Cheltenham fears for luckless Fehily

Jockey Noel Fehily will have an operation on his injured wrist tomorrow morning.

The luckless pilot was due to ride Kauto Star in his bid for history in the King George VI Chase at Kempton.

"With accompanied under-18s being admitted free too, our rescheduled 'King George day' is going to be one of the best value racing days of 2011."

"As well as the Christmas Hurdle and the Lanzarote Hurdle, both sponsored by William Hill, there is the scintillating prospect of Kauto Star's record-breaking attempt to win the William Hill King George VI Chase for a fifth successive year.

Ebor winner Dirar is being trained for an ambitious tilt at the County Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.

After winning at York, Dirar ran a sound race in the Group Two Doncaster Cup in fifth and had earlier chased home Overturn in the Galway Hurdle

"Hopefully one of the tracks might put a race on for him but I haven't looked in the programme book yet. That's what I have in my mind though.

"I think the County Hurdle should suit him well," he told At The Races.

Willie Mullins confront in Cheltenhan Festival

At concert for the Cheltenham Festival, Willie Mullins confront a race against time to have Fiveforthree.

Willie Mullins said at the races, "He did his first bit of work the other day and has done two or three pieces of fast work now and I don't know if he's going to go chasing or not yet. We can't even school on this ground the way it is at home. He's a good jumper but we might have to review the situation over Christmas and give him another season over hurdles. We had intended at the start of the season to go chasing. However, here we are at Christmas and you have to make the most of your novice year. If you want to go to Cheltenham, time is running out, but there are lots of chases to be won over there and maybe with that's what we want to do. Maybe we'll start off in a beginners chase, hopefully he'll stay sound and then we can try to get a few more and skip Cheltenham. If you are going to Cheltenham you have to prepare for it and that time is running out."

Cheltenham Festival 2011: William Hill Betting

In Cheltenham Festival, British longest bookmakers William Hill will be betting on each of the 27 race.

Across all four days of the festival the Champion Bumper to the Champion Chase, and the Fred Winter to the Foxhunters’ punters can now place bets on each race.

Kate Miller, spokeswoman for William Hill, said, ‘’This is raising our heads above the parapet in true style! We’re aware it’s a touch early, but punters have been clamouring for more Cheltenham Festival betting than ever before and so each of the 27 races is now available to bet through all channels.’’

Private Train Carriages to The Cheltenham Festival 2011

The Cheltenham Festival 2011 which will be taking place from 15 – 18 June 2011, for traveling Train Chartering is offering private First Class carriages for Cheltenham Festival 2011 from London.

The First Class carriages in the charter trains include Pullman dining; a Great British breakfast after a welcoming glass of champagne or Buck's Fizz on the way to the races, and a four-course dinner on the return to London.
Provided complimentary with each private carriage on the charter trains are:

* racecards
* newspapers
* souvenir badges
* (worth up to £80 each) Club Enclosure badges
* access to on-course private marquee with full betting facilities and pay bar
* guest speakers who will ‘mark your card'.

Since 1998 Train Chartering is providing facility services to corporate and individual clients as well as group travel organisers.You can find a wide range of train types.Train Chartering is in a unique position to tailor an appropriate rail travel experience.

Menorah cut for Champion Hurdle - Cheltenham Festival 2011

Following his victory in this afternoon's Greatwood Hurdle,Coral has cut Menorah to 7-1 (from 14-1) for the Champion Hurdle.Solwhit underlined his own Champion Hurdle claims with a Grade One win at Punchestown, and is 10-1 (from 12-1).

From the sources it has also been confirmed that Ghizao went to the head of Coral's Arkle betting at 8-1, Novices' Chase at Cheltenham with his win in the Grade Two,while Gauvain was introduced into Coral's Champion Chase betting at 14-1, following a surprise success over Forpadydeplasterer, who remains 10-1 for the King George, in the Sinbad Testimonial Chase.

"Ghizao and Menorah confirmed their liking for Prestbury Park with their respective victories, and both are likely to remain prominent in the ante post lists as the season unfol.

Cheltenham Festival Gold Cup 2011 - Kauto Star 4/1 favourite

Long Run leads the odds for this weekends Paddy Power Gold Cup. This weekends big race looks to be a 2 horse battle with Great Endeavour v Long Run the short odd favourites.

This weeks biggest horse racing news tho is champion jockey Ruby Walsh bracking his leg in a fall on Corrick Bridge last weekend. Early that day he rode Kauto Star with a four-length success in Down Royal's JNWine Champion Chase. Ruby Walsh steered the 4-7 favourite home but will not ride him on boxing days King George VI Chase. AP McCoy is the likely replacement jockey.

Long Run is also tipped to run in the Cheltenham Festival gold cup against Kauto Star, who is the 4/1 favourite. Denman is likely to face his rival again and is a 10/1 outsider to win the 2011 race.

Matalan Introductory Juvenile Hurdle at Aintree.

Conditional jockey Shane Byrne had the grey jumping well throughout the two-mile test and always looked in command as the six-year-old galloped on relentlessly to score by 22 lengths from top-weight Awesome George.

"I don't think the handicapper can be too hard on her and maybe she can go for the mares final at Newbury (in March) - that had been the plan last season, but she went lame beforehand."

McLintock has 14 horses in her stable at present, the most since she took out a licence, and her assistant Don Eddy said: "The win is not a surprise, he has been schooling very well at home. Brian and Graham Lee have been up to ride him."

