One of the big blows for the Cheltenham Festival this year is the exclusion of the 2010 Foxhunter Chase winner Baby Run who won’t be able to try and regain the prize he won two years ago after picking up a leg injury that has ruled him out for the rest of the season.

Following the withdrawal of the Nigel-Twiston-Davies trainer 11-year old, all the money has come for Backstage who is at the top of the market for the 3m2f contest for amateur riders only around the same course as the Cheltenham Gold Cup. The Gordon Elliott-trained backstage finished 10th in the Grand National last year, but has won all six of his point-to-point races in this campaign and those looking at the Cheltenham Festival betting should remember this.

Chapoturgeon’s chances in the Foxhunter Chase were enhanced when he won at Newbury last month over 2m6f. The seven-year old ran at the Festival in 2011 in the Byrne Group Plate where he came home seventh under jockey Timmy Murphy.

Salsify established himself as a leading playing going into the Festival following his win at Leopardstown on Sunday in the Raymond Smith Memorial Hunters Chase. Edna Bolger’s On The Fringe was behind the seven-year old in third place as they crossed the line on Good to Soft ground at the Irish track. People planning to bet on Horse racing at Betfair.com need to bear this in mind.

Monkerty Tunkerty made his chase debut for trainer Jessica Westwood last month at Warwick and showed what a prospect he was with an easy 11-length victory. The gelding has raced 11 times in point-to-point races but lacks experience in rules races. The nine-year old initially started his career over hurdles at Wetherby but connections decided against any further races over sticks following his disappointing run.

Big Bucks’ win in the Cleeve Hurdle at Cheltenham last month brought up his 15th consecutive victory over hurdles and is now one win away from the all time record set by Sir Ken in the 1950s.

The nine-year old will next be seen at the Cheltenham Festival in March in the World Hurdle where he is bidding for his fourth success in a race he has dominated in recent years. Those betting on 2012 Cheltenham action will have to think long and hard about opposing him.

In 2011, the Paul Nicholls-trained distance hurdler, faced his toughest test of his career against the promising Grand Crus who could run in the Cheltenham Gold Cup this season. Big Bucks rose to the challenge and defied David Pipe’s mount at the Festival and then again at the Grand National meeting a month later.

The challenge this year is likely to come from Oscar Whisky who has won on his last two visits at Cheltenham for Nicky Henderson. The seven-year old finished third in the Champion Hurdle at the Festival last season but connections have decided to step their runner up in trip this time around and anyone looking at Betfair cheltenham racing needs to remember this.

Dynaste forced the best from Big Bucks on Cheltenham Trials Day at Prestbury Park and will get another opportunity against the defending champion next month, whilst Willie Mullins’ best chance in the World Hurdle this year is Thousand Star.

The talented grey finished third in the Irish Champion Hurdle last month and has already ran three times this season. Ruby Walsh has been Thousand Star’s regular jockey in the past but will unsurprisingly ride Big Bucks once again in the World Hurdle with Paul Townend expected to pick up the ride on the French-bred horse.

Vendor has only had one start in the UK but did enough to impress with his win Newbury to be priced up at the top of the market for the Fred Winter Juvenile Novices’ Handicap Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival this year.

The French import in the Alan King yard scored when going off 4/5 favourite in December with Wayne Hutchinson in the saddle for his debut on these shores and people following the Cheltenham racing tips will have been very impressed.

Hinterland failed to live up to the early promise he showed when winning the JCB Triumph Hurdle Trial at Cheltenham in November. In his next start he was turned over at 2/7 favourite by Baby Mix who scored by seven lengths at Prestbury Park. The Fred Winter Juvenile Novices’ Handicap Hurdle does look a more realistic target now for Paul Nicholls’ four-year old rather than the Triumph Hurdle next month and anyone looking at the Betfair betting should remember this.

Another runner from the Nicholls’ yard who is prominent in the betting for the Fred Winter is Dildar. The gelding has been seen just once in the UK, that was at Taunton on January 31 where he scored after going off at 8/15. Although it looked a weak race to make his debut, he was given a soft ride by jockey Ruby Walsh which suggested there could be more to come from this four-year old.

