“He’s had the preparation that got him ready enough to go and do what he’s done today. “Cyrname is an enigma and a challenge, but I’m sure we’ll get him right for another day,” Nicholls said. A mistake at the fourth last gave her pursuers confidence, but Secret Investor quickly regained his equilibrium for the third and second last. It’s as simple as that. “He did just get outpaced at the end because that’s not his trip, but that is probably what a very good horse is all about – that he’s got the pace to do that but he also stays… I hope he stays three-and-a-quarter miles. Nick is joined by the Daily Mirror’s David Yates for a canter though today’s headlines around the world of horseracing. Neither cauterising his palate for a second time nor this better ground helped last year’s Gold Cup third. That 2020 Game Spirit was the only occasion on which he looked to have any real spark last season and connections had switched him to hurdles this term, with much success – winning a Ffos Las handicap from a mark of 150 and then the Grade Two Elite Hurdle at Wincanton. youTube. I wouldn’t rule Cheltenham out yet though.”, Not be ⁦@wincantonraces⁩ 4 SONG FOR SOMEONE 2day but he stuck 2 the task in tough conditions.We are just thrilled for ⁦@glracing⁩ ⁦⁦@jemoore85⁩+see why they never stopped believing in GOSHEN.Tremendous training+time may tell that we faced an impossible task pic.twitter.com/itzOVMJlCQ, Willie Mullins has ruled Saint Roi out of Cheltenham, however, following a chat with owner JP McManus, who already has Epatante and Buveur D’Air in the race. “I’m obviously gutted as he had been in the form of his life and was trained for the race all season,” Smith said. He was therefore understandably below his best in the Limestone Lad on his previous start – a race also controlled from the front by Bachasson – but proved tenacious under pressure here. Afterwards, Jamie’s admiration of his father’s ability with horses was open and palpable. “[Goshen] has got a pretty unorthodox training method now and how dad’s got him back to do that... he’s as good a horseman as you’d come across. Lydia Hislop's Road To Cheltenham 13: Is tackling Envoi the easier option for Energumene? The clue, apparently, is “when his front and back end comes at you”. Share on Facebook; Share on Twitter; Share via Email; Dirar … Yet the fact remains he hasn’t won in open Grade One company in five starts over fences. It’s easy to unpick. Hence, for a horse who has by turns in the past been insatiably keen or disconcertingly diffident, the trainer turned to extensive ongoing schooling sessions at former trainer Henrietta Knight’s jumping academy and that infamous ‘away day’ – when a private racecourse schooling session was set up to mimic something called ‘a race’. On Wednesday evening Mullins jnr stated that he was considering his options in terms of turning professional, but as I understand it, that avenue is not without potential drawbacks. The first rule of horseracing is: you do not talk about horseracing. They each won the same January course-and-distance handicap prior to their successes in this Grade One Ascot Chase, but the latter demonstrated the superior versatility last Saturday. The way I look at it is, let’s find out that he handles Cheltenham in the Gold Cup, rather than the National Hunt Chase.”. “He’s been bought as a novice chaser, but let’s run him in the Champion Hurdle and see what he’s like. Although Cheltenham is off the agenda, Aintree or Sandown’s Finale meeting are still possible targets if his problems can be resolved or minimised. The longer he took to recover a level of fitness suitable to participate in a race, the closer it got to Cheltenham and the less time he had to recover from his exertions. Having anticipated, at best, a role for Champ as an eye-catching chorus member in the Betfair Game Spirit Chase, I was surprised to see his jockey Nico de Boinville adopting centre stage from curtain-up. By Lydia Hislop @LydiaHislop. It’s been a rocky road for Cyrname since he beat Altior in that infamous clash on their mutual seasonal returns last term and his comeback Charlie Hall success in October is now the anomaly. “He might make it back in time for Punchestown but we’ll just have to see how he is in the coming weeks. Watch Champ's return to action again in full. Yet on Saturday, he seemed perversely keener to keep the Champion Hurdle in the equation after this informative defeat than when the target was being thrust upon him earlier in the season. