There For Tomorrow – Sore Winner
Want to know Malcolm Heyhoe top tips for Cheltenham?
The four-day Cheltenham Festival dominates the March program, but there is an intense long program runs the month including the ever popular day Imperial Cup at Sandown plus the thrills and spills of the Midlands Grand National day at Uttoxeter. Fans housing, meanwhile, need no reminders that the new turf season starts with the William Hill Lincoln at Redcar on March 25.
March begins with the newly established Vodafone Gold Cup at Newbury on the 4th and more than two and a half miles. It is something of a surprise to find so valuable race staged so close to the Cheltenham Festival, and many trainers face the dilemma of deciding whether to run here or in any of the Ryanair Chase or Racing Post Plate over similar distances at the Cheltenham Festival.
Twelve months ago a solid handicapper in the shape of the Supreme Prince held to land the valuable prize while in its inaugural year, the Isio class was a winner and support. Absent from that season, Nicky Henderson and castrated may reappear in this race and would be an interesting contender.
The same day Doncaster Grimthorpe Chase, a staying handicap over three miles and a quarter, has been transferred to Lingfield and may well be the target of choice for a drink in Thyne, who won the Skybet Chase that had also been changed from Doncaster to Southwell in January. Perhaps the lamp replacement pattern is repeated again by Ben Pollock hunter improving young.
Champion trainer Martin Pipe has suffered a stop-start of the season, but many gamblers will continue through the list of runners for the Imperial Cup at Sandown on March 11, hoping to uncover another pipe stew for one of the season with more excitement contested handicap hurdles.
Pipe has won five times overall and has landed the award three times in recent seasons. His mass of entries should be studied carefully, and it may include classes Progressives, as Buena Vista, Acambo and Desert Air.
The combination of punishing race fierce resistance management and exhausting the bottom of the hill Sandown demand has meant that often lightly weighted horses have held an advantage over its rivals greater weight, waiting tactics have also been success in several recent winners. Do everything in a race as competitive as this is not easy.
The Irish won this race with Rake external shock Regency, trained by Arthur Moore in 1999, and any runners across the Irish Sea should be accorded the utmost respect. Jessica Harrington Studmaster, an easy winner his last two races could take in this contest or wait for the obstacle of the county in the Cheltenham Festival.
On the same day at Sandown to note also of the EBF Novices' Final Hurdle, a race that often produces a star of the future. Vallistas class A lot of young people will have this contest in its sights as the duo Lambourn Mr. appointments, and Wogan while the team intends to field NickGifford Dusky Lord.
In recent years the Irish have completed the Champion hurdle on March 14, the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival, in a tightly controlled, winning five of the last looking at the seven renewals and renewal weakened field this year is hard not to imagine the hurdles crown is broken away, again through the Sea Ireland.
Reigning title-holders have an excellent record in the Champion, but recent dual winner Hardy Eustace will have to banish a strike of the blues in his latest and disappointing effort in the AIG Europe Champion Hurdle at Leopradstown. At the age of nine many think the time may have passed.
A lot of horses have been placed in the race previously have put that experience to good use beneficial to return again next year to work well. Ireland formidable trio of Brave Inca, Mac Joy and Al Eile, who finished third, fifth and seventh respectively in last year's race, everyone will be imagining your chances of winning this race for the second time around.
The home challenge looks poor and has been hit hard by a series of cruel injuries as well as loss of form of emerging competitors such as Faasel and Penzance. Perhaps the best of the British Arcalis, whose chances will be much more rapid land Cheltenham, and return to the form of his stable.
Wednesday sees the two miles heavyweight clash in the stirring championship that is the Queen Mother Champion Chase. Predicting the winner of this year revolves around whether punters think dual winner and reigning champion Moscow Flyer is only one member of the old guard ready to Jaded be driven by young pretenders such as the Star Class Kaut and improving Fota Island.
Disappointing in his two starts so far this season, the powerful Flyer Moscow is twelve years old and has to go back almost thirty years (1977) to find the last winner of that age group.
Kaut Star, by contrast, has youth on his side and hails from the Paul Nicholls stable that has the best record of the last in this race with winners in 2004 and 1999 and four horses from 2000. Kaut Star is a worthy favorite to add to that auspicious tally.
Thursday's championship race is the World hurdle, formerly known as sedentary 'Hurdle and rather like the Queen Mother Champion Chase, which has a past champion in Baracouda attempting to add a third title in the age eleven should be included as one of the most open renewals in living memory.
But for the 2001 FMD neglect, and there are three Baracouda stayers titles to his name, but his task this year is even more difficult by his age and the presence of a strong domestic and Irish challenge of Mighty Man, No Refuge, Asian Maze and Golden Cross.
Friday March 17 is Cheltenham Gold Cup and days of bright blue cord domination Three times winner chasing best friend, the renewal of this year is one of the poorest and the most open in years and is likely to produce a result expected surprise of this great championship event.
The loss through injury of Kicking King, last year's runaway winner, has left the race open, but many fans will be looking Monkerhostin, runner-up to the imperious Kicking King in the 2005 King George VI Chase, as a possible winner. Seven of the last ten winners of the Gold Cup raced in the King George, so it is a key trial for future Gold Cup Heroes.
Cheltenham week closes with the big day National Midlands March 18 and Ossmoses, winner of last year's course will be a luxury for the leaders of four and a half miles of each prize Furlong given their preference for running over long distances in the mud. On the same card sponsors must be careful with hard Sue Smith mare Viciana in the EBF Mares 'rookies' Final Chase.
March closes with William Hill Lincoln run for the first time at Redcar (due to construction at Doncaster) and the tie is sure to have a major say in the outcome of this one handicap miles, and the first grand prix of the new turf Flat season.
Twelve months ago Newmarket trainer Sir Michael Stoute won the competition for the first time with the current Gold and offers to do the same with His Majesty King progressive, while James Fanshawe will be looking for easy ground to run if Cesare, another young and improving horse.
About the Author
Malcolm Heyhoe writes weekly horse racing articles for GG.COM-Horse racing betting, information, news, results and free daily tips
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