newbury Racecourse on 01635 39640.

Towcester Racecourse - 7.30pm
Cheltenham Preview Evening
Bob Cooper is host and panel includes Mark Winstanley, Gary Wiltshire, Andrew Mount and Paddy Brennan.
Admission is £12 which includes Weatherbys Cheltenham Preview (price £12.95).

Beverley Arms Hotel, North Bar Within, Beverly - 7.30pm
Cheltenham Preview Evening
Tom O'Brien will chair and panel includes Richard Fahey and Brian Hughes.
Tickets are £8 in aid of Yorkshire Cancer Research and include light refreshments. Contact Beverley Arms Hotel 01482 869 241 or Ken Brooke 01964 551335.

Thursday 11 March 2010
Cartmel Racecourse - 7.00pm
Cheltenham Preview Evening
Panel yet to be finalised, but will feature a strong line-up of experts ready to provide plenty of betting information for Festival.
Admission is £12.50 which includes a pie and pea supper and a few extra goodies on the night. Tickets for the event are strictly limited and always in great demand, so it is advisable to book early through the Racecourse on 015395 36340.

Mayfair Hotel, London
Cheltenham Preview Dinner
Dinner with Paul Nicholls.
Phone 02075811111 for ticket details.

Friday 12 March 2010
Plumpton Racecourse
Cheltenham Preview Evening with Champagne reception
Andy Stewart, Mark Winstanly and Nick Gifford on the panel.
Tickets priced at £47 and booking on 01273 890383.

Hamilton Park Racecourse - 7.15pm
Cheltenham Preview Night sponsored by WBX.com (World Bet Exchange) and Isle Of Skye Blended Scotch Whisky
Hosted by Gordon Brown (Attheraces) with guest speakers including Peter Scudamore, Mark Howard, Iain Turner, Iain Taylor (Garry Owen of The Daily Record) and Joe McNally. Phone interviews include trainers and jockeys from both sides of the Irish sea.
Doors Open 6:30pm Preview Starts 7:15pm, Finish 11:15pm Last Orders 11:45pm.
Entry is £12 and includes a 15ml sample of Isle Of Sky Whisky, a free prize draw with free bets and tickets to various race meetings. £10 for bookings of 5 or more. 25% Discount to £9 for Scottish Punter Club members and members of Hamilton Park Racecourse who book before the 10 March.
For further information or to buy tickets phone Paul Abbott on 07877618120.

Saturday 13 March 2010
Sandown Racecourse - Raceday
Racing UK Cheltenham Festival Preview and Raceday hospitality
Panel includes Racing UK TV presenters.
Tickets are priced at £35 and include use of the Racing UK suite during afternoon racing. Call 01372 470047 for more info or to book.

Sunday 14 March 2010

Cheltenham Racecourse - 7.00pm

Official Cheltenham Festival Preview sponsored by Sportingbet

Organised by Cheltenham Racecourse in conjunction with Cheltenham and Three Counties Race Club.

Chaired by Times correspondent Alan Lee, the panel includes Gary O'Brien of Attheraces, Lee Mottershead of the Racing Post, Sportingbet.com's Mick Fitzgerald, Carl Llewellyn, assistant to local hero Nigel Twiston-Davies, Tom Scudamore and trainer Paul Nolan.

Tickets are £8. Doors open at 5.15pm with a start time of 7.00pm. There will be a full bar and snack food available, along with a display of the trophies for all 26 races. There will also be a raffle and auction in aid of Retraining of Racehorses. There are special concessions for signed up members of the Club. If you are a member you will receive a copy of the Racing Post Festival Betting Guide, worth £10 as a complimentary gift. Packed with useful tips and trends, and fresh from the panel's views, the 26 races will look easy to solve. To purchase tickets, click here. For those unable to attend I'll be live blogging the event on this site.

Monday 15 March 2010

Golden Heart Inn, Nettleton Bottom, Birdlip, Gloucester - 7.00pm
Cheltenham National Hunt Festival Preview 2010
Presentation by Dave Makin usually preceded by pub dinner from 7.00pm with talk starting at 8.00pm for around 40 minutes. Dave encourages questions and comments during the session.
No charge for this informal event. Just turn up.

JP Festival email newsletter launching Monday

jonathan.pollinger@gmail.com (Jonathan Pollinger) — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 18:48:00 +0000

If you haven't yet subscribed to my email newsletter please do so if you'd like to read:

Review of past week's horse racing action
Latest Cheltenham Festival market movers
JP's thoughts on Festival 2010
A look at the JP Festival ante-post portfolio
Latest JP Festival news

First weekly newsletter out on Monday. You can find the form to the right of this post.

Great exclusive content on Cheltenham Festival 2010 and it's free!

Tataniano to wave goodbye to all comers in Arkle

jonathan.pollinger@gmail.com (Jonathan Pollinger) — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 15:27:00 +0000

As hinted in my post on Sunday, I'm keen on Tataniano for the Arkle Challenge Trophy, the 2nd race on the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival on Tuesday 16 March. Following the publication of the entries today and trainer Paul Nicholls making bullish noises now is the time to stake my colours to the mast. Furthermore, Tataniano runs tomorrow at Newbury and whilst he is long odds on, a clear round will probably result in the typical trimming of the odds of any Festival contender who wins a race.

Unlike, last year when the race was weak this year's renewal is very competitive. I was against Paul Nicholls contender, the similarly named Tatenen last year, but this time around I think his entry is the one and a value price at 8/1.

