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Rhyl Journal
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Rhyl Journal
Horses on parade as Sandown honours John Hales
Hales died in January at the age of 85 but his influence in racing has been felt consistently over the past decades with his famous yellow silks sported by some of the most popular National Hunt horses. In recent years Hales joined forces with the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson and Ged Mason, and both were on hand to present the special award to Hales' widow Pat and daughter Lisa at the annual presentations which preceded the action on the final day of the season. Former Manchester United manager Ferguson paid tribute to his friend and his love of grey horses and said: 'He was a fantastic man with a great eye for a horse. He loved his grey horses and I don't know why he did, but he had an obsession with grey horses and some of them were fantastic. 'He was a great mind and a kind man and we'll miss him. His passions were his horses and Aston Villa and he was a winner. He loved the sport no matter how they performed but he liked to win.' Mason added: 'It was a great tribute by Sandown to give us the opportunity to remember what a great man John Hales was and not just to his friends and family, but also to racing and the wider racing community. 'His achievements are second to none and it's easier to say what races he hasn't won rather than the ones he has one. Hopefully we can continue his legacy into the future with Sir Alex and with Pat and Lisa's enthusiasm alongside us, I'm sure we will.' The great One Man is perhaps one of Hales' most famous horses, while he also won the Grand National with Neptune Collonges. The Aintree hero – who famously struck in the narrowest of fashions in the hands of Daryl Jacob in 2012 – was amongst six of Hales' horses to be paraded before racing, with others taking a lap of the parade ring including Champion Chase hero Politologue and last year's Ryanair Chase winner Protektorat. Lisa Hales added: 'Dad loved jump racing and he loved Sandown Park, so it is very touching that he will be remembered with the Sandown Park Special Award. 'From the days of the great One Man right up to L'Eau Du Sud's success in the Henry VIII Novices' Chase at the end of last year, there were many great occasions for us at Sandown Park over years and it is a huge for the Hales family that dad is honoured in this way.' In recent years, Hales – along with his co-owners – has been central to the continued success of Paul Nicholls' Ditcheat operation, with the 14-time champion trainer hoping this year's stars Caldwell Potter and Kalif Du Berlais continue to fly the flag for Hales' memory. 'What an enthusiast John was. To involve his family and his pals in those horses, they've had so much fun,' said Nicholls. 'It's an exciting time with Caldwell Potter and Kalif Du Berlais, with plenty of younger ones at home. Olly Murphy has a few nice ones for them as well as Dan (Skelton), so we're all looking forward to next season.'
Telegraph
10-03-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Constitution Hill could cost bookies £80m with victory in Champion Hurdle
Shortly after 1.20pm on Tuesday, as the dozen runners approach the starting tape for the Supreme Novice Hurdle, a roar will echo from the grandstands and out across the natural amphitheatre which sits under Cleeve Hill, signalling the start of the four-day Cheltenham Festival. The opening race may be tinged with sadness as it marks the death of talented jockey, Michael O'Sullivan, who burst onto the National Hunt scene when he won this race on Marine Nationale two years ago, but had his life cut cruelly short following a fall at Thurles in February. Tuesday also marks the 10th anniversary of the moment Annie Power, four lengths clear in the Mares' Hurdle and with the race all but in the bag, tipped up at the last flight, saving the bookies a £50 million satchel clean-out after accumulators on three short-priced Willie Mullins-trained winning favourites, Douvan, Un De Sceaux and Faugheen, rolled on to their exulted stable companion, the Rich Ricci-owned mare. No one is going to get rich backing odds-on shots in individual bets, so a similar situation could, for the first time in a decade, arise again when three short-priced favourites, Kopek Des Bordes, Majborough and Lossiemouth look to dominate the three Grade Ones before Constitution Hill, the banker of the week, attempts to regain his Unibet Champion Hurdle title. Currently, an accumulator on all four amounts to roughly a 15/2 shot and the bookies will look to day one with trepidation and possible industry liabilities of £80 million, according to Ed Nicholson, head of Unibet, sponsor not only of the Champion Hurdle but of Nicky Henderson's yard, from where Constitution Hill hails. 'I have a sense of deja vu,' Nicholson said yesterday, adding that the appetite for accumulators on the first day of the Festival has grown appreciably since 2015. 'For those of us here 10 years ago we might need a strong 'constitution' at 4pm on Tuesday.' Even allowing for the bookmaking publicity fraternity to think of a number and double it, my own feeling is that there are enough admittedly small chinks in the armour of the first three favourites for one or more of them to be beaten before the laid-back Constitution Hill strolls into the paddock. Supreme favourite Kopek Des Bordes is still very raw. He is strong and has been fitted with a first-time hood to help Paul Townend, but Willie Mullins believes he is a galloper, so everything else should favour this massive new talent. In the Arkle, Majborough's jumping has left something to be desired in the past, but having come from France he will have been schooled extensively before he ever got to Mullins and, apart from his own jumping, he has the Sir Alex Ferguson part-owned L'Eau Du Sud to contend with. Lossiemouth has not enjoyed much luck this season and, after being put in her place by Constitution Hill at Christmas, she had an awful fall at Leopardstown in February which, if it left no physical hangover, may have left its mark mentally, which I believe opens it up for Joyeuse. Constitution Hill is the best Champion Hurdler I have seen for perhaps a generation and, providing he does not do an Annie Power – he tried that here in January – or a Devon Loch, he looks invincible. Liverpool-born Matty Gill, who rides him out at Henderson's, says he has not seen him feel or look better. 