It was hardly the sort of race to fire the imagination so close to Cheltenham but, to my intense satisfaction and a handy profit to boot, Suzi’s Connoisseur went in at 9/1 at Lingfield the other day. He is twelve years old, hadn’t won in 31 tries since his last success at Newmarket in 2019 and was ridden in this apprentices’ handicap by 7lbs claimer Tommie Jakes, hitherto unknown to me. You have to bear in mind how poor some of these races are, and Tommie had done pretty well on Suzi’s Connoisseur the previous time, finishing a close fourth in a similar contest. He came from some way off the p ..read more

Our 44th and final Cheltenham Bulletin Book is available to download for Cheltenham Enhanced Package clients. Our Cheltenham services start from £15 – if you are interested and have any questions, please contact me. Cheltenham starts on Tuesday 14 March. Here is a breakdown of the races for each of the four days. Rebecca   DAY ONE: Tuesday 14 March   13:30 The Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle Race (Grade 1) 2m abt ½f Hurdle   14:10 The Sporting Life Arkle Challenge Trophy Steeple Chase (Grade 1) abt 2m Chase   14:50 The Ultima Handicap Steeple Chase (Premier Handicap) 3m abt ..read more

Hi there, The message is coming through load and clear that the home team will be struggling to keep the Irish at bay when Cheltenham starts in a fortnight’s time. We got an early indication of that in Saturday’s Adonis Hurdle at Kempton, where Joseph O’Brien’s Nusret comfortably beat a field that included Scriptwriter who, before the race was just about the shortest-priced of the British contenders for the Triumph Hurdle. The 6/4 favourite was beaten just over 35 lengths and although nothing untoward came to light I suspect there was a reason for his disappointing display. However the really ..read more

It is with a tinge of sadness that the team and I are writing this final edition of the Cheltenham Bulletin Book. We have had dozens of kind and moving messages from clients, some of whom have been with us since the early editions over 40 years ago, expressing their sorrow at the decision but I felt the time was right to move aside. Having said that, I find myself as intrigued as ever by this wonderful meeting and am more than happy with my preview of the Champion Hurdle and Gold Cup. My conclusions may surprise you, while I have unearthed a couple of plots for the handicaps based on informati ..read more

Hi there, At last we had something to get our teeth into over the weekend, with two top-class performances from Shishkin and I Like To Move It. Starting with I Like To Move It, as many of you will be aware I was very keen on his chance in Saturday’s Kingwell Hurdle despite there being no more than a 1lb on official figures between the three leading contenders. I felt the decent ground and sharp track would suit him, unlike the extended 2m 4f he had been asked to tackle on soft ground in the Relkeel Hurdle over the New Year. On that occasion he had finished behind First Street and Knappers Hill ..read more

Hi there! I can’t believe that writing now, just a month before Cheltenham, I have found myself focusing on the low-grade all-weather racing in an effort to seek out something interesting to pass on to my subscribers. I actually quite enjoy trying to unearth a few ‘plots’ on the all-weather during the first couple of months of the year – the AW feature in the Weekend Card has made a good profit – but this extraordinary spell of dry weather has given rise to small fields and jump cards more akin to the heights of summer than the months of midwinter. On ground that was good to firm in places at ..read more

Hi there! Willie Mullins duly had an impressive tally of eight winners over the two-day Dublin Racing Festival but a few of them took some finding and he had four short-priced reverses with Blue Lord at 1/4, Lossiemouth 1/3, Facile Vega at 4/9 and Appreciate It at 11/8. It’s hard to know where to start such was the quality on view. Perhaps the most intriguing of his winners was Gaelic Warrior, who carried top weight to victory from a mark of 143 in the 2m 0-150 handicap hurdle on Sunday. The five-year-old still jumped right, having done so to such an extreme degree that it cost him the race wh ..read more

Written by Jack Dixon After a relatively quiet January transfer window for Manchester United, with Wout Weghorst the only arrival up until the 31st, not much was expected from United heading into the final days of the window. But against Reading on the 28th of January, Christian Eriksen, a key player in Erik ten Hag’s side, sustained an ankle injury, ruling the Danish midfielder out until late April/Early May. With Donny van de Beek already ruled out for the season, and Scott McTominay having an injury issue, United had to act on the final day. The moment stories came out, beginning to link Ma ..read more

Hi there! There was plenty on offer at Cheltenham on Saturday, even if a few of the results raised more questions than answers. I liked the way that Comfort Zone and Scriptwriter pulled clear of the third in the opening Triumph Trial, with the winner’s only defeat from four starts over hurdles coming when beaten six and a quarter lengths by Lossiemouth in a Grade 3 at Fairyhouse in December. That mare is now a top price of 11/8 for the Triumph Hurdle – remarkably short given that there is still over a month to go. Having said that would you want to lay her? As you may be aware I had been very ..read more

For quite a long time it was Italian restaurants but now the list has moved on to people, which it was bound to in the end. Mama Rosa and La Paesana were opposite each other in Notting Hill Gate, the proverbial stone’s throw from the Arlecchino, which mercifully survives. But the Venice on Great Titchfield Street went many years ago, though not before hosting the farewell get-together as the Sporting Life finally went under after 139 years. It was Musidora day at York and the big race was won by Frankie Dettori on Bahr for Saeed Bin Suroor. It’s hard to believe it all happened very nearly 25 y ..read more