Tataniano is unbeaten over fences and his overall record including hurdle races is 5 wins from 7. Crucially, the second chase win came at Cheltenham so we know he acts well over the course. That win came in the Grade 2 Novice Chase at the Paddy Power meeting where he easily beat Pigeon Island, jumping accurately and quickly which he'll need to do if he wins the Arkle. He's also a good age at 6 years old, the same age as Azertyuiop when he won the Arkle for Nicholls in 2003. The trainer also won the race in 1999 with Flagship Uberalles so he knows what's required.

Most of the Arkle attention has been focussed over the water in Ireland as their contenders have been the ones running. The favourite is old friend Captain Cee Bee who did the blog a good turn when winning the Supreme Novices in 2008. He then had a season out but has shown good form over fences before falling last time. That has to be a concern in a fast paced race like the Arkle and at 9 years old his age is also a concern. Only two 9 year olds have won since the race started in 1946. Sizing Europe won the Grade 1 Novice Chase at Leopardstown in which Captain Cee Bee came down when challenging and is second favourite but he disappointed when favourite for the Champion Hurdle in 2008 and in light of that I'm giving him the swerve. Somersby is considered to be the major English challenger but unless the race develops into a war of attrition I think he's too slow and he's better suited by further.

I think another reason why there hasn't been much media interest in Tataniano is that he carries the same colours as last year's favourite and faller Tatenen and has a similar profile and front running style but he's an altogether much stronger looking animal and much classier horse. Looking further ahead, he's likely to be a contender for the 2011 Queen Mother and that's not something you could have said about last year's favourite.

Reports from Somerset indicate that Tataniano worked brilliantly yesterday and Paul Nicholls is very bullish saying today "take the 8-1 for Cheltenham while it lasts". That's clinches the case for me so take the 8/1 with Paddy Power.

Recommended bet: 1 point ew Tataniano 8/1 - Paddy Power

Impact of weekend jump racing action on Cheltenham Festival 2010

jonathan.pollinger@gmail.com (Jonathan Pollinger) — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 17:39:00 +0000

With the first full jumps programme taking place in England and Ireland since before Christmas, there has been plenty of racing to look at with a view to the Cheltenham Festival. With only 50 days to go before the gates of Prestbury Park swing open, I take a look at each of the main Festival races whose contenders have been in action this weekend.

Supreme Novices Hurdle
Starting with the opener on the Tuesday...at Haydock yesterday, Peddlers Cross won the first race impressively but this was small field soft ground race so whilst he could be smart, caution is advised. He is a best priced 25/1 for this with Hills and Betfred but punters should be aware that he also holds and entry in the Neptune Novices Hurdle on the Wednesday of the Festival. Rite Of Passage won the opening maiden hurdle today at Leopardstown going away by 3 lengths. Available at a best priced 20/1 this morning with Corals, they continue to offer the best price at time of writing of 14/1. This seems pretty short to me given that this was only a maiden hurdle and he was expected to win. Add the fact that his target could be the Neptune and he has to beat Dunguib in this it's hardly a generous price. Amazingly, Blue Square go half those odds at a ludicrous 7/1. This is typical overeaction by a bookie of a winner in the couple of months leading up to the Festival. Menorah as also cut by totesport to 7/1 today. I'm not putting him up as a tip as he's too short, but I have felt since he won the bumper that Dunguib is something special and will win this.

Arkle
Sports Line was strongly backed today and started favourite to take the Irish Arkle but he could only manage second behind An Cathaoir Mor. He is trained by Henry De Bromhead who now has a strong hand in the Arkle as his stable also houses leading hope Sizing Europe. Today's winner has been introduced at 16/1 into the market by Paddy Power - view full Arkle market. I think this is a fair price although I doubt An Cathaoir Mor will quite have the pace of the more obvious contenders. It should be noted that this was a small field racing on heavy ground (soft in places). This result was a boost to the form of favourite Captain Cee Bee who beat the winner by 5 lengths at Naas last month. Bookies took the view that his chances had been boosted and he's a short as 4/1 with Bet365, Corals and others. There was little change to the price of Sports Line who remains around 20/1 and today's faller Zaarito who is a best priced 25/1 with Victor Chandler. Further evidence for this race will be available after leading contender Tataniano runs at Newbury for Paul Nicholls on Friday. At this stage, he's the one I like and I might put him up as a tip this week.

Champion Hurdle
After yesterday's Champion Hurdle Trial at Haydock and today's Irish Champion hurdle, Solwhit is the new favourite having one the latter impressively at Leopardstown. He goes to Cheltenham with a leading chance in what remains a very open race. Interestingly, Ladbrokes have kept him at 6/1 although the two Irish bookies (Paddy Power and Boylesports) are half those odds. Jump in at Ladbrokes if you fancy Solwhit as I think it's a fair price and it's unlikely to be available for much longer. The disappointment of the race was this blog's Champion Hurdle selection Celestial Halo, who is now out to 20/1 having been recommended here at 14/1. My hope is that better ground in the Spring in a race he ran well in last year will spark a return to form on the 16 March. It should be remembered that he disappointed in his warm-up before the Triumph in 2008 so maybe history will repeat itself. Fingers crossed! Yesterday, Medermit beat hot favourite and reigning Champion Hurdler, Punjabi at Haydock to enter calculations. I do like the way this horse travels so powerfully and I think he's run well. There was further shortening of this odds today although 16/1 is still available at Hills and sportingbet. Punjabi, disappointed again and perhaps like Celestial Halo he is a good ground spring horse. Best price is 16/1 which is pretty big for a reigning Champion Hurdler. There are many chances here but having put up Celestial Halo, I'm sticking with him.