'It's just a case of letting the horse do the talking and hopefully it will pan out the way it should,' Gill says. Michael O'Leary's Gigginstown outfit is best known for its staying chasers, not high-class two-mile hurdlers but Brighterdaysahead has been beaten only once – by another of today's rivals Golden Ace in last year's Mares' Hurdle – and it is a sporting gesture to pitch her in the Champion rather than going back and trying to go one better among her own sex. She gets a 7lb allowance by virtue of being female, which might even it up a bit, and she looked a picture in Gordon Elliott's string out on the course on Sunday. But I am not sure she will have the tactical pace to outgun Constitution Hill, who comprehensively beat last year's winner State Man two years ago. At 40-1, Golden Ace is interesting and maybe one for the forecast with the favourite. Her handlers tried stretching her out over 2½ miles and twice she bumped into Lucky Place. By the time the Stayers' Hurdle is run on Thursday, that form might look pretty smart, but two miles is her distance and her trainer, Exmoor-based Jeremy Scott, has had an indifferent winter until he had three winners on Friday. Throwing her in the Champion may not be Scott's worst idea, or the shot in the dark that her odds suggest. Guy Lavender, Cheltenham's new chief executive, has already made a pre-emptive strike and popped the attendance balloon by announcing that crowds are likely to be down to around 210,000 for the four days. While the Grade Ones on day one have hardly attracted big numbers in the past, the three handicaps make up for it with maximum fields and, from a punting point of view, that is where the value is to be found today. Katate Dori, named after an Aikido move to grab an opponent's wrist, should be able to put his rivals in a head lock in the Ultima while Stencil has the right outline to put the Chantilly-based Tom George, 25, in the record books as the youngest trainer in Festival history. But if Kopek Des Bordes, Majborough, Lossiemouth and Constitution Hill all come in, then there could be a double roar at 4pm; one from the punters, the other from bookmakers' vehicles leaving the car park.
The Guardian
10-03-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Cheltenham festival day one tips: Brighterdaysahead can upset Constitution Hill in Champion Hurdle
Constitution Hill has seen off every challenge with ease in winning all 10 of his races to date, but he could be facing his sternest opponent so far in Tuesday's Champion Hurdle and Brighterdaysahead (4.00) can also boast the strongest recent piece of form in the field. The Neville Hotels Hurdle at Leopardstown's Christmas meeting was set up for Brighterdaysahead by a front-running stable companion, while State Man, the defending champion on Tuesday, was clearly not at his best and finished a long way behind Gordon Elliott's mare. Yet Brighterdaysahead still put a remarkable 30 lengths between herself and the runner-up, and did so in an exceptionally fast time under the conditions. Taking her 7lb mares' allowance into account, Timeform's ratings suggest that performance puts her just 3lb behind Constitution Hill's best-ever run, in the Supreme Novice Hurdle at this meeting all of three years ago. Constitution Hill is undoubtedly one of the greatest hurdlers of all time, but there may be much less between the market principals than the betting suggests and as a result, Brighterdaysahead looks seriously overpriced at around 9-4. Cheltenham 1.20: Kopek Des Bordes is the first of four hot favourites in the opening day's Grade One events and a repeat of his level of form at the Dublin Racing Festival in February should be enough to get the punters onto the front foot. The visual impression of his 13-length success was backed up by a very fast time and he has as much, if not more, scope for improvement as any of his rivals. Cheltenham 2.00: The odds-on Majborough, last year's Triumph winner, is top-rated on his winning Grade One form at Leopardstown in February but he took a while to warm to the task there and L'Eau Du Sud could prove a very tricky opponent. His jumping has been all but flawless in four starts this season and Majborough may need to be equally foot-perfect to prevail, which suggests Dan Skelton's runner must the bet at around 4-1. Cheltenham 2.40: Irish stables are 0-32 in this since 2016, a period when their runners have battered the domestic opposition elsewhere at the festival, but they have started to pepper the target over the last couple of years and Paul Gilligan's novice Sequestered is a live contender at around 16-1. The seven-year-old was useful over hurdles but is already much better over fences and has acquitted himself very well in valuable big-field handicaps at Leopardstown on his last two start while also promising better still to come. Cheltenham 3.20: A straightforward repeat of last year's odds-on success looks on the cards for Lossiemouth after the decision to switch her from the Champion Hurdle. Cheltenham: 1.20 Kopek Des Bordes 2.00 L'Eau Du Sud 2.40 Sequestered (nap) 3.20 Lossiemouth 4.00 Brighterdaysahead 4.40 Liam Swagger 5.20 Now Is The Hour (nb). Sedgefield: 1.38 Demoiselle Kap 2.18 Bond Broker 2.58 Fearless Action 3.38 Super Saint 4.18 Cave Article 4.53 Ce Mi Run. Wolverhampton: 4.30 Em Jay Kay 5.00 Enzos Angel 5.30 Mr Cool 6.00 Siobhanbrogan 6.30 Manton Road 7.00 Seas Of Elzaam 7.30 Till It Shines 8.00 Coconut Bay 8.30 Ciera G. Southwell: 5.05 King Of Speed 5.40 Westmorian 6.15 Powdering 6.45 Sneaky Blinder 7.15 Hammer The Hammer 7.45 Jeans Maite 8.15 One More Dream. Cheltenham 4.40: The up-and-coming James Owen stable could get a first festival win on the board here with Liam Swagger, who has already improved on his useful Flat form over hurdles and has a very workable mark after a light campaign with no run over jumps since December. Cheltenham 5.20: Now Is The Hour could find plenty of improvement for this step up to a marathon trip and Gavin Cromwell's record with runners at Cheltenham in general and the festival above all is exceptional.