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2010/aug/07/tattenham-corner In her first post-Christmas column, Lydia Hislop weighs up the lessons learnt from the victories of Frodon and A Plus Tard and the bearing they might have on the Cheltenham Festival. Lydia Hislop's Road To Cheltenham 10: Classy Darver Star just too big for Arkle. Slow or upright jumps saw him struggling to remain competitive from the middle phase of the race but, to his characteristic credit, he stuck to his task and somehow dug out third place. However, Goshen is also talented enough to blow this race wide open – in similar fashion to what he and Allmankind did from the second last in the 2020 JCB Triumph Hurdle last year (hopefully minus the unfortunate final-flight exit). Incidentally, in his Cheltenham Festival preview zoom press conference organised by Jockey Club Racecourses on Monday, Mullins mentioned that the reigning champion was due “a big piece of work” this week. _Paul Nicholls talked to Lydia Hislop's after Master Tommytucker's success _ Nicholls has a surfeit of potential representatives in the Ascot Chase, with Cyrname and the Festival-free Clan Des Obeaux having also been mentioned in passing for that Grade One. With the weather still playing havoc in the UK, Nick brings breaking news that the fixture at Newbury this Saturday will likely move in its entirety to Sunday February 21st and feature the Betfair Hurdle, the UK’s second richest hurdle race this season. His action suggests winter should be his peak time, in deeper ground than he is likely to encounter for the rest of this season. This was meant to determine whether he contested the Ryanair or the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase at the Festival – or whether he would wait for Aintree. King cheerfully admits he won’t go near the horse at evening stables unless he’s tied up and that his head lad got bitten for his troubles the other day. Elliott has confirmed the authenticity of the image and has issued a statement. With no margin for error between then and Cheltenham, Henderson needed to narrow the variables. Find out in the latest update as the Racing TV presenter continues on the Road To Cheltenham - and don't miss the show on Racing TV every Thursday at 9pm! He can be a tough ride from what I saw of him in France, but we’ll know a lot more about him in the next two weeks because we will be asking him questions that we have not asked him before”. Nick is joined by broadcaster Lydia Hislop to discuss one of the most shocking stories of recent times: the emergence of a picture of leading trainer Gordon Elliott astride a dead horse on his gallops in Ireland. Dashel Drasher wasn’t always fluent, but a blunder at the fourth-last put paid to Benny’s King, who had already started to be stretched, and then from the home turn, he outstayed his only remaining rival, Master Tommytucker – on whom Jacob had switched to more patient tactics in anticipation of the winner and Cyrname taking each other on. Read more about. Ruby Walsh first alerted Road To Cheltenham viewers to this horse in the ninth episode. Instead, the whole picture suggests that the winner has developed into a top-class staying chaser, who has the innate ability to perform creditably at distances far short of his optimum. “I think [Song For Someone is] better than this – he’s bumped into a horse that has returned to form. Joe Molloy is joined by Dan McDonnell and Richie McCormack to run through all of Wednesday's main sports headlines. Aside from being surprised about the pace shown by Champ, everything proceeded as King hoped at Newbury. Who gets Lydia Hislop's nomination for 'performance of the weekend' as she looks back upon the action from Newbury, Haydock, Ascot and Navan? He’ll also face top-class rivals in Honeysuckle and Epatante, to whom he must concede 7lb. It’s testament to dad, what [Goshen has] done. This video is playing in Picture-In-Picture. He didn’t really take a big blow. Lydia Hislop on BHA verdict | ‘Perhaps usual protocols are not to be applied’ Share this article. Comparatively, this shouldn’t be an issue for Champ against staying chasers over 3m2f at Cheltenham. Nick is joined by broadcaster Lydia Hislop to discuss one of the most shocking stories of recent times: the emergence of a picture of leading trainer Gordon Elliott astride a dead horse on his gallops in Ireland. Sometime within her Twitter accounts, a discussion between Lydia and her lover