Mares Hurdle
No positives for this race at the weekend but worth noting a couple of negatives. Whiteoak, winner of the Mares Hurdle in 2008, was disappointing at Ascot having been beaten a country mile and will be freshened up before going straight to Cheltenham. Also at Ascot, Stravinsky Dance was beaten a similar distance in the handicap hurdle. She will run in the Tote Gold Trophy before plans are made for Cheltenham by trainer Nicky Henderson, who had a number of horses run poorly at the weekend. At this stage, last year's winner Quevega looks nailed on for this but is too short for betting purposes at 5/4.

Neptune Investments Novices Hurdle
Moving onto the Wednesday races...the positive indicators for the Neptune concerned Rite Of Passage and Peddlers Cross who have been discussed under the Supreme Novices Hurdle heading. Rite Of Passage was cut from a best priced 14/1 for this and currently trades at 10/1 or less. Peddlars Cross is a best priced 16/1. Difficult to guess the targets for these two but I suspect they might both run in this, which at this stage seems less competitive. Favourite for the Neptune this morning was Quel Esprit but having been turned over at 3/10 is now on the drift and looks less of a likely winner. He also holds an entry in the Albert Bartlett. I've been very taken by Quantativeeasing, the new favourite, and at this stage he would be my fancy although I'm not putting him up as a tip...although I might! Watch this space.

RSA Chase
Diamond Harry put up a very impressive performance in his first run over fences against a small but quality field. He is 8/1 with Ladbrokes but I'm not sure that he has enough time to get enough experience in for the rough and tumble of a Grade 1 novice chase. He would be some horse indeed if he were to win at Cheltenham. There is no doubt he has class though and perhaps connections will regret that they did not send him chasing earlier. However, they were delighted with the result yesterday and good luck to them. My pick for the RSA Chase, Bensalem was challenging Diamond Harry when he came down three out. I hope my neighbours have forgiven me for my yell as he hit the deck! It would have been interesting if he'd stayed on his feet and I don't agree at all with the RUK commentator who said that Diamond Harry would have won anyway. Bensalem jumped poorly throughout and like the winner needs more experience. He remains a 25/1 chance and I haven't yet lost hope.

Albert Bartlett
The action concerning this race centred around Quel Esprit who this morning was vying for favouritism with Tell Massini. As noted under the Neptune Investments Hurdle heading the former was beaten today and is on the drift in this race too. Given his lack of pace at the end of this 2m 4f race today I think this could be the more likely target as it looks like a 3 mile trip would suit the horse. Tell Massini is a best priced 5/1 with Bet 365 whilst Quel Esprit is top price at 7/1 with Corals. I suggest that 7/1 could turn out to be generous if he Quel Esprit lines up for this. At this stage though I fancy stable mate Enterprise Park who is available at 12/1. Not an official blog tip though.

Triumph Hurdle
Advisor, one of several contenders for the Triumph from Champion Trainer Paul Nicholls yard, won well at Ascot yesterday. He remains a top price 25/1 chance with Skybet. It seems that the trainer is unsure of the pecking order of his juveniles and there are plenty of cards to be played from his and other yards. At this stage I like Mille Chief trained by Alan King who has a great record in this race. The horse has stacks of improvement to come and is well thought of by connections. He's the favourite and is a best price 9/1 with Paddy Power - full Triumph market.

By the way, did I mention that there are only 50 days to go? Just 50 days!

Cheltenham Festival 2010 accommodation

jonathan.pollinger@gmail.com (Jonathan Pollinger) — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 13:29:00 +0000

Accommodation for the Cheltenham Festival is very hard to come by and some hotels and Bed and Breakfasts are booked up from one year to the next. As well as all the beds even the chairs are reserved in the Gold Cup bar at the Queen's Hotel!

If you're still looking for accommodation then a good bet is the Cheltenham Tourist Information Centre. You can search their accommodation database here and soon you'll be able to book a place to stay online too. In the meantime, you can check availability by phoning 01242 522878 or emailing info@cheltenham.gov.uk. Their list changes regularly and the do get cancellations so even close to the Festival they are worth a try if you are in need of a place to stay.

I'd also recommend a local accommodation agency, Cheltenham Racing Accommodation, who are dedicated to finding the best bed and breakfast and self-catering accommodation in and around Cheltenham Racecourse. Visit the Cheltenham Racing Accommodation website, phone them on 01242 234729/07980 600365 or email them.

Looking ahead to Cheltenham Festival 2010

jonathan.pollinger@gmail.com (Jonathan Pollinger) — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 12:48:00 +0000

I write at the start of 2010 and the Cheltenham Festival gets ever closer with only 72 days to go. Happy New Year! What a Festival it is going to be with the highlight being the Gold Cup but also Irish Banker Dunguib and Big Bucks to look forward to.

Is it an exageraion to say that this year's Gold Cup really could be the race of the century? Racing is all about the competition to finish first past the post and with Kauto Star and Denman currently the best they have ever been, it is going to be some competition. Add in the likelihood it will be Walsh (on Kauto) v McCoy (on Denman) and it just gets better and better. Let's hope that the BHA make the most of it and gain maximum publicity for our great sport.

