Showing posts with label Sprinter Sacre. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sprinter Sacre. Show all posts
23 February 2015
Cheltenham Festival 2015 race preview: Queen Mother Champion Chase
Cheltenham Festival 2015: Queen Mother Champion Chase
02 March 2014
Festival race preview: Queen Mother Champion Chase
The betting for the 2014 Queen Mother Champion Chase was shaken up with the news at the end of February that defending Champion Sprinter Sacre would miss the Festival.
As a result, Gary Moore’s eight-year-old Sire De Grugy is the 2/1 favourite. In two races round the Cheltenham course Sire De Grugy has finished second on both occasions, first to Captain Conan (6/1) and then to Kid Cassidy (10/1).
But the eight-year-old got revenge over Captain Conan in the Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown last December (Somersby (20/1) was second).
Trainer Nicky Henderson has won this race for the last two years and, while there might be nothing of the quality of Sprinter Sacre in 2014, Captain Conan and Kid Cassidy could see him land the prize again.
As a result, Gary Moore’s eight-year-old Sire De Grugy is the 2/1 favourite. In two races round the Cheltenham course Sire De Grugy has finished second on both occasions, first to Captain Conan (6/1) and then to Kid Cassidy (10/1).
But the eight-year-old got revenge over Captain Conan in the Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown last December (Somersby (20/1) was second).
Trainer Nicky Henderson has won this race for the last two years and, while there might be nothing of the quality of Sprinter Sacre in 2014, Captain Conan and Kid Cassidy could see him land the prize again.
01 March 2014
Festival race preview: Racing Post Arkle
The 2014 Arkle is a more open betting heat than it has been in the last couple of years, which have both been landed by odds-on favourites (2013: Simonsig 8/15f, 2012: Sprinter Sacre 8/11f).
Willie Mullins’ Champagne Fever (3/1) heads the betting and is 2/2 in wins/runs at the Cheltenham Festival.
But not far behind – all at 5/1 – are Trifolium (Charles Byrnes), Dodging Bullets (Paul Nicholls) and Rock On Ruby (Harry Fry).
Trainer Alan King won this race two years running with Voy Por Ustedes (2006) and My Way De Solzen (2007) and Valdez (9/1) should not be dismissed in 2014.
Willie Mullins’ Champagne Fever (3/1) heads the betting and is 2/2 in wins/runs at the Cheltenham Festival.
But not far behind – all at 5/1 – are Trifolium (Charles Byrnes), Dodging Bullets (Paul Nicholls) and Rock On Ruby (Harry Fry).
Trainer Alan King won this race two years running with Voy Por Ustedes (2006) and My Way De Solzen (2007) and Valdez (9/1) should not be dismissed in 2014.
24 February 2014
Sprinter Sacre will miss Cheltenham Festival
Sprinter Sacre will not line up at Cheltenham to defend his Queen Mother Champion Chase title at the Festival in March 2014 after failing to show he was back to his best in a piece of training work over the weekend.
Nicky Henderson's stable star was pulled up in his last race at Kempton over Christmas and was found to be suffering from an irregular heartbeat. His appearance at the Festival was always uncertain after that and Henderson decided it would not be fair to ask Sprinter Sacre to compete.
Sprinter Sacre will miss the rest of the season and his connections are looking to the Tingle Creek at Sandown in December.
Nicky Henderson's stable star was pulled up in his last race at Kempton over Christmas and was found to be suffering from an irregular heartbeat. His appearance at the Festival was always uncertain after that and Henderson decided it would not be fair to ask Sprinter Sacre to compete.
Sprinter Sacre will miss the rest of the season and his connections are looking to the Tingle Creek at Sandown in December.
06 June 2013
Bookmakers Aren’t Bookmakers Any More
The major bookmakers, particularly their internet betting divisions, are simply marketing operations with betting tacked on. Sports betting is now used as a way to attract customers and then the idea is the get them to play other online games like poker, bingo, and roulette where profit margins are more stable. The notion of making a book, taking an opinion, and laying a bet is very much a secondary concern.