about her union. https://blog.racebets.com/women-set-dominate-horse-racing-next-decade After a couple of other potential next races went west for different reasons, 70 days after that disappointing showing at Cheltenham, last term’s runaway best juvenile was finally deemed ready to run at Wincanton. He jumps, he stays – he’s got everything you want. WELLCHILD CHELTENHAM GOLD CUP. After a very tough week and the heartbreak of losing L’Ami yesterday, it was nice to have a winner today with another old friend in Sceau Royal! The accompanying Road to Cheltenham 7, which covers the victories of Nube Negra and Chacun Pour Soi, as well as much more, can be found by clicking here. “He was just wasn't himself in Naas last time, but he’s a fair horse,” Meade said. He noted that jockey Daryl Jacob asked “a few big questions” down the back straight, which Sceau Royal answered well, and he clearly enjoyed the horse’s nimble jump at the last to put the contest beyond doubt. “When he sets foot on a racecourse, he’s a completely different person and he did exactly that. Nick and Lydia also look… It started well, with Cyrname outjumping Dashel Drasher at the first and gaining an unchallenged lead, but the exuberance with which he has in the past – most effectively at Ascot – bounded into a long lead over his pursuers was lacking. Click here to view previous editions of Lydia Hislop's Road To Cheltenham column. “He just hasn’t gone forward this season. Even at the last, it was still conceivable that he might receive the first applause. We’ll have a little look and see what else we can do before the end of the season, but if he can’t breathe, he can’t win. Ah, Grashopper. Fri 20 Nov 2020. “We’d like to find some better ground,” he said, when asked whether Aintree would now be his preferred target. The Altior saga is covered in depth, along with the season's early action as the journey to the Festival begins. Please allow functional cookies for this to work. He’s had one or two little niggles and I think JP was happy just to let him get over those.”. That really puts him in the Champion Hurdle picture. That remains of concern at Cheltenham, especially as the Old Course – host of the Unibet Champion Hurdle and which Goshen is yet to experience – is a much tighter, sharper affair, always on the left-handed turn, compared with the New Course. This horse has had a bad couple of months – and he’s still got to do it again now – but the good horses do come back. Despite wrestling with a voraciously keen Greaneteen until over halfway in the succeeding Betfair Game Spirit Chase, Harry Cobden would like Paul Nicholls to step him up from the minimum trip. Lydia Hislop's Road To Cheltenham 10: Classy Darver Star just too big for Arkle. As expected, the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase is the least likely option, with Ricci already having Monkfish for that project, but a broad hint was also dropped that the final decision would not be made until the declarations for the NH Chase are published on the preceding Sunday. Lydia Hislop's Road To Cheltenham 10: Classy Darver Star just too big for Arkle By Lydia Hislop racingtv.com — In this week’s column, I concentrate almost exclusively on the novice chasers to coincide with the publication of the Cheltenham Festival’s four events confined to those horses. Lydia Hislop's Road To Cheltenham 9: Time for a bet in the Albert Bartlett. We know he stays three [miles] from the RSA last year.”. I read a number of posts and stories where she told that Steve Mellish of Attheraces in she informed her partner which, lately. “Fortunately, he’s a fairly clear-winded horse but surely he must improve fitness-wise as there’s nothing like a run,” he said. Finally, trainer Dan Skelton – as Road To Cheltenham viewers were advised two weeks ago by Ruby Walsh – is leaning towards the Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle with Roksana “unless the ground comes up good, good to soft”. Trainer Alan King described that as “a horrible fall – he was a bit sore for a day or two afterwards” but recent signs at home were that Sceau Royal was back on top form. Was Song For Someone’s discomfort at Wincanton caused by the emphasis on speed at a tight track against substantial rivals better suited to the task at hand, or the heavy ground, or a combination of all of those things? Last year’s Stayers’ Hurdle runner-up Ronald Pump has sadly been denied the chance to go one better next month after picking up a