Imperial Commander and Karabak were the two JP Festival selection to run over the Christmas holidays. In the King George we witnessed a simply awesome display from Kauto Star who won this top quality race by the length of Cheltenham High Street. Imperial Commander made a bad mistake at the second fence and failed to get into the race so whilst disappointing I am sure we'll see a better performance at Cheltenham were he has such a great record. I am still hopeful of a place in the Gold Cup, particularly with Cooldine disappointing in the Lexus Chase at Leopardstown. Imperial Commander is now out to a best priced 20/1 with Paddy Power, having been recommended at 12/1. Given the fact we can right off the King George run I think this is great value so jump over to Paddy's.

I was at Newbury to Karabak finish a great second (3 1/2 lengths) to the monster that is Big Bucks. Given the heavy ground (he will improve for better ground in the World Hurdle) this we a really encouraging performance. Bookmakers agreed and cut his odds with totesport going as low as 13/2. Ladbrokes are a stand out 10/1 and if you've not yet backed him I suggest you take this price now as it won't last for long. As stated in the original analysis this is a great each way bet as the race lacks strength in depth and whilst Big Bucks should win the value is with Karabak. Karabak is a possible for the Cleeve Hurdle where he will get an allowance having not yet won a graded race. Big Bucks is going straight for the World Hurdle so I think Karabak will take in the Cleeve at the Cheltenham Festival Trials meeting on 30 January. If he doesn't then it will go straight to the Cheltenham Festival.

The Queen Mother selection, Forpadydeplaster was due to run over Christmas in the Dial-A-Bet Chase but unfortunately was cast in his box the night before the race. Tom Cooper is now looking for another race and said, "There's the Normans Grove Chase at Fairyhouse, a race at Punchestown and we might look at the Victor Chandler in England, although that's probably unlikely." Forpady is now a best priced 10/1 with Ladbrokes having been put up in August as the first JP Festival selection at double those odds.

Celestial Halo, the Champion Hurdle selection, is likely to run in the Kingwell Hurdle at Wincanton next month. He is a best priced 10/1 with Paddy Power having been put up at 14/1.

The remaining selection, Benasalem for the RSA Chase, was due to run at Cheltenham yesterday but was withdrawn due to the ground. It would have been really interesting to see how he got on against the current favourite for the RSA Chase, Punchestowns but it's likely they will meet before the Festival, so we'll learn more then. There was a good boost for the form of Bensalem when Take The Breeze, his conqueror at Exeter, won at Newbury on the 29 December. Bensalem is now trading at 25/1 with Ladbrokes having been recommended here at 33/1.

There'll be a few more tips before the roar goes up in March. These will include my banker where I hope to get up a JP Festival hat trick following the wins of Celestial Halo at 10/1 in 2008 and Big Bucks at 6/1 in 2009. So keep coming back and please follow me on Twitter for daily Cheltenham Festival news updates.

Imperial to take command in Cheltenham Gold Cup 2010

jonathan.pollinger@gmail.com (Jonathan Pollinger) — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 10:34:00 +0000

I'll be cheering for Kauto Star to complete an historic four timer in the King George tomorrow, but I'm going to put up Imperial Commander for the Gold Cup so will be looking for a good run from him too.

Seemingly a two horse race between Kauto Star and Denman, there are not many other genuine contenders for the Gold Cup and the race lacks strength in depth. The selections on this blog are all about value and the 12/1 with totepsport about Imperial Commander is great value. In Imperial Commander we have an improving young classy chaser who loves Cheltenham.

The most recent evidence we have on the relative merits of Kauto Star is the Betfair Chase at Haydock where Imperial Commander proved a lot of doubters wrong by staying the 3 mile trip and coming within a whisker of beating Kauto Star. Kauto Star is 9/4 for the Gold Cup and Imperial Commander is 12/1. So the bookies are saying that Kauto Star has a five times greater chance of winning the big race? Mmmm. The Haydock race showed an was improved performance from eight year old Imperial Commander and at this optimum age for a chaser he is likely to improve again.

Kauto Star and Denman will both be ten years old when March comes around. The last ten year old winner was in 1998, Cool Dawn.

Denman's performance in the Hennessy Gold Cup was just awesome and if in good health he will also be a factor but he is the same price as Kauto.

Imperial Commander loves Cheltenham having won five times including victories in the the Ryanair at Festival 2009 and the Paddy Power Gold Cup in 2008.

It will be fascinating to see how he gets on in the King George tomorrow. His record would suggest he doesn't operate well on right handed tracks (although he's only tried twice) although his past performances also suggested he wouldn't stay three miles. If he can finish close to Kauto Star then his odds for the Gold Cup will fall and should he finish in front of him they will collapse. He is an excellent each way alternative to the big two at the prices.

So at a standout 12/1 with totesport now is a great time to back the Commander.

Recommended bet: 1 point ew Imperial Commander 12/1 - totesport

Cheltenham Gold Cup Day to be a Bank Holiday

jonathan.pollinger@gmail.com (Jonathan Pollinger) — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 11:09:00 +0000

Let's campaign to make Cheltenham Gold Cup Day a Bank Holiday. N. Brien has submitted a petition to the Prime Minister's website and I've set up a Facebook group so let's see what support we can get. After all, it worked for Rage Against the Machine. Here are five great reasons for making Gold Cup Day a Bank Holiday:

1) British workers have the fewest public holidays in Europe, compared to 11 in France, 12 in Italy and between nine and 12 in Germany.
2) It works for the Melbourne Cup in Australia - the race that stops a nation.
3) More people will have the opportunity to get involved in this unique and special sporting event without necessarily attending.
4) The temporary staff hired for the Friday would earn double-pay which would flow back into the local economy.
5) Local people who don't like racing can go away for a long weekend and free up the town for Gold Cup day and night celebrations

Edward Gillespie, Cheltenham Racecourse supremo said, "I suspect the idea comes from Australia and the Melbourne Cup. I believe that is a public holiday and everyone in the country watches the race. In fact I can't think of a better way to spend a Friday in March than having a day off to watch the Gold Cup, well done to whoever has come up with this petition."

