Flat Out to miss Cheltenham with leg injury

Willie Mullins has confirmed that due to leg injury Flat Out will miss out on the sidelines for the remainder of the season.

Despite falling in the Frank Ward Solicitors Arkle Novice Chase at Leopardstown on Sunday, the six-year-old was still considered to be one of the leading contenders for the Irish Independent Arkle Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.

Mullins told the Irish Times: "He has a little chip fracture on a hind leg and is out for the season."

A routine veterinary inspection after his fall down confirms that he had sustained a hind leg injury when unseating Emmett Mullins at the second last fence.

Gollings Seeking for a Hero

In order to weigh up his Festival options,Steve Gollings is thinking to raise up local Hero into Grade Two company at Cheltenham later this month.

"The plan is to give him an entry in the Finesse Hurdle at Cheltenham a week on Saturday. How he runs there will hopefully help us decide between the Fred Winter and the Triumph Hurdle," the trainer said.

"He came out of Doncaster absolutely A1, he just hasn't really had a proper test yet. We know he's got a serious engine, we just need to know how serious.

"We were hoping there might be something that would want to go off in front and set a good pace, but that didn't happen so we didn't really learn much except that he's still progressing and is still a bit green really.

"There's not really a lot of time between now and the Festival in real terms and you need to know what kind of horse you've got."

Nable Prince could be collapsed for Cheltanham Festival

Nable Prince could be collapsed their location for his Cheltanham Festival prep run after his fine effort in the Bord na Mona With Nature Novice Chase.

Eventually finished the Paul Nolan trained which began before seven year with a flourish to take next place, five lengths behind the winner Realt Dubh.

At Punchestown successful on his chasing debut in October, Noble Prince has two Grade One options return at Leopardstown - the Frank Ward Solicitors Arkle Novice Chase and the Dr P.J. Moriarty Novice Chase - before Cheltenham, although Nolan may aim lower at now.

Nolan said, "We did always think he wants more of a trip, but with the ground being heavy we were thrilled with him over the two miles. He definitely got tapped for toe down the back and he stayed on really well to pass three or four horses in the straight.

He was galloping all the way to the line - it looks as though stepping him up in trip is the way to go. He's in the Arkle at Leopardstown later in the month, but we'll have the Moriarty more in mind on Hennessy day there.

But with the ground being as heavy as it is we might give him a lesser option instead of that with a view to going to Cheltenham and the better ground. He'd appreciate the ground not being as heavy as it is. We might go for a little contest as a prep to Cheltenham instead of taking on the better horses in the Grade Ones.

Barry (Geraghty) said the last day the further he went the better he was going. He was tapped for toe so hopefully a step up in trip will suit. I suppose the new two-and-a-half-miler (the Jewson Novices' Chase) looks to be the ideal race for him."

Cheltenham Festival is Moving Ahead!

Both Exeter and Wincanton Racecourses’ forthcoming Cheltenham Festival Preview evenings will be sponsored by PADDY Power.

On Thursday, February 24,The Exeter event will take place and on Thursday, March 3,it will held again at Wincanton.

On the panel at Exeter,Paddy Power will joined by David Pipe, Paul Nicholls, Nick Williams, Andrew King and Philip Hobbs with Zoe Bird hosting the evening.

At Wincanton, Paul Nicholls, Joe Tizzard, Tom Scudamore and Channel 4 Racing's 'The Female' Tanya Stevenson will join the debate with Alice Plunkett hosting.

Group director of operations, John Baker, said: “We are delighted to welcome Paddy Power to Exeter and Wincanton’s preview evenings.

“The evenings are a popular highlight on our racing calendars and having secured racing’s finest to preview the Cheltenham Festival we are sure everyone who comes will gain a valuable insight into the main contenders.”

Cheltenham Festival with Keys

In Cheltenham festival Keys could be the first runner for Derby winning instructor Welsh Roger Charlton after maintaining his unbeaten record on Saturday.

The four year old is a leading fancy for the Champion Bumper after a hat-trick with a short-head win over Cinders And Ashes at Cheltenham. Charlton said, “It doesn’t get much more exciting than a short head after an inquiry and with my first runner at the home of jumps racing”.

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.