minor but badly-timed injury. Michael [O'Leary, owner of Gigginstown Stud] had it in his head that he’d go to the Aintree Hurdle but he’s in the Stayers'. Both horses ran in the silks of his retaining owners, Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, whom Nicky Henderson was also quick to congratulate. By Lydia Hislop @LydiaHislop. You and all the others are too quick off the mark (a clear sign of youth and lack of self control) The quality of your advice to the misguided one is poor, nor have you taken the trouble to speculate as to how many similarly dubious threads he frequents, to be incapable of distinguishing one from the other. The presence of a rejuvenated Native River should at least ensure that the Gold Cup pace is more akin to the solid gallop of 2019 rather than last year’s unusually sedate edition – and that can only help Champ to settle. The winner had started this season with a career-best success at Chepstow, prior to getting lost in the Ladbrokes Trophy, whereas the runner-up began his campaign with a gruelling assignment in the Betfair Chase prior to – or even causing – a lethargic effort when attempting to make it three wins in as many years in Kempton’s Christmas Grade One. “I wondered about him getting the trip but he stays. The trainer of dual winner Al Boum Photo will surely be thinking his attempt on a third straight success just got more difficult. He’s had plenty of ops. Nick Luck Daily Ep 170 – Proceed with Caution. Who gets Lydia Hislop's nomination for 'performance of the weekend' as she looks back upon the action from Newbury, Haydock, Ascot and Navan? Ruby Walsh first alerted Road To Cheltenham viewers to this horse in the ninth episode, describing him as “a lovely horse... in the transition period between France and Ireland... he’s got a big reputation and a very high rating”. Having anticipated, at best, a role for Champ as an eye … Instead, Frost had saved enough with a canny ride and her partner willingly responded to pressure, pulling out more to repel his more decorated stablemate. Although trainer Venetia Williams characteristically advised against getting “carried away” after Royale Pagaille won Haydock’s Peter Marsh Handicap Chase by 16 lengths earlier this month, it was interesting to read in the Guardian last week that Joe Chambers, advisor to owner Rich Ricci, believes he should contest the WellChild Cheltenham Gold Cup. Ryanair entry Riders On the Storm was the only horse never to get competitive in this five-runner affair, failing to travel from an early stage and inclined to hang left. But when Secret Investor hit the top of the last and was briefly unbalanced on landing, you felt the advantage had swung towards the dual King George victor, Clan Des Obeaux. I think that it’s worked... “He said that good horses always come back – like, Sire Du Grugy had a bad year and came back and won a Tingle Creek. While Champ’s credentials were greatly enhanced over the weekend, other more tenuous claims were utterly blown apart. “[Goshen] has not just been going up and down the gallop. The Old Course isn’t quite as much of a speedball’s track as Wincanton, but the ground is also likely to be quicker and therefore the Champion Hurdle nonetheless presents the potential for Song For Someone to get outpaced and struggle to hold his position at a critical stage. “I think you’d have to drop him in a bit [in the Gold Cup] because, you see him there, if you light him up he’ll... go and do that... You can ride him both ways but he probably wants dropping in a bit, but we’ll come to those sorts of equations nearer the time.”. That was a very pleasant surprise to get that call. I’m starting to wonder whether there’s a whiff of the contrarian about Symonds – a generous contrarian, however, who sincerely expressed his delight in the winner’s revival. Edward Whitaker “[Counselling] isn’t something I’ve counted out now either and I think it’s something I might look into as it might help. You have much to learn. But Mullins could yet run James Du Berlais, the dual Grade One runner-up whom he’s acquired from Robert Collet’s yard, in the Champion Hurdle alongside last year’s runner-up, Sharjah, and Saldier, who’s still struggling to regain the form that saw him win the 2019 Morgiana Hurdle. The same move has been on the trainer’s mind for some time now and the conditions of this race – conceding weight all round – were hardly favourable to a young horse on the way up, but not quite there yet. He