Ahead of last weekend’s Investec Derby the racing press headlines read along the lines of ‘Bookies out to get Dawn Approach’.
Much was made of the fact that Ladbrokes would be offering the top price of 7/4 for Dawn Approach, having been offering just 10/11 earlier in the week.
Brave move by Ladbrokes you might have thought, taking an opinion about a short-priced favourite in the big race. But read on …
The article went on to say that Ladbrokes would be offering this standout price “for an initial 15 minutes from 8.15am to a maximum stake of £50.”
I’m sure Ladbrokes can take a lot of bets in 15 minutes but if they think I’m going to crawl out of bed at 8.15 on a Saturday morning in the hope of getting 7/4 for 15 minutes about a horse that was happily available at 11/8 or 6/4 elsewhere they are a sadly mistaken. I enjoy my sleep more than getting an extra point (not that I wanted to back Dawn Approach in the first place).
Not that the bookmakers care much. The price is more for show and enabling them to shout they are ‘best priced’ or ‘best odds guaranteed’ in their adverts.
Sometimes, however, the marketing exercise backfires.
Ahead of the Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham in March, Coral were offering even money about Sprinter Sacre, who was generally heavily odds-on and eventually returned 1/4.
The decision to offer even money was not a bookmaking one, it was a marketing decision. Coral took the view that a £1,000,000 liability on Sprinter Sacre was worth it in marketing terms for the coverage they would get and the new customers who would open an account with them. The maximum bet on this offer was £20.
Sprinter Sacre duly won by 19 lengths. Unfortunately for Coral all of its customers then logged in to collect their ‘free money’ after the race and the new website crashed. Any hope that these customers might then recycle some of their winnings in the subsequent races on the card was lost as the site remained down. This must have been particularly frustrating for Coral when the winning prices for the rest of the afternoon were: 33/1, 25/1, and 25/1.
Ahead of last weekend’s Investec Derby the racing press headlines read along the lines of ‘Bookies out to get Dawn Approach’.
Much was made of the fact that Ladbrokes would be offering the top price of 7/4 for Dawn Approach, having been offering just 10/11 earlier in the week.
Brave move by Ladbrokes you might have thought, taking an opinion about a short-priced favourite in the big race. But read on …
The article went on to say that Ladbrokes would be offering this standout price “for an initial 15 minutes from 8.15am to a maximum stake of £50.”
I’m sure Ladbrokes can take a lot of bets in 15 minutes but if they think I’m going to crawl out of bed at 8.15 on a Saturday morning in the hope of getting 7/4 for 15 minutes about a horse that was happily available at 11/8 or 6/4 elsewhere they are a sadly mistaken. I enjoy my sleep more than getting an extra point (not that I wanted to back Dawn Approach in the first place).
Not that the bookmakers care much. The price is more for show and enabling them to shout they are ‘best priced’ or ‘best odds guaranteed’ in their adverts.
Sometimes, however, the marketing exercise backfires.
Ahead of the Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham in March, Coral were offering even money about Sprinter Sacre, who was generally heavily odds-on and eventually returned 1/4.
The decision to offer even money was not a bookmaking one, it was a marketing decision. Coral took the view that a £1,000,000 liability on Sprinter Sacre was worth it in marketing terms for the coverage they would get and the new customers who would open an account with them. The maximum bet on this offer was £20.
Sprinter Sacre duly won by 19 lengths. Unfortunately for Coral all of its customers then logged in to collect their ‘free money’ after the race and the new website crashed. Any hope that these customers might then recycle some of their winnings in the subsequent races on the card was lost as the site remained down. This must have been particularly frustrating for Coral when the winning prices for the rest of the afternoon were: 33/1, 25/1, and 25/1.