Christine Tustin, tourism manager at Cheltenham Borough Council, said: "Gold Cup Day is such a different day in Cheltenham anyway and affects everything in town so we might as well have a holiday. It would also be amazing for one of the county's public holidays to have Cheltenham in the name."

Join the Facebook campaign group
Sign the petition for the Prime Minister

10 things UK racecourses could learn from Santa Anita

jonathan.pollinger@gmail.com (Jonathan Pollinger) — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 11:17:00 +0000

It's interesting to see that Kempton are going to encourage racegoers to wave placards with the number 4 on them if Kauto Star wins the King George on Boxing Day. This innovation echoes the numerous Zenayatta and Girl Power placards that I saw at the Breeders Cup last month. It certainly helped build up the atmosphere at Santa Anita so it will be interesting to see how it works at Kempton and whether people wave them before and during the race. Perhaps people will make and bring their own?

I think it's a fantastic idea although I do understand Paul Nicholls concern expressed in yesterday's Racing Post about spooking a horse. I think if people are sensible though it would be fine. Whilst I applaud the idea I think it could be a while before we see a Cheltenham Annual Member waving a 'Go Kauto' banner but 'racing' has to innovate and adapt. This is a great example of an idea that will appeal to younger racegoers, particularly those who attend cricket and football. Below are nine other ideas that we could use. It's a bit of a wish list, in that some of the ideas and actions would require considerable investment but the majority are simple, cheap and very achievable.

Reduce ticket prices - £6($10) to attend the world's richest sports event and £50($86) for equivalent tickets (Tatts) for Gold Cup day. Over 8 times as much! A different racing economy I know but prices need to come down. Towcester are leading the way by offering free admission so it can be done. Other ideas would be to provide free betting (or food and drink) vouchers with tickets like Newbury are doing on Tuesday 29 Dec.

Reduce drink prices - drink in racecourse bars such as Cheltenham are too expensive. £3.80 for a pint is just wrong. I haven't included food as I've given up eating at racecourses due to costs and queuing a long time ago, so have no ideas of current costs although I still see the queues.

Free and surfaced car parks - charging for parking is irritating at best and is another reason no to go racing at worse. At the Cheltenham Festival, Royal Ascot, King George at Kempton and Hennessy Gold Cup I have to park in a field and am charged for this. The first two are world class sporting events - not acceptable in the 21st century.

Free transport from train and bus stations - free comfortable buses were laid on to and from the nearest train station to Santa Anita. At the Cheltenham Boylesports meeting punters getting off trains had to wait around 30 mins for a £7 taxi to the course.

Very large numbers on cloths - such a simple idea to have the American style very large numbers to help racegoers (and the commentator) identify the horses. I doubt if there is much or any additional cost so why don't they do this? A no brainer.

Better access to horses and jockeys - Racecourses are generally structured so that horses and jockeys are kept at arms length from the crowds. Obviously there are safety issues with the horses but at the Breeders Cup you could talk to and take photos of jockeys quite easily and get to within 4 feet of a horse on it's way to post...and it was busy. Edward Gillespie was recently quoted as saying his best improvement to Cheltenham was the walkway in front of the stands. The crowds love to see the horses and jockeys walk back after the races and celebrate the winner. More of this please.

More place to sit down - Despite being young(ish) and fit it's relaxing to be able to take the weight of your feet and read the paper or have a coffee during racing and yet it can be so difficult to find anywhere to sit down. It's great to see that Cheltenham have made improvements in this area this season with loads more benches around. Such an easy thing to do - other courses please take note.

Audible racecourse commentary - How many times have you wanted to watch a race on TV and there is no commentary or even worse a different commentary? This isn't just a racecourse thing but a bookies one too. It's rare to find a TV in a bar or at totesport outlet or even on course betting shop with a commentary or one you can actually hear. Again, such an easy thing to fix that would improve the racegoers experience.

Feature race at end of card - Why do we have the feature race in the middle of the racecard? Perhaps it's for TV scheduling reasons but like the Breeeders' Cup it should be the last race on the card. The atmosphere before the Breeders' Cup Classic was explosive as throughout the card it had been fizzing away with people talking about who was going to win, and yes there were Zenyatta banners everywhere. The best race should be the Grand Finale, the climax of the meeting with the other races building up to it. People sloping off after the Cheltenham Gold Cup does not help the atmosphere. The Festival has a fantastic atmosphere but it could be better. This simple step would help all meetings not just the big ones.

Santa Anita gets the above right. Added together they make a real difference to the racing experience. Let's hope that Racing for Change (Racing Enterprises Ltd) are considering these ideas in their proposals and if not I hope they are reading this. Please comment on these ideas and feel free to add your own suggestions below.

Bensalem to be RSA King at Cheltenham Festival 2010

jonathan.pollinger@gmail.com (Jonathan Pollinger) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 17:45:00 +0000

Bensalem is my selection for the RSA Chase at the Cheltenham Festival 2010 on Wednesday 17 March 2010. Grab the 33/1 with the totesport as soon as you can. Free money is available for traders as the horse can be laid at 27 on Betfair so the price won't last for long. If Bensalem makes it to the race then I expect him to start at a single figure price on the day. The race has been a lucky one for me over the years with Lord Noelie, One Knight and Trabolgan all backed and tipped at 33/1. So can Bensalem be another 33/1 winner?