had his answer when that rival cruised up his inside exiting the back straight and left him toiling behind approaching the second last. He can afford to have a week off, relax, unwind, and then just quietly come forward. It was also a performance accurately heralded by the increasing confidence so palpably expressed by trainer Nicky Henderson in his regular updates on last term’s RSA winner. Nick is joined by journalist and broadcaster Lydia Hislop to discuss the day's news and, with a notable contribution from ROA President Charlie Parker, examines the likelihood of affordability checks being introduced as part of the Gambling Commission's consultation to tackle problem gambling, and how those checks might impact racing. Watch Secret Investor's success in the Betfair Denman Chase again in full. However, wind surgery did not help 2020 Stayers’ Hurdle fourth Emitom to recover his form on this switch back to hurdles – he was starting to struggle as the field embarked on its final circuit – and Itchy Feet continues to be a horse in search of a portfolio after failing to stay on this first attempt at three miles. However, the 11-year-old was beaten more than 64 lengths, so a return to a sounder surface will need to be transformational. It became increasingly paramount that he faced his comeback in better shape than might usually be the case for a seasonal debut. He was pulled up before two out and has now been badly out of sorts for more than a year. Regular rider Keith Donoghue drew some positives from Tiger Roll’s performance, citing some good jumping in the back straight and how well he’d travelled until the second last, when he felt he’d got stuck in the heavy ground. King indicated this decision, in turn, is likely to mean that, if Sceau Royal does run at Cheltenham, it will be over fences. He was meant to go over fences this year, but when we thought about what was coming out over fences, we said we might be as well staying where we are! Trainer Gary Moore had held him back from a series of mooted debuts in the autumn, only for the horse to resent being restrained and crowded when eventually allowed out in the International Hurdle. Facebook. Dashel Drasher holds a Ryanair entry but Scott sounded likely to skip it in favour of not over-racing his new stable star. At Newbury, Cobden remarked afterwards that he believed Clan Des Obeaux “wasn’t putting his best foot forward after the last – when the going got tough, I didn’t feel that we went through with it today”. Maybe he’s an Ascot Chase type of the future? In this week’s column, I concentrate almost exclusively on the novice chasers to coincide with the publication of the Cheltenham Festival’s four events confined to those horses. A creditable fourth in the International Hurdle followed but Epatante thumped him in the Fighting Fifth and he administered a self-inflicted blow when falling after standing off too far against Altior and Nube Negra in Kempton’s Desert Orchid Chase in December. A breathing issue was an entirely credible explanation for his previous two starts this season, when fourth in Wetherby’s West Yorkshire Hurdle and seventh in Newbury’s Long Distance Hurdle, because he’d travelled strongly into the latter stages of both races prior to cutting out. “He choked,” he said. The following day at Newbury, Kalashnikov could never find a rhythm in the Betfair Denman Chase. When interviewed at Newbury, Henderson seemed confident that Champ would adapt and also that the success of this return mission means the horse can now receive a “normal” preparation for Cheltenham from now on. “If he beats one or two home, we’d be very happy,” he said. There were hints of this at a very early stage, but Power had managed to kid him into keeping in touch until then. His mooted Christmas target of Leopardstown’s Savills Chase came and went. Back in fifth, an awash-with-sweat Cepage dropped out of contention at the fifth last before rallying past the ailing Lostintranslation. He remains one of the Big Four in 2021 along with favourite Al Boum Photo, plus Savills Chase winner A Plus Tard and vastly experienced novice Royale Pagaille. They both made me smile. Envoi Allen Gordon Elliott Henry De Bromhead Willie Mullins. Lydia Hislop's Road To Cheltenham: Epatante on course to reach the top? Champ’s campaign plan had to be recalibrated after a problem with his breathing – addressed via the relatively substantial procedure of a hobday operation – was uncovered relatively belatedly.