Crabbies' Grand National 2015: race preview

The money continues to come for Shutthefrontdoor, the final ride for champion jockey AP McCoy in the Crabbies' Grand National. McCoy has hinted that if he wins a second Grand National he will retire that very afternoon rather than ride on until the end of the season. If he does win then a few bookmakers might want to retire too!

Shutthefrontdoor was 8/1 but is now 6/1 with Ladbrokes overnight on Friday. The 2014 winner Pineau De Re lines up to defend his crown at a similar price of 25/1 as he was last year.

An injury to jockey Robbie McNamara on Friday could mean a late spare Grand National ride for Katie Walsh on Lord Windermere (50/1).

Cheltenham Festival 2015 race preview: Betfred Gold Cup

Solving the puzzle of the 2015 running of the Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup partly revolves around the emphasis that is placed on Cheltenham form versus current season form.

Silviniaco Conti (Paul Nicholls) is the clear 3/1 favourite and has had a strong season but his record at the Cheltenham Festival reads 3F4, with the last two runs being in the Gold Cup itself. So, with a win record of 0/3, there has to be a strong argument made that something is different this time around.

In recent history, no horse has come back to win the Gold Cup having failed to win it in a previous year.

Kauto Star won the race in 2007, was defeated in 2008, and then returned to win again in 2009.

The argument that it will be third time lucky in the race for Silviniaco Conti is based in the claim that the horse was suffering from gastric ulcers last season – although he was able to win at Aintree a month after losing at Cheltenham.

Paul Nicholls has told Sportinglife.com: “What he’s doing this year, which he didn’t do last year, is finishing off his races strongly. We found out after he won at Aintree last year that he was suffering from gastric ulcers. We’ve been on top of that now and it’s obviously made a difference, along with the cheekpieces which have got him jumping sharper and stopped him being lazy.”

He also views the horse’s record at Cheltenham as “unlucky”:

“He’s been very unlucky at Cheltenham in a lot of ways. He ran very well once there in the Bula, was going very well when he fell at the third last in the Gold Cup two years ago and last year he jumped the last in front, so you can’t say he doesn’t act there.”

By contrast, Lord Windermere’s win record at the Festival is 2/2 and is 14/1 for this year’s Gold Cup. But his form this season has been lacklustre – although this is no different to his performances before last season’s Gold Cup - and reigning Gold Cup champions have struggled to retain their title in the following season.

The money this week has been for Djakadam (Willie Mullins), who is in from 16/1 to 12/1. He won a foggy running of the Thyestes Handicap Chase at Gowran Park in January 2015 but was beaten a long way in 8th in the Hennessy Gold Cup behind Many Clouds (8/1 for the Gold Cup) in his seasonal debut in November 2014. He is only six years old, however, and there has been only one winner of that age since 2004 (2009: Long Run).

Cheltenham Festival 2015 race preview: Betfred Gold Cup

Cheltenham Festival 2015: Betfred Gold Cup

Crabbie's Grand National 2015 - weights

Crabbie's Grand National, Aintree, 11 April 2015

The weights have been announced for the 2015 running of the Grand National, with its GB£ 1 million total prize fund.

Currently, joint top weights are Carlingford Lough (trainer: John Kiely) and 2014 Gold Cup winner Lord Windermere (Jim Culloty). Both horses have been allocated 11-10.

Oliver Sherwood's Many Clouds is next in the weights with 11-09.

Last year's Grand National winner Pineau De Re (Dr Richard Newland) is given 11-00 to carry this time around.

A maximum of 40 runners can face the starter on 11 April. Shuthefrontdoor (11-02) is already as short as 9/1 favourite for the race.

BHA Head of Handicapping Phil Smith discusses the weights here:

http://www.britishhorseracing.com/bha-head-handicapping-speaks-2015-crabbies-grand-national-weights-lunch/

Handicapper's view of the Cheltenham Gold Cup 2014

BHA head of handicapping Phil Smith has published his views of last week's Betfred Gold Cup at the Cheltenham Festival.

He writes:

"Definitely one of the most exciting but perhaps not one of the most outstanding [Gold Cups]."

"It seemed a very straightforward race to rate. You can set your clock by The Giant Bolster at Cheltenham in March. He is always placed. In both 2012 and 2013 I had him performing to 164 and have assessed him at that level again this year."

"As a result Lord Windermere improves from 153 to 165. Time was that observers criticised the RSA Chase claiming that its winners didn't go on but Bobs Worth, Albertas Run, Denman, Trabolgan and now Lord Windermere in the last nine years have shown that winning it is no barrier to success the following year." 

Read the handicapper's full thoughts here:

http://www.britishhorseracing.com/goracing/blogs/head_of_handicapping.asp

Cheltenham Festival Telegraph Fantasy Racing

Our leading stable finished with a creditable total of just over 1,100 points after the four days of the Cheltenham Festival 2014.

The stable picked up 328 points on Gold Cup day, despite Ruby Walsh not taking several of his rides after an injury.

Lac Fontana won 110 points in the County Handicap Hurdle and Davy Russell's fantastic day in the saddle contributed 160 points.

Roll on next year.