Donald McCain’s best mount in the Fred Winter this year looks to be Hollow Tree. He finished third recently at Cheltenham in a JCB Triumph Hurdle Trial behind Grameti and Pearl Swan. He does though, have two wins under his belt this season over hurdles, those came at Ffos Lass and Chepstow respectively.

Champion trainer Paul Nicholls’ exciting hurdler Zarkandar has been confirmed a definite runner at Newbury on February 11 in the richly endowed Betfair Hurdle (the race formerly known at the Totesport Trophy), a contest that will be key to his preparation for the Stan James Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival just four weeks later, writes Elliot Slater.

The leading juvenile hurdler of last season has not been seen in action so far this term and time is running out for Nicholls to have the half-brother to the mighty Zarkava ready and at the top of his game for the two-mile championship, the glittering highlight on the opening day of the four-day racing extravaganza at Cheltenham on March 13. The son of Azamour has been given plenty of time to recover from last season’s exertions where, (after joining Nicholls from his native France), he won all three starts over timber, beginning in Grade 2 company at Kempton in February and making a tremendous impression in beating the useful Molotof by two-lengths.

Stepped up immediately to the Grade 1 JCB Triumph Hurdle, Zarkandar put his Flat speed to good use in the 23-runner field to beat the classy Unaccompanied by two-lengths, then completed a brilliant hattrick by going on to Aintree three weeks later where he proved a length-and-a-quarter too smart for Alan King’s Kumbeshwar in the Grade 1 Matalan Anniversary 4-Y-O Juvenile Hurdle. Fans of Betfair horse racing should bear this in mind.

With his stable companion Brampour set to carry top weight of 11st 12lbs at Newbury, Zarkandar will race off 11st 1lb and has long been the one the bookies fear for the big race. Despite the tremendously competitive nature of the contest Nicholls’ charge is a top priced 10/3 favourite for the Betfair Hurdle, and should he put up a bold show his current odds of 8/1 for the Champion Hurdle will surely not last long at all.

Jonjo O’Neill’s highly popular chaser Albertas Run is the standout name amongst an entry of 38 for this term’s Grade 1 Ryanair Chase at the Cheltenham Festival in March, a race he has won for the last two seasons, writes Elliot Slater.

A horse who tends to show his best form in the spring and autumn, Albertas Run will be attempting to win at the festival for the fourth time in the last five years having also won the 2008 RSA Chase when beating Roll Along by four-and-a-half-lengths. Twelve months later the Trevor Hemmings-owned star stepped up in trip to tackle the biggest guns of all in the Cheltenham Gold Cup and failed to see out the trip in finishing ninth behind the mighty Kauto Star, but he bounced back in 2010 when outpointing the tough as nails Poquelin to land the Grade 1 Ryanair Chase for the first. People with Stan James free bets should bear this in mind.

The two-mile-five-furlong trip of the Ryanair Chase seems ideal for O’Neill’s charge who returned to the Prestbury track in 2011 to bravely outpoint Kalahari King and prove the doubters wrong in winning the race for the second time, and connections are hopeful that the 11-year-old will overcome a slight training setback sustained after his win in the Grade 1 Old Roan Chase at Aintree in October where he again showed all his battling qualities in beating Pure Faith by a length. People looking at a BetVictor review need to remember this.

On the sidelines since his Aintree win with a strained ligament to his foreleg, Albertas Run will hopefully be fully fit to try and defend his title and win the contest for an unprecedented third time, a race for which he is currently on general offer at odds of 10/1 behind the 6/1 market leader Noble Prince.

Noel Meade’s highly promising youngster Monksland took his unbeaten record under rules to three with an impressive win at Naas recently and now looks well worth considering for honours in the forthcoming Neptune Investment Management Novices Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in March, writes Elliot Slater.

