 |
 |
|
|
|
racing news |
| Tweet |
racing news /
Cheltenham Set for Cracking Seven-Race Programme to Welcome in 2011 31/12/10
Cheltenham is set to begin 2011 in the best possible style with a fantastic seven-race programme on New Year’s Day, Saturday, January 1, 2011.
 |
The £40,000 Grade Three victorchandler.com Handicap Chase (2.30pm) is the most valuable contest of the day and has 15 declared runners, including last year’s winner Can’t Buy Time, the mount of champion jockey and recently-crowned BBC Sports Personality of the Year, A P McCoy. Heading the weights on 11st 12lb for the two mile and five furlong contest is Taranis, one of two runners for champion trainer Paul Nicholls along with Five Dream. Taranis enjoyed his finest hour when landing the Ryanair Chase at The Festival in 2007 and was also successful in the Grade Two Argento Chase at the course in January, 2010 . Also declared are recent Grade Two Peterborough Chase scorer Tartak from the local Slad yard of Tom George, the evergreen Mister McGoldrick, who turns 14 tomorrow, the smart Nicky Henderson-trained mare Carole’s Legacy, successful on her last two starts, and Hey Big Spender, a winner over the course and distance in the Timeform Novices’ Handicap Chase in January, 2010.
An intriguing contest is in prospect for the £20,000 Cheltenham & Three Counties Race Club Hurdle (12.55pm), which takes place over an extended two and a half miles. The seven runners in this race include last season’s JCB Triumph Hurdle runner-up Barizan. Following his defeat at The Festival, Barizan progressed to take the Grade One Champion Four Year Old Hurdle at Punchestown in April but has not been able to get his head in front so far this season, most recently finishing a close third to Carlito Brigante in a four-year-old hurdle at Haydock Park on November 20.
His trainer Evan Williams explained: “Barizan has been fine since Haydock, but he certainly has not been the horse we saw last spring so far this season.
“He hasn’t had the same fire in his belly but it’s not something I’m really concerned about at present because I think as we get into the spring and he gets some runs under his belt, things will come together again.
“His run at Haydock last time was OK, but he ran flat at Cheltenham on his reappearance and then was disappointing at Wincanton. He ran in three Grade One races in seven weeks during the spring and is still a young horse. We have seen it before with some of these juvenile hurdlers, they just need a bit of time to come back.”
 |
Also set to line up in the Cheltenham & Three Counties Race Club Hurdle is the Paul Nicholls-trained Celestial Halo, runner-up in the 2009 Stan James Champion Hurdle. Also declared are Karabak and Any Given Day, who filled the first two places in the Grade Two Unicoin Homes Relkeel Hurdle at Cheltenham on December 11, while the exciting Oscar Whisky, from the Seven Barrows stable of Nicky Henderson, has won four of his five starts and was last seen out when an excellent fourth in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at The Festival in March.
A similarly fascinating contest is the £25,000 Grade Two Tigmi Travel Dipper Novices’ Chase (2.00pm), which takes place over two miles and five furlongs and has attracted 13 runners. Reve De Sivola, from the yard of Nick Williams, was a dual Grade One winner over hurdles and recorded his first win over fences when taking the IJF Oaksey House Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham on December 10, while Cois Faraig was successful on his latest appearance in a Grade Two contest at Newbury on November 26. Medermit was also a high-class performer over hurdles and has won two of his three starts over fences, while other declared runners to have won last time out include Master Of The Hall, trained by Nicky Henderson and Jonjo O’Neill’s Sway.
Evan Williams is represented in the Tigmi Travel Dipper Novices’ Chase by Simarian. Simarian was a useful juvenile hurdler in the 2008/09 season when he recorded two victories at Cheltenham, one of which came at Grade Two level. After a disappointing campaign over hurdles last season, Williams turned the gelding’s attention to fences in the spring and he was last seen out when successful at Cartmel on May 31.
Williams continued: “Simarian was a Grade Two winner around Cheltenham as a juvenile but last season was a complete write-off.
“I put him over fences in the spring to try and rekindle his enthusiasm which seems to have had that effect on him. We then turned him away for a lovely break with the aim of bringing him back for a spring campaign.
“He needs one more run over fences to be eligible for some of the big handicaps over fences and I think he is more than capable of being competitive off his current mark of 130 in decent handicap chases.
“Something like the Centenary Novices' Handicap Chase at The Festival could be a target so he will go to Cheltenham tomorrow, as he hasn’t run over fences there, and get some match practice.”
 |
Action gets underway at 12.20pm with the Neptune Investment Management Novices’ Hurdle (12.20pm) which has attracted a maximum field of 16, while several old favourites such as Joe Lively, My Will, Maljimar and Character Building line up in the Raceodds Handicap Chase (1.30pm).
The penultimate race on the card is the skybet.com Handicap Hurdle (3.10pm) where 2010 John Smith’s Grand National winner Don’t Push It and the versatile Junior, successful in the Ascot Handicap at Royal Ascot, feature among the maximum field of 17.
Bringing New Year’s Day to a close at Cheltenham is the EBF High Sheriff Of Gloucestershire’s Junior Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race (3.45pm) which has attracted a maximum field of 16. Among those declared is Keys, successful on both his starts to date and trained by Roger Charlton, best known for sending out the 1990 Derby winner Quest For Fame. Another exciting starter is the Donald McCain-trained Cinders And Ashes, who is also unbeaten in two starts.
McCain reported today: "I was surprised Cinders And Ashes won first time out as he was quite immature.
"He improved an awful lot the next time - I know it was only Southwell but he could do no more than what he did.
"He has won his two bumpers and deserves to go to Cheltenham to find out how good he is."
LATEST GOING
The going remains Good to soft, soft in places.
It was dry overnight and the forecast is for more of the same until tomorrow (Saturday) afternoon when there could be showers.
Simon Claisse, Cheltenham’s clerk of the course, commented today: “The forecast for tonight has improved and temperatures are not due to go below zero now which is good news.
“Even so we are putting down protective covers on all the take-offs, landings and crossings just to be on the safe side.
“We have seven terrific races tomorrow and I am looking forward to excellent racing.”
FREE TICKETS FOR AUSSIES AT CHELTENHAM TOMORROW ON NEW YEAR’S DAY!
Australians, visiting or living in Britain and keen to get out of the house after Ashes’ despair, are being offered the chance of seeing top-class Jump racing for FREE at Cheltenham Racecourse in Gloucestershire, England, on New Year’s Day, Saturday, January 1, 2011.
All they have to do is produce a valid Australian passport at the Hall of Fame entrance and they will gain FREE entry.
Edward Gillespie, Cheltenham Racecourse's managing director, commented: “It was tremendous to see England retain the Ashes. However, Australians in Britain must be feeling down in the dumps and in sympathy we are offering them admission to Cheltenham Racecourse free of charge on New Year's Day.
“Cheltenham is the home of Jump racing and there will be a great atmosphere on New Year's Day which will hopefully cheer up Australians taking advantage of this great offer.”