For the full range of markets at the Cheltenham Festival please use the following link: Cheltenham Betting.

I think he can so let's look at his claims. Overall, he boost an excellent record over both hurdles and chases of 5 wins out of 7 starts having come 2nd in both defeats. The first of those was a close defeat to Diamond Harry who was extremely impressive at Haydock and takes on Big Bucks this weekend. The other was over an unsuitable distance, 2m 3f at Exeter, in his most recent run. Surprisingly he was pushed out from a best price 16/1 to a stand out 33/1 with totesport. Given the distance, the poor form of the Alan King yard and the fact the race was run on heavy, this run was fine and he will show dramatic improvement when sent over a trip closer to the 3 miles of the RSA Chase on better ground.

Bensalem has the typical profile of an RSA Chase winner. He's the right age (8 out of the last 10 winners were 7) and he's a late developing national hunt bred with good quality hurdle form from last season.

I can see the odds come tumbling down following his next outing over a longer trip and when the Alan King stable is back in form. His bad form can't last the whole season...can it?

There are several other unexposed horses open to improvement and the favourite Punchestowns has to be a contender but my selections are all about value and at 33/1 Bensalem is worth a punt.

Recommended bet: 1 point ew Bensalem 33/1 - totesport

Albert Bartlett Novices Hurdle analysis

jonathan.pollinger@gmail.com (Jonathan Pollinger) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:11:00 +0000

I've written the official analysis of the Albert Bartlett Novices Hurdle for the Betfair forum so reproduce it below. There is no recommended bet on this race at this stage although at this stage I'd side with Quel Esprit.

With three key horses having been in action at the weekend and William Hill and Paddy Power opening their books, now a good time to start looking at the Albert Bartlett Novices Hurdle.

Introduced as the Spa Hurdle in 2005 when the fourth day was added to the Festival, despite it’s short history it’s been won by English, Irish and French trained horses. Originally sponsored by Brit Insurance (until 2008 when it became a Grade 1) the race is open to four year old novice hurdlers and is run over three miles.

Whilst it’s looked upon as the poor relation to the Neptune Investment Novice’s Hurdle (the 2m 5f novice hurdle on the Wednesday) it’s been won by some good horses such as Black Jack Ketchum in 2006 and Wichita Lineman in 2007. Both were trained by Jonjo O’Neill and ridden by Tony McCoy.

Only five races to go on when looking at trends but fancied runners aged six or seven who have finished first or second in a graded race last time out should be on the short list, especially if trained by Jonjo and ridden by AP. As explained later Willie Mullins’ entries also merit respect.

Age: One seven year old, two six year olds and two five year olds have won

Distance: All winners had won over 2m 5f or further

Form: All winners had won or finished 2nd in a graded hurdle last time out

Betting: Favourite has won or placed every year and 9/1 was the biggest SP - Moulin Riche in 2005 and Nenuphar Collonges in 2008.

The main contenders at this stage are the Irish pair Quel Esprit and Shinrock Paddy and Tell Massini, all three of whom won at the weekend and are all five year olds. The problem with assessing the race at this stage is that any or all of these three, and indeed other horses quoted in the market, could run in the Neptune and of course not at the Festival at all.

Quel Esprit won a Grade 3 Novices Hurdle at Cork yesterday for Willie Mullins, who had his best ever Festival last March with three winners. The ground was heavy so very different from what he is likely to get on the 19 March 2010 and his form seems to indicate a preference for soft. However, with only 5 career runs this may be misleading and he jumped very well and quickened up to win very easily. A winner of four, with his only defeat being behind Dunguib in last year’s Champion Bumper and trained by Willie Mullins, he has to be taken seriously. After the race Mullins said: "Quel Esprit is at home over a trip, and we look forward to sending him over fences in the future. He'll be entered in the Neptune Investment Novices' Hurdle and Albert Bartlett at Cheltenham."

Shinrock Paddy won at Navan in a Grade 1 novice hurdle over 2m 4f in the soft beating the favourite and another potential Willie Mullins’ Albert Bartlett contender Rhyl Accord. Willie will therefore have a line on how good the winner is compared with Quel Esprit. Shinrock Paddy was very impressive and like Quel Esprit is four wins from five with his defeat also coming in Festival Bumper. The trainer, Paul Nolan seems keen on going for the Albert Bartlett, "More than likely he's a stayer and with better ground likely during the spring we'll probably go three miles with him, so at this stage we'd be looking at the Albert Bartlett." Surprisingly, he’s not currently in the Betfair market for this race.

Tell Massini maintained his unbeaten record by beating a field full of winners in the 3 mile Grade 2 novices hurdle, sponsored by Albert Bartlett, on the Saturday of the Boylesports meeting when the ground was soft. He kept on strongly up the hill and did it well. He does seem to need soft ground which his trainer, Tom George confirmed: "He has to have soft ground, so we're not making any plans about the Festival at this stage. If the ground was right he might run, but he's going to be a chaser next season and everything will be geared to that."

From a racing history point of view the other horse worth mentioning is Gorge who, if all goes to plan, will be the first Australian runner at the Festival in this race. It will be interesting to follow his progress in the build up but given the low standard of jump racing down under I can’t see him mixing it with the best British and Irish novices here, so I don’t see him as a contender.