The Guardian
21-02-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Collectors Item can prove value bet for punters in gruelling Eider Chase
At four miles, one furlong and 55 yards, the Eider Chase at Newcastle is barely a furlong shorter than the Grand National and with the ground soft in places and some rain in the forecast, it may well demand as much staying power from its winner as the Aintree showpiece in April. As a result, it will require a slight leap of faith for punters to back either O'Connell or Collectors Item, the early favourites after a full field of 18 was declared on Thursday, as both will be racing beyond three-and-a-half miles for the first time. It is fair to stay that both horses shape as though marathon trips will be their forte, however, but O'Connell, who is going for a fourth straight handicap success, is now 22lb higher than for the first of those wins. Collectors Item (2.10) too is edging up the weights after a productive season to date but a 4lb rise for a strong-staying win at Wincanton last time is all but offset by Jack Hogan's 3lb claim. Kempton 1.50 Rubaud was somewhat flattered by his proximity to the Arkle-bound L'Eau Du Sud in the Kingmaker at Warwick but that was still a step forward after a fall on his chasing debut and this is a track where he generally runs well. Kempton 2.25 Having entered both Lulamba and Palladium for the last major trial for the Triumph Hurdle, Nicky Henderson decided to keep both of his leading four-year-olds at home but the form of Lulamba's British debut at Ascot in January should still get a boost via Mondo Man. Gary and Josh Moore's gelding was classy on the Flat, with a fifth place in the French Derby on his cv, and was within four lengths of Lulamba last time despite racing freely for much of the way. Southwell 2.40 Last year's winner, Diligent Harry, looked like he needed the run on his return from nearly 200 days off at Lingfield last time and he could well find the improvement required to turn the tables on Marshman, who was four lengths in front of him there. Kempton 3.00 A switch to front-running tactics saw an abrupt improvement in form by Andashan over course and distance earlier this month. This is a significant step up in the class but the bare form of his 18-length win was backed up by a strong time that suggests he is worth his place in Grade Two company. Kempton 1.15 Saint Anapolino 1.50 Rubaud 2.25 Mondo Man 3.00 Andashan 3.35 Lowry's Bar (nap) 4.10 Keep Running 4.45 One Knight Chepstow 1.25 Kapal Layar 2.00 Royal Jewel 2.32 Ikarak 3.07 Prince Quali 3.44 Sao Carlos 4.17 C'Est Different 4.52 Just Golden Newcastle 1.35 Drusilla 2.10 Collectors Item (nb) 2.45 He's Bresilian 3.20 J'Etoile 3.55 Big Boy Bobby 4.30 Caldwell 5.05 Treasured Company Southwell 2.40 Diligent Harry 3.15 Royal Champion 3.50 Glen Buck 4.25 Abruzzo Mia 5.00 Where's Freddy 5.30 Legendary Day 6.00 General Admission 6.30 Midnight's Dream 7.00 Shahbaz Chelmsford 5.15 Scattering Light 5.45 Enpassant 6.15 Combustion 6.45 Brunel Charm 7.15 El Bufalo 7.45 Elterwater 8.15 Ballybaymoonshiner Southwell 3.15 Royal Champion has had a globe-trotting career in six seasons on the track, having spent four years with Roger Varian in Newmarket before a switch to race in Australia where he was placed at Group Two level. He is now back in the UK with Kevin Ryan and looked as good as ever when landing a Listed event at Lingfield on the last day of 2024. Kempton 3.35 A bad mistake three out put paid to the winning chance of Lowry's Bar in a Grade Two novice chase at Windsor in January but he still kept on well to get within three lengths of a useful winner in Jingko Blue, has progressed smoothly in four starts over fences and remains unexposed at this three-mile trip.