07 April 2013
Aintree Grand National Meeting Review
The Aintree Grand National meeting provided an excellent three days’ racing culminating in a Grand National that seemed to mark a new era in the race’s existence.
Several big name horses were on a ‘reputation recovery’ mission after disappointing at the Cheltenham Festival in March.
On the first day First Lieutenant won the Betfred Bowl Chase, having finished second in the Ryanair Chase at the Festival. Silviniaco Conti had fallen when travelling well in the Betfred Gold Cup and went off favourite for the Betfred Bowl but finished a couple of lengths behind First Lieutenant in third.
Zarkandar, fourth in the Champion Hurdle, won the Aintree Hurdle and beat the Novices’ Hurdle winner The New One in the process.
Special mention must go to Battle Group who won the Silver Cross Handicap Chase on Thursday and then came out again on Saturday to win the John Smith’s Handicap Chase with an equally impressive performance. Two wins round Aintree in the space of just three days is some feat.
Sprinter Sacre showed he is just as good at 2 mile 4 furlongs as at 2 miles when winning the Melling Chase. The Irish contender Flemenstar did not run to his best and was well beaten in third place.
My Tent Or Yours showed the same classy cruising style that he had displayed in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham. On this occasion, however, there was no Cheltenham hill to contend with and no Champagne Fever to out battle him.
Similarly, Dynaste had disappointed as favourite in the Jewson Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham but made amends at Aintree in the Mildmay Novices’ Chase.
Saturday’s main event, the Grand National, does look to be a different race now with the changes made to the course and jumps. Jumping mistakes of previous years that might have resulted in a fall or unseating might not be punished as severely judging by the 2013 running of the Grand National.
When searching for a winner in future years it could be less easy to discount the sketchy jumpers because now when they make their customary mistake they could get away with it. A low weight rather than jumping ability or experience of the Aintree fences might take more emphasis in the assessment of the likely winner.
The 2013 Grand National winner, Auroras Encore, trained by Sue Smith and ridden by Ryan Mania, carried 10 stone 3 lbs, which is the lowest winning weight for many years. A trend had been developing for winners carrying 11 stone or more.
Several big name horses were on a ‘reputation recovery’ mission after disappointing at the Cheltenham Festival in March.
On the first day First Lieutenant won the Betfred Bowl Chase, having finished second in the Ryanair Chase at the Festival. Silviniaco Conti had fallen when travelling well in the Betfred Gold Cup and went off favourite for the Betfred Bowl but finished a couple of lengths behind First Lieutenant in third.
Zarkandar, fourth in the Champion Hurdle, won the Aintree Hurdle and beat the Novices’ Hurdle winner The New One in the process.
Special mention must go to Battle Group who won the Silver Cross Handicap Chase on Thursday and then came out again on Saturday to win the John Smith’s Handicap Chase with an equally impressive performance. Two wins round Aintree in the space of just three days is some feat.
Sprinter Sacre showed he is just as good at 2 mile 4 furlongs as at 2 miles when winning the Melling Chase. The Irish contender Flemenstar did not run to his best and was well beaten in third place.
My Tent Or Yours showed the same classy cruising style that he had displayed in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham. On this occasion, however, there was no Cheltenham hill to contend with and no Champagne Fever to out battle him.
Similarly, Dynaste had disappointed as favourite in the Jewson Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham but made amends at Aintree in the Mildmay Novices’ Chase.
Saturday’s main event, the Grand National, does look to be a different race now with the changes made to the course and jumps. Jumping mistakes of previous years that might have resulted in a fall or unseating might not be punished as severely judging by the 2013 running of the Grand National.
When searching for a winner in future years it could be less easy to discount the sketchy jumpers because now when they make their customary mistake they could get away with it. A low weight rather than jumping ability or experience of the Aintree fences might take more emphasis in the assessment of the likely winner.
The 2013 Grand National winner, Auroras Encore, trained by Sue Smith and ridden by Ryan Mania, carried 10 stone 3 lbs, which is the lowest winning weight for many years. A trend had been developing for winners carrying 11 stone or more.