In summary, I’d side with Quel Esprit at this stage over Shinrock Paddy given Willie Mullins’ impressive record at the Festival, the fact he had the third in this last year with The Midnight Club and that Quel Esprit is Willie’s horse to follow on his website. Interestingly, his Black Harry wasn’t that far behind Wichita Lineman when toppling over at the last in 2007 and he also ran the well backed Uncle Junior in 2008 so Mullins does appear to train one for this. Quel Esprit is currently available at 6.4 to back in the Betfair market. Following Tom George’s comments on Tell Massini you could only consider him once running plans were confirmed.

Pointers for Cheltenham Festival 2010 - Boylesports review

jonathan.pollinger@gmail.com (Jonathan Pollinger) — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 13:46:00 +0000

A great weekend of sport and drama at the 2 day Boylesports meeting at Cheltenham. So what did we learn with regard to the Festival? On Friday, Weird Al looked the most imposing horse in the paddock before the opener and was impressive in the Novice Chase and jumped well throughout. Ian Williams is not a trainer associated with good long distance chasers but he looks to have one on his hands here. A step up in trip to the 3 miles off the RSA Chase looks as if it will suite and he could well factor when the race is run on 17 March 2010.

The last race of the day was billed as a rematch between Ghizao and Lidar but it was General Miller that came out on top to complete a hat trick. He will probably go for the Supreme along with Ghizao but I really can't see them troubling Dunguib at the moment. Lidar was most disappointing.

On Saturday, I was hoping for a heavenly performance from Celestial Halo but his halo wasn't shining after the race having been outpointed fair and square by Khyber Kim who normally struggles to put 2 good performances together. Khyber Kim seems to have improved enormously and/or Celestial Halo hasn't improved as much as anticipated. One poor run doesn't mean he's lost all chance of winning the Champion but this was disappointing. On the plus side he's in the best hands with Paul Nicholls and he did seemingly disappoint before winning the Triumph Hurdle in 2008 when napped by your blogger. Furthermore, his very best performances are on slightly better ground than yesterday...clutching at straws a bit here? Maybe! Punjabi was back in fourth and most commentators seemed to think that he blew up and is the one to take out of the race. I'm not so sure and would consider this disappointing in the context of Nicky Henderson's current hot streak. The last race of the day went to Nicky Henderson's Zaynar who appeared to struggle a bit before coming out on top. He's now the new favourite for the Champion Hurdle but I can't have him. His preparation is very unusual and 5 year olds rarely win the Champion. Katchit in 2008 was the first since See You Then (trained by Henderson) in 1985. So in an open race Celestial Halo still has the chance to shine. Let's hope we see a better performance in his next race. Paul Nicholls stated today, "There are no plans yet as I've not discussed it with Andy (Stewart), but he'll have one run maybe two before the Champion. He got beat fair and square, but Cheltenham in March is a different day. It's an open race now and we've just got to try to get him a bit better than he was yesterday."

After the Paddy Power meeting I had some good words to say about Poquelin. Yesterday, Poquelin won the Boylesports Gold Cup and is now vying for favouritism with Voy Por Ustedes for the Ryanair. It was a taking performance and Paul Nicholls has confirmed today that he will be now be trained for the Festival with the Ryanair being his next race.

Keep your eye on the blog this week as I'm likely to post my selection for the RSA Chase, one of my favourite races and one in which my record is not too shabby.

Nicholls continues to be Mr Saturday

jonathan.pollinger@gmail.com (Jonathan Pollinger) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 12:50:00 +0000

Another great day's racing on Saturday for National Hunt fans with Paul Nicholls doing it again in the big race with Twist Magic winning the Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown in great style. This follows victories for Kauto Star in the Betfair Chase and Denman in the Hennessy on the previous two weekends. Interesting the same three horses won the same three races in 2007 which just goes to show that Paul Nicholls is tremendous trainer of racehorses.

The Arkle Chase at Cheltenham Festival 2010 is shaping up to be a very competitive race with bookies offering 6 horses under 12/1. On Saturday the Henry VIII novices chase at Sandown saw Henrietta Knight's Somersby beat the Emma Lavelle trained Crack Away Jack. Somersby did it well in a fast time (over 2 seconds faster than Tingle Creek) and you can be sure he'll be trained to the minute with the Arkle in mind. However, I think that Crack Away Jack would have every chance of reversing the form in a big field on good ground, conditions he is likely to get at Cheltenham where he excels. He will need to brush up his jumping though.

In the Tingle Creek Twist Magic proved what a quality horse he can be on his day and ran his rivals ragged under Ruby Walsh who made it look easy. With regards to the Cheltenham Festival 2010, I would put a line through him as a) he doesn't perform well there and b) he can be a rogue and refuse to race. My pick for the Queen Mother, Forpadydeplasterer was the only one who could keep tabs on him. Big Zeb failed to jump properly as is often the case, Well Chief is not as good as he was and Mahogany Blaze was out of his depth. Given that he hated the ground and was nearly pulled out of the race by Thomas Cooper I thought he ran OK. The day that matters is the 17 March 2010 and he is bang on target for that and added to his record of finishing 1st or 2nd. This consistent horse has now finished 1st or 2nd in 11 out if his 12 races. The bookies agreed that this was a good trial and cut his odds further to as low as 8/1. He was recommended here at 20/1 on the 30th August so I hope you took the price.

