Horse Racing blog

Horse Racing blog Your Horse Racing blog 2012-02-10T05:01:53-06:00 DotClear daily 1 2012-02-10T05:01:53-06:00 Cheltenham Countdown: The Bankers 2012-02-10T05:01:53-06:00 2012-02-10T05:01:53-06:00 http://www.horseracing.com/blog/cheltenham-countdown-the-bankers Rob Holmes Horse Racing Tips

Banker each way: Colour Squadron. Followers of my Cheltenham Countdown would know I am a big fan of this horse. Having seen him bolt up in a Chepstow bumper, he has run some solid races over timber. 2nd at Newbury earlier in the season, he won on his next start ahead of Montbazon, a well regarded Alan King Horse. Last time out, how shall we put this, he showed greenness to lose the Tolworth at Sandown. My thoughts on the race was that he made the running as nothing else wanted to lead and idled on the run in. Personally, I think he will settle in behind the leaders where a decent gallop is the norm in the Supreme. Generally 16/1. (Note: could run Sat 11th Feb if Newbury is on)

The key races at the Cheltenham Festival have key trends developing, so in this installment of my Cheltenham Countdown I am going to break it down so that our shortlist of horses will meet the criteria that the trends match. Here, I have handpicked a selection of races – I have purposely gone away from the big Championship events. Stobart Lester Award Nominations 2012-02-02T05:04:08-06:00 2012-02-02T05:04:08-06:00 http://www.horseracing.com/blog/stobart-lester-award-nominations Editor Features

Named in honor of legendary British flat racing Champion Jockey, Lester Piggott, the Stobart Lester Awards honor jockeys for a range of achievements at a ceremony held in Britain each year. With the 22nd annual Stobart Lester awards due to take place at the Hilton Metropole in Birmingham on Thursday April 5th, the list of nominees has been published, with the world’s top jockeys in line for what has been described as the horse racing industry's own "Oscars".

Champagne Fever – A Willie Mullins bumper horse. 'Enough said', I hear you say. Always well regarded after his Point to Point win, he finished second to Thomas Eddison (subsequently bought by JP Mcmanus) at Leopardstown over Christmas. Since then, he bolted up at Fairyhouse. Heading the betting for the Bumper at 10/1, he could go off a lot shorter on the day.

So here we are, seven weeks to the Festival – the holy grail for jump racing enthusiasts. Have we a clearer picture of which horses will turn up in their respective races? Mostly. Hurricane Fly (the 2011 Champion Hurdle winner) still has a cloud hanging over him, is currently the 2/1 favorite for the big one. The price is based on last year’s form as he has nothing to show this year as of yet. Willie Mullins gave a positive bulletin at the turn of the 2012 and his favorite for the Irish Champion on Sunday. Watch this space!

Having worked at the old British Horseracing Board, as well as holding senior posts in New Zealand racing and his home-country of Australia, Paul Bittar brings a wealth of hands-on experience to the table as he takes up his post as chief executive of the British Horseracing Authority. By all accounts, Bittar's experience and competence will be put to the test immediately as he addresses two issues that need to be resolved urgently for the British horseracing industry to move forward. The issues that need a speedy resolution are the acceptable use of a whip in horseracing, and funding the Sport of Kings in a shaky economic climate.

With a winning streak stretching back to December 2010, six-year-old- gelding Rapid Redux took first place in the sixth race at Laurel Park on Wednesday January 4, thereby extending his United States record to winning twenty-two consecutive races. With JD Acosta in the saddle, Rapid Redux took the lead early in the six-horse race, claiming victory in the five-horse race by three-quarters of a length. Seen as a worthy opponent, Awesome Rhythm came in a close second, having previously claimed second place to Rapid Redux in the race at Laurel Park on 13 December last year.

The horseracing industry in Maryland has been dealing with uncertainty regarding its future for some time now. While in many other states horseracing tracks have onsite slot machine gambling, the only track to have this facility in Maryland is the harness racing track of Ocean Downs. Horseracing in the United States has been hard hit by the country's economic turmoil, and while casino gambling doesn't make horseracing a more financially viable sport, it does help cover the costs of running racetracks.

My name is Glenn Thompson and I am a thoroughbred horse trainer with over 30 years experience in training. Throughout my career I have been fighting the bleeding issue with my horses, sometimes winning and sometimes losing. I am not sure what has been the cause for the bleeding to get so bad, but I do know that it has gotten much worse as the years have passed. It could be a combination of a few things: The steroids that were legal all those years; the over-use of antibiotics; the anti-inflammatories; or even the pesticides used in the hay, straw and oat fields.

Often referred to as the "Sport of Kings", horseracing has had more than its share of controversy during its history. Today, with casinos collaborating with the horseracing industry, and advances in modern technology bringing simulcast racing to many venues, the sport is perceived by many to be just another form of gambling. This perception is challenged by horseracing enthusiasts who are involved with the equine athletes that stir up so much excitement on race-day. A new television series, set to premiere on 11 December, may very well change the general public's understanding about horseracing, as it addresses all aspects of the sport, including the role of owners, jockeys, punters and various gaming entities, as well as the horses themselves.