The Karen McLintock-trained three-year-old was making his jumping debut but certainly knew his job and edged ahead of Pena Dorada between the last two flights before maintaining his advantage under Brian Harding to score by half a length.

Only four runners went to post for the Matalan And NSPCC Novices' Chase and two of those had departed by the fifth fence as Cool Friend went on to gain a well-deserved success under Tom O'Brien.

Sue Smith's Stagecoach Pearl (100-30) put up a splendid front-running performance in the Weatherbys Bank Handicap Chase.

Mason Hindmarsh dealt punters a blow when running out the 50-1 winner of the Halloween At Matalan Introductory Juvenile Hurdle at Aintree.

Cheltenham Festival betting - 2011 Queen Mother Champion Chase

Yet the 2010 flat season hasn't even finished, but Sporting Bet odds compilers are already getting excited about the 2011 Cheltenham Festival.

On the 2011 Cheltenham Festival Sign up with Sporting Bet through Cheltenhampro and get a free £25 bet.

Are the 5/1 co-favourites Big Zeb and Master Minded for the Queen Mother Champion Chase and there will be a few people keen to back Master Minded at a price that would look enormous judged on some of his best efforts at Cheltenham.

Each way Terms: 1/4 Odds Places 1-3 Odds

Big Zeb 5/1
Master Minded 5/1
Sizing Europe 7/1
Tataniano 8/1
Forpadydeplasterer 10/1
Captain Cee Bee 12/1
Golden Silver 12/1
Somersby 14/1
Kalahari King 16/1
French Opera 25/1
Mad Max 25/1
Osana 25/1
Riverside Theatre 25/1
Twist Magic 40/1

On Request others. A pply Ante Post Rules. All in Run or Not. Please note that if the Race is re-scheduled to another day or venue all bets will be void.

Cheltenham Festival : Binocular the star of Day

The 2010 Cheltenham Festival has started with a bang with a day of surprises leaving the bookmakers well ahead after an eventful day at Prestbury Park.
The star of the day was no doubt Binocular who claimed the Champion Hurdle in stunning style to compete a remarkable couple of weeks for the horse.
It was just a couple of weeks ago that Binocular was all but ruled out of the Festival with an injury but having recovered quickly claimed the win, with AP McCoy on board looked every inch the class horse of an open field.
Those injury doubts had caused Binocular to drift in the Champion Hurdle betting with the Nicky Henderson horse going off at a good looking 9/1 as they went to post.
All the talk before the Champion Hurdle was surrounding Go Native who went off as the favourite but he never got in the race, only Khyber Kim managed to challenge Binocular with Zaynar back in third.
The first race of the Festival was of course the Supreme Novices' Hurdle when Dunguib took his place as an odds-on favourite following a huge gamble from punters on both sides of the Irish Sea.
He never looked in great shape as he was outclassed by 12/1 shot Menorah who took a surprise win to leave the bookmakers delighted. A Dunguib win would have been a disaster for the bookies and they duly got their wish with Dunguib stuttering to third place.
The Arkle Challenge Trophy was collected by Sizing Europe for Henry De Bromhead who stayed on well despite being closed down by the good looking Somersby. It was an exciting race as usual with yet another favourite in Captain Cee Bee never in the frame as punters continued to have a bad day at the office on the first day of the Cheltenham Festival

Cheltenham may put a brake on moving Festival's final day to Saturday

It is a rare thing in racing when Saturday comes as something of a rest day for most of those in the industry. For the horses, jockeys and trainers, not to mention the record crowd at Uttoxeter's Midlands Grand National fixture, there was little time for reflection upon the highs and lows of the Cheltenham Festival that finished less than 24 hours earlier.
But it was not just bookmakers who spent the day counting cash – Cheltenham's managing director, Edward Gillespie, had considerable grounds for satisfaction on that score. Indeed, politicians trying to convince the public that Britain is out of recession need look no further than the track's cash tills.
An astonishing and unexpected growth in on-course Tote betting turnover, up 22 per cent year-on-year on Gold Cup day, took the four-day total past £10m for the first time, a cause for celebration for racing itself, as both the Tote and Cheltenham's owners, Jockey Club Racecourses, are committed to re-investing their profits into the sport rather than filling the pockets of shareholders.
Cheltenham have already submitted a planning document which proposes the construction of new buildings to replace the portable structures in the Guinness Village area, currently used by 8,000 Tattersalls racegoers and as many more hospitality guests.
While corporate sales have been hit hard, the changing face of the Cheltenham racegoer has produced unexpected rewards in other areas.
"The catering spend was up 14 per cent, which is remarkable against a five per cent crowd increase, and increased profits means that we can invest in better facilities and in the prize money, to make sure that we maintain the quality of the racing," said Gillespie.

Cheltenham Festival Betting: The Irish challenge in 2010

Following the January trials, Wayne Bailey takes a look at how well or otherwise horses from the Emerald Isle are likely to perform in March...

“It's not very original, but it will take a good horse to beat Dunguib in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and already, he’s become the Irish banker of the festival.”

In just over a month, waves of bodies both equine and human will cross the Irish Sea for the annual assault on the Cheltenham Hill and of course, the Guinness Tent. I'd guess that the numbers making the trip will be slightly down this year - and some festival regulars I've spoken to are now out of work because of the economic downturn, especially those who were employed in the building trade.

But whether the action is watched live from Prestbury Park or down the local pub, certain Irish horses are going to be backed heavily and hopefully cheered home. Following the January trials in both Ireland and the UK, here's a revised look at the Irish challenge for 2010.
Pre Book your Cheltenham Tickets online from GigSport.