03 April 2013
Not All About The National
Aintree’s three-day Grand National meeting has much more to it than the Grand National itself but, unfortunately, most casual viewers will confine themselves to the ‘main event’ on Saturday afternoon.
This year the John Smith’s Melling Chase on Friday 5 April could be the highlight of the whole meeting.
Sprinter Sacre, the impressive winner of the Queen Mother Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival in March, will be stepping up in distance to two and a half miles for the first time. If there are any doubts about his ability to stay the extra furlongs they will be seized upon by Cue Card, winner of the Ryanair Chase, a winner over hurdles round this Aintree course and distance earlier in his career.
They will both be taking on the Irish gelding Flemenstar, who was last seen being beaten by Sir Des Champs in the Hennessey Gold Cup at Leopardstown in February. The Melling Chase will be Flemenstar’s first trip across the Irish Sea to race in the UK and, whilst two and half miles is his ideal distance, the drying ground at Aintree could be a concern. His wins have tended to come on softer going.
One horse that will appreciate the firmer ground is Finian’s Rainbow, who won this race in 2012. He is the oldest horse in the race and has finished a well-beaten last on his two runs since then, behind Cue Card and For Non Stop on separate occasions. But both defeats were on ground described as heavy and soft respectively.
Clearly Finian’s Rainbow has to improve on those runs and Sprinter Sacre is rated vastly superior to all of his rivals. But 14/1 about Finian’s Rainbow, a previous winner and getting ground that suits, appeals for an each-way bet.
Elsewhere at Aintree, Silviniaco Conti will attempt to get things back on track in the Betfair Bowl Chase (Thursday 14.30) after falling in the Betfred Gold Cup at Cheltenham last time.
The New One, Grandouet, Zarkandar, and Countrywide Flame line up against each other in the John Smith’s Aintree Hurdle (Thursday 15.05). The last three all contested the Stan James Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham last month with Countrywide Flame finishing third and Zarkandar fourth. It promises to be another hot contest with Festival winner The New One thrown in to the mix for good measure.
This year the John Smith’s Melling Chase on Friday 5 April could be the highlight of the whole meeting.
Sprinter Sacre, the impressive winner of the Queen Mother Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival in March, will be stepping up in distance to two and a half miles for the first time. If there are any doubts about his ability to stay the extra furlongs they will be seized upon by Cue Card, winner of the Ryanair Chase, a winner over hurdles round this Aintree course and distance earlier in his career.
They will both be taking on the Irish gelding Flemenstar, who was last seen being beaten by Sir Des Champs in the Hennessey Gold Cup at Leopardstown in February. The Melling Chase will be Flemenstar’s first trip across the Irish Sea to race in the UK and, whilst two and half miles is his ideal distance, the drying ground at Aintree could be a concern. His wins have tended to come on softer going.
One horse that will appreciate the firmer ground is Finian’s Rainbow, who won this race in 2012. He is the oldest horse in the race and has finished a well-beaten last on his two runs since then, behind Cue Card and For Non Stop on separate occasions. But both defeats were on ground described as heavy and soft respectively.
Clearly Finian’s Rainbow has to improve on those runs and Sprinter Sacre is rated vastly superior to all of his rivals. But 14/1 about Finian’s Rainbow, a previous winner and getting ground that suits, appeals for an each-way bet.
Elsewhere at Aintree, Silviniaco Conti will attempt to get things back on track in the Betfair Bowl Chase (Thursday 14.30) after falling in the Betfred Gold Cup at Cheltenham last time.
The New One, Grandouet, Zarkandar, and Countrywide Flame line up against each other in the John Smith’s Aintree Hurdle (Thursday 15.05). The last three all contested the Stan James Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham last month with Countrywide Flame finishing third and Zarkandar fourth. It promises to be another hot contest with Festival winner The New One thrown in to the mix for good measure.
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