An excellent weekend at the Boylesports in Cheltenham is in prospect. Let's hope Paul Nicholls can be Mr Saturday once again with Celestial Halo, my pick for the Champion Hurdle. Advised here at 14/1 he is now best priced 7/1 with Ladbrokes. I expect him to win well on Saturday and if he does 7/1 will look a good price on Saturday night.

The build up to Cheltenham Festival 2010 is creating a head of steam

jonathan.pollinger@gmail.com (Jonathan Pollinger) — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 16:01:00 +0000

A fantastic day's racing yesterday and a great advert for the National Hunt game. It's the continuity that makes it so much more entertaining than the 'here today gone tomorrow' nature of the Flat. The racing public and general public get time to identify and form an attachment with quality horses.

Denman became the first horse since Arkle to win the Hennessy twice with a superb display of speed, stamina, jumping and courage under pressure. His awesome victory sets the scene for a great build up to the 2010 Cheltenham Gold Cup. With Imperial Commander in the mix and Cooldine another possible top notch steeplechaser it's going to be some race.

Great to see that all is well with my Queen Mother Champion Chase pick Forpadydeplasterer ahead of this Tingle Creek engagement on Saturday. You can read the upbeat bulletin on www.racingpost.com. Forpady is now 14/1 having been recommended here at 20/1.

Binocular's disappointment in the wbx.com Fighting Fifth yesterday adds to my confidence in Celestial Halo for the Champion Hurdle. He is now a best priced 7/1 having been recommended here at double those odds.

My World Hurdle pick Karabak is now best priced 12/1 having been advised here at 14/1 last weekend. Big Bucks, the winning NAP at Festival 2009, put up an awesome display yesterday at Newbury and is surely the one to beat but I'm happy with Karabak as a double figure price each way selection.

An interview with Andy Clifton of Cheltenham Racecourse

jonathan.pollinger@gmail.com (Jonathan Pollinger) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 17:04:00 +0000

Andy Clifton is Communications Manager for Cheltenham Racecourse. Today I was fortunate to be given the opportunity to catch up with Andy and ask him a few questions about his role, Prestbury Park and the Festival.

JP: What do you enjoy most in your job as Communications Manager for Cheltenham Racecourse?
AC: The best part of my job is being involved in the buzz of the build up to The Festival, a sporting event of the highest class. I am also fortunate to be in and around the winners enclosure as the great champions are led in after the big races, a true privilege.

JP: What was the first Festival you attended?
AC: My first Festival was 1987, when The Thinker won The Cheltenham Gold Cup after it was delayed by a snowstorm! Since then, the only Festival I've missed was 1990 (plus 2001 when Foot & Mouth claimed the meeting), so 2010 will be my 22nd Cheltenham Festival.

JP: When will you start preparing for the 2010 Cheltenham Festival?
AC: We started on the day after the 2009 Festival. Preparations start to reach fever pitch from early in the New Year.

JP: What are the chances of the Gold Cup being held on a Saturday?
AC: We never rule anything out, but at the moment it is nothing more than a slim possibility at some point in the future.

JP: What are your views on the Festival being extended to five days?
AC: I think that is unlikely in the foreseeable future. We don't want to dilute the quality of a great event. It is more likely that all four days will extend to 7 race cards, if there are appropriate races to add to the schedule.

JP: Is there any possibility of horses having to qualify for Championship races in future Festivals?
AC: That is something that has been put forward for discussion by Racing Enterprises Limited, but it remains to be seen how that idea is viewed during the extensive consultation process with owners, trainers, the media, customers and other interested parties.

JP: What horse are you most looking forward to seeing at Cheltenham this year?
AC: I think that Zaynar will be very exciting in whichever race he lines up in, as will Diamond Harry, but I'd have to be unoriginal and say Kauto Star defending his Cheltenham Gold Cup crown. He is the best chaser I've seen in my lifetime.

JP: What is your highlight of Festival week?
AC: From a professional point of view, getting through to Friday evening with no major dramas. From a personal point of view, The Cheltenham Gold Cup has been the highlight of my year for almost 25 years.

JP: What's the funniest thing you've seen during Festival week?
AC: A friend of mine, slightly the worse for wear after a long day at the races, falling into a bush while trying to climb into his lift back to the hotel.

JP: What's the most exciting race you've witnessed at Cheltenham?
AC: Denman's defeat of Kauto Star in 2008 genuinely had the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end.

JP: Who is your favourite Gold Cup winner?
AC: I wish I'd been able to see Arkle in action, but sadly I was only 6 weeks old when he won his final Gold Cup, so that was never going to happen.

JP: It's great to see improvements made to the course and facilities every season. What further improvement are in the pipeline?
AC: We are always trying to react to the needs of the customers and there are lots of subtle changes each year, but any significant building work is likely to have to wait for a year or two until the economy becomes strong again.

JP: Can you give an update on the proposal for Cheltenham Town to have their football stadium on the racecourse?
AC: It is still a possibility, but with Cheltenham Town's performance this season I'm not sure how many people will be queuing up to fund such a project.

JP: I know there are five months to go but who would you like to see win the 2010 Gold Cup?
AC: Kauto Star, or failing that, whichever horse I've backed!

JP: Festival 2010, will be the 30th held under Edward Gillespie's charge. Are there any plans to mark the occasion?
AC: Edward is a modest man and I'm sure he'd be embarrassed by any attention. He has taught me that it is the horses, jockeys and trainers who are the heroes of Cheltenham, not the staff who put the race meeting on. However, with over 5,000 people working at The Festival, it is a huge team effort.