Sports Then and Now

You have to go all the way back to April 2015 to find a race in which Altior was defeated. It was just his 3^rd outing, a national hunt flat race at Punchestown, and the 14/1 Altior was well-schooled, finishing 6^th in a race that had several prominent horses of today, including Bellshill, Supasundae and Disko.

17 races later and Nicky Henderson’s Altior hasn’t missed a step. It’s a run that has included the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, the Arkle and, of course, last year’s Champion Chase. A hat-trick of Grade 1 wins at Cheltenham, achieved with the minimum of fuss.

Legacy can be a strange thing to witness in horse racing, as sometimes we are not fully aware that history is unfolding in front of our very eyes. Altior’s effortless victories perhaps clouds the fact that we are seeing one of the greats in action. Few horses have given him a real battle: the last time a horse finished within 4 lengths of Altior was back in 2015, when Ch’tibello finished just over a length behind in a Grade 3 hurdle.

It’s perhaps unfair to judge Altior’s career over those he has beaten, but it’s natural to lament that he did not come up against, for example, Douvan when he was at his best. On the other hand, the likes of Min and Un De Sceaux – remarkable horses in their own right – have challenged and been swatted aside with ease. Read the rest of this entry →

Outlander has looked strong in the events leading up to Chetlenham on March 17th.

With the Cheltenham Races drawing closer each day, people are taking strong notice of the various horses set to run. The races always draw a big crowd of course, but it’s also one of the most popular times for placing bets. With the Bet365 Cheltenham non-runner no bet offer, at least you know you’re guaranteed to get a refund if your horse doesn’t end up running.

So, who is looking good this year? One horse that is standing out as an early contender is Outlander.

Could Outlander Take Top Spot?

Of course, nothing is for certain, but with the race taking place on March 17 it makes sense to start looking at favourites. Many are calling Outlander as the main contender in the race, and he is believed to be able to beat both Don Poli and Empire Of Dirt, who just so happen to be his stablemates. Owned by Michael O’Leary, he sees the horse as their “main chance” at winning the cup as well.

It’s making it much easier for race watchers, and Outlander’s owner, to make these bold statements thanks to the fact that Outlander trains in the same yard as the other top contenders – Empire Of Dirt and Don Poli. It’s easy to make comparisons when they are sharing space and training at the same time.

Outlander is also coming off a career-best performance that happened during Christmas as the Lexus Chase when he won. Obviously, that puts him and his team in a very confident position heading into Cheltenham. As for the odds, right now the nine year old horse is sitting at 14-1 odds heading into the Gold Cup race.

Now despite his odds at looking good for Cheltenham, he won’t run at Aintree. Read the rest of this entry →

Best Mate touches down en eoute to a Gold Cup win

The Cheltenham Gold Cup is the feature race of the National Hunt horse racing season in the UK and Ireland. Globally, racing where horse jump fences and run over distances in excess of 2 miles receives little attention compared to flat racing. The Gold Cup in fact is run over a distance of 3 miles 2 furlongs and 22 fences are required to be jumped and as such, attracts the best thoroughbreds with the stamina and ability to see out the challenge.

The race is a great sporting spectacle and during its 88 year history has developed a rich heritage, becoming one of the highlights of the British and Irish sporting calendar. In the USA, TVG and HRTV give coverage of both the Gold Cup and four day long Cheltenham Festival which runs 15^th – 18^th March in 2011.

There has only been four horses in history that have won the Cheltenham Gold Cup three times and one of those, Golden Miller, actually won it five times and also became the first horse and one of only two ever to have also won a Grand National.

Golden Miller won the Gold Cup for five consecutive years between 1932 and 1936 and also won the 1934 Grand National. He was owned by the highly eccentric Dorothy Paget a self declared man hater and one of the most difficult owners any trainer served. Her very rich family was steeped in thoroughbred racehorse ownership and she owned her own stables in Ireland as well as a stud breeding farm. She in fact owned two other Gold Cup winners, Roman Hackle who won in 1940 and Mont  Tremblant who took the honors in 1952. Read the rest of this entry →