Sent off a relatively easy-to-back 6/1 chance in the six-runner Grade 2 Slaney Novices Hurdle on his first attempt at two-and-a-half miles, Meade’s gelding travelled well throughout the contest under Paul Carberry as he allowed the hot favourite Dedigout to cut out the running under Davy Russell. Easing to the front between the final two flights Carberry never really had to get too serious with his mount who readily pulled away from the staying-on Lyreen Legend to score but four-and-a-half lengths with something in hand. People looking ahead to Cheltenham Gold Cup 2012 should remember this.

Previously a winner over two-miles in a Down Royal bumper in November and then when beating 20 rivals on his hurdling bow in a Navan novices event over the same trip a month later, the son of Beneficial had hinted that he could be on the verge of making a name for himself and has now duly delivered on that promise to place himself very much in the reckoning for the ‘Neptune’, a race his handler has been quick to nominate as his festival target. Fans of Betfair will be keeping a close eye on things.

The step up in trip certainly appeared to bring out the best in Monksland who glided through the testing ground in much the same way he had on his previous two starts, leaving one of the few question marks over the horse being his ability to prove quite so effective on a faster surface? Bookmakers rate the unbeaten Irish contender a 16/1 shot to lift the prize at the Prestbury track on March 14, Philip Hobbs’ Fingal Bay remaining a solid ante-post market leader at odds of 5 /1.

Bookmakers have installed the 2011 Stan James Champion Hurdle winner Hurricane Fly as the odds-on 4/5 market leader for the forthcoming Grade 1 BHP Insurance Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown on January 29 despite the Willie Mullins-trained star having yet to be seen on a racecourse this season, writes Elliot Slater.

There have been a number of ‘false dawns’ already this term with the brilliant two-mile hurdler having been expected to run in the Hatton’s Grace Hurdle and then the Istabraq Hurdle at Leopardstown’s feature Christmas Festival, but each time Mullins was unhappy with the wellbeing of his stable star and has preferred to take his time and ensure that when he eventually does return to action, Hurricane Fly will appear at the peak of his powers. Those looking ahead to the 2012 Cheltenham festival should remember this.

A recent racecourse gallop has gone a long way to reassuring the horse’s many fans that he is indeed close to making a belated seasonal bow and bookmakers have responded by taking no chances in pricing him up at odds-on. The eight-year-old son of Montjeu went through last term unbeaten, rattling up a hattrick of successes in his native Ireland (all against the unfortunate Solwhit), before lowering the colours of Peddlers Cross to land the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham in tremendous fashion. He went on to follow up at Punchestown in May in the Rabobank Champion Hurdle beating stable companion and subsequent French Champion hurdle winner Thousand Stars with plenty to spare. People looking at the Betfair Champion chase betting should bear this in mind.

Amongst the possible opponents for Hurricane Fly in the Irish Champion Hurdle are the fast improving Dermot Weld-trained mare Unaccompanied, fellow Irish stars Voler La Vedette and Thousand Stars, former champion hurdler Binocular and his Nicky Henderson-trained stable companion Spirit Son, and Zarkandar, last season’s Triumph Hurdle winner, who like Spirit Son has yet to be seen in competitive action this season.

Reigning champion hurdler Hurricane Fly, absent from the racetrack since scoring at Punchestown in May, could next be seen in a racecourse gallop before his trainer Willie Mullins decides if he is fit enough to return to competitive action, writes Elliot Slater.

The winner of all five outings last season highlighted by a brilliant success in the Stan James Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival last March when getting the better of the previously unbeaten Peddlers Cross, the son of Montjeu ended his campaign with another big win when slamming high-class stable companion Thousands Stars (subsequent winner of the French Champion Hurdle in June), by six-lengths in the Grade 1 Rabobank Champion Hurdle at the Punchestown Festival.

Generally on offer at 7/4 in the 2012 Champion Hurdle betting during the summer break and early autumn, Hurricane Fly’s absence for a variety of reasons has seen his odds drift out to 5/2, with big race sponsors Stan James now looking to ‘get’ Mullins’ star by offering a standout 11/4 for him to retain his crown in a couple of months time.

