2014 Preview

Preview

By Stephen Dwyer

This is a great time of the year for reflection and anticipation. Looking back on the many highlights of the 2013 horse racing year serves well to whet the appetite for the forthcoming twelve months of flat and jump racing action.

And speaking of highlights, there were some monumental ones. Bittersweet times reigned during the flat season. On Ladies' Day at Royal Ascot, the sight of Her Majesty the Queen enthusiastically cheering her horse Estimate in the Gold Cup showed the millions watching how much the monarch loves the sport. This was a poignant time too with the passing of legendary trainer Sir. Henry Cecil at the age of 70. The ten-time Champion trainer, so famous for training Frankel, one of the all-time greats, will be sadly missed. Training however will continue at the Cecil yard and Lady Cecil has declared her ambition is to “Win a Group One race next year".

The jumps season turned full circle with memorable Cheltenham and Aintree Festivals and there is so much to look forward to in 2014. As we look at the racing calendar, there are many questions to answer. The question on many people’s lips is can the mighty Hurricane Fly become the first ten year old winner of the Cheltenham Champion Hurdle since Sea Pigeon in 1980 ? Trainer Willie Mullins certainly believes so and is on record as saying the horse is "stronger than ever" this season. Hurricane Fly recently set a world record of seventeen Grade 1 races (beating the previous record set by Kauto Star) but competition is stiff this term. Our Conor, a runaway winner of last year’s biggest race for four year olds, is set to clash with Hurricane Fly at Cheltenham. Originally acquired for the modest sum of €4,500 at the Tattersalls Sales in 2010, Our Conor was sold for a sum in the region of €1,000,000 last year to owner Barry Connell. He remains a horse of almost unlimited potential and is one to follow for the season.

The Blue Riband of jump racing, the Cheltenham Gold Cup is always a race to savour. Gold Cup Day at Cheltenham sells out each year so the trend for many racing fans in recent years is enjoy the carnival atmosphere at local pubs where the racing is shown. The 2014 renewal of the Gold Cup is a very open affair. Current favourite (and last year’s winner) Bobs Worth, is unbeaten in five races at Cheltenham. He is still a progressive horse but another entry, Cue Card may have even more potential. Cue Card is now 6/1 (from 20/1) for the Gold Cup and has proven course form which is crucial. He won the Champion Bumper as a young horse and also the Ryanair Chase at Cheltenham which are both major races. He will be an eight year old in March and with plenty of experience and class, remains one to take very seriously indeed.

In April, the Aintree Grand National is one of the great days. Breaking all betting records last year with over £150 million wagered on the race, the Grand National will be watched live by over 600 million television viewers in 140 countries worldwide. Forty runners will jump a total of thirty fences around the marathon four and a half mile course and over 70,000 people attend the races at Aintree that day. It is traditionally one of the most competitive and unpredictable  sporting events in the world and has had some amazing results. No female jockey has won the Grand National to date in 18 attempts but Katie Walsh finished third in 2012. Could this be the year that history is made with a first female jockey to win the race ? With the likes of Nina Carberry and Katie Walsh from Ireland and Lucy Alexander and Samantha Drake in Britain, it could be a very interesting Grand National for the ladies.

Not many people might be aware that Horse Racing is the second biggest spectator sport in the UK. Last year over six million people attended a race meeting and in Ireland too, spectator numbers remain high. Attheraces (Sky Channel 415) carry exclusive coverage of both flat and jumps racing from all 26 racecourses in Ireland. Last season Willie Mullins totally dominated the Irish Jumps season with almost €4 million in prize money, three times that of second-placed Gordon Elliot. With a stable of over 300 horses, the Mullins yard is set to continue it's fine form. On the flat in Ireland, Aidan O' Brien had almost 500 runners and with a record 135 wins and was crowned champion trainer for the sixth year in a row.

Aidan O’Brien also trains the favourite for the Epsom Derby. Australia, an impeccably-bred colt by Champion Sire Galileo. O’Brien is seeking a hat-trick of Epsom Derbys in June and can be strongly fancied to do so. First run in 1780, the Derby attracts the best three-year-olds in training.

The flat season reaches a landmark day in October with Champions Day at Ascot. This is the richest day in British racing. On offer is £3.5 million in prize money, and five end-of-season championship races will decide the winners of the respective Sprint, Mile, Middle Distance, Long Distance and Fillies & Mares categories. Awards for the champion trainer and champion jockey are handed out and it is a fitting conclusion to the season.

2014 also marks the ten year anniversary since the launch of RacingUK (Sky Channel 432). Broadcasting from 33 of the UK’s top racecourses, RacingUK pays 100% of their profits directly back into the racing industry. Interestingly, the RacingUK tracks were responsible for more than 60% of total prize-money contributions made by racecourses in the UK.

Between the jumps and flat racing, there is so much to look forward to. It is time to enjoy and savour the action and best of all, to make new memories.

 copyright - Preview Magazine (Sky Sports plc)

Major Horse Racing Fixtures 2014:

Date	Meeting	Event
Tuesday 11th March	Cheltenham	Cheltenham Festival
Wednesday 12th March	Cheltenham	Cheltenham Festival
Thursday 13th March	Cheltenham	Cheltenham Festival
Friday 14th March	Cheltenham	Cheltenham Festival
Thursday 3rd  April	Aintree	Grand National Meeting
Friday 4th  April	Aintree	Grand National Meeting
Saturday 5th  April	Aintree	Grand National Meeting
Saturday 3rd  May	Newmarket	2,000 Guineas
Sunday 4th May	Newmarket	1,000 Guineas
Saturday 8th June	Epsom	Derby Festival
Tuesday 17th June	Royal Ascot	Royal Ascot
Wednesday 18th June	Royal Ascot	Royal Ascot
Thursday 19th  June	Royal Ascot	Royal Ascot
Friday 20th June	Royal Ascot	Royal Ascot
Saturday 21st  June	Royal Ascot	Royal Ascot
Tuesday 29th July	Goodwood	Glorious Goodwood
Wednesday 30th July	Goodwood	Glorious Goodwood
Thursday 31st July	Goodwood	Glorious Goodwood
Friday 1st August	Goodwood	Glorious Goodwood
Saturday 2nd August	Goodwood	Glorious Goodwood
Wednesday 10th September	Doncaster	St Leger Meeting
Thursday 11th September	Doncaster	St Leger Meeting
Friday 12th September	Doncaster	St Leger Meeting
Saturday 13th September	Doncaster	St Leger Meeting
Saturday 18th October	Ascot	British Champions Day
Friday 14th November	Cheltenham	The Open
Saturday 15th November	Cheltenham	The Open
Sunday 16th November