The markets have been made increasingly uneasy by Mullins’ refusal to give a full explanation as to what it is that is preventing the winner of 13 of his 23 starts from being seen in public, the champion Irish trainer only being willing to offer words to the effect that the horse just hasn’t quite been showing his usual sparkle. Those following the Cheltenham 2012 betting should bear this in mind.

Quite rightly Mullins is unwilling to risk such a star performer if he is not fully fit, but he suggested in a New Year’s Day newspaper article that he expects a racecourse gallop in the near future should bring the horse on enough for him to have at least one outing before heading back to Cheltenham on March 13.

Tony Martin has confirmed that his very exciting novice chaser Bog Warrior will take his chance at Leopardstown’s showcase Christmas fixture and bid for glory in the inaugural running of the Grade 1 Racing Post Novice Chase, writes Elliot Slater.

Unbeaten in all completed starts, the Gigginstown Stud-owned gelding was tremendously impressive at Fairyhouse at the start of December where he slaughtered apparently smart opposition, coming home some 31-lengths clear of the well regarded Shinrock Paddy to land the Grade 1 Bar One Racing Drinmore Novice Chase and firmly establish himself amongst the leading contenders for the Irish Independent Arkle Chase at the Cheltenham Festival in March. People looking at the World Hurdle betting should remember this.

Martin has made no secret of the fact that he has very hopes for the son of Strategic Choice (currently a best priced 10/1 shot for the Arkle), a horse he believes is almost certainly the best he has ever trained. He reports the seven-year-old to be in fine shape ahead of his bid for the showcase Leopardstown event, a race in which he is likely to meet stern resistance from a potential handful of Willie Mullins-trained runners including the unbeaten Sir Des Champs and the smart trio Blackstairmountain, Lambro, and Call The Police.

Prior to his ridiculously easy win at Fairyhouse, Bog Warrior had made a winning start to his career over fences and gone into many notebooks as a potential star of the future when scoring at Navan in November having ended last term routing 23 rivals in a novice hurdle at Cork in March. Although he seems equally at home over two or two-and-a-half miles, the impression is that Martin believes his charge has a great deal of pace and at this stage of proceedings all the talk is about the Arkle Chase at Cheltenham with little heed being paid to any of the other options.

Day Two of the King George meeting doesn’t quite have the weight and gravitas of Day One bit it still provides another competitive day’s racing at the Sunbury track.
The youngsters kick off the programme in a juvenile hurdle, which has seen some very decent individuals take the prize, Starluck and Mille Chief being the last two winners. Alan King is responsible for two of the last three winners and he has Balder Succes entered to maintain his winning run and there are plenty of other top stables represented in what could provide a pointer for Cheltenham’s Triumph Hurdle.

The Novices’ Chase that follows could see a clash between the unbeaten novice chasers Peddlers Cross and Sprinter Sacre and that match-up would be worth travelling a long way to see if it materialises. The long distance mares hurdle has a competitive look about it with the popular Emmaslegend sure to prove attractive to the betting public after two recent wins. Anyone looking at the King George chase betting should remember this.

We are back over fences next with a race over the minimum trip (2M) which commemorates the four-time King George winner Desert Orchid. Grade 2 in status the race contains plenty of individuals who are trying to take their form up to this level as well as a couple who are on recovery missions, it doesn’t rival the King George in status or class but provides a good focal point for Day Two of the meeting. Fans of King George VI chase betting should bear this in mind.

Day Two is rounded off by two handicaps one over hurdles and one over fences, the race over the larger obstacles has been shared around over the past few seasons with no one dominant trainer but there are several interesting entries including the last winner of the event Fortification. The last of the 12 races over the two days is a two mile handicap hurdle which has only been run times and guess what? – that man Henderson has won two of them, he has a further four entries in a bid to take the race back to Seven Barrows for the third time.

So there we have it two days, 12 races and some top-class action at Kempton Park for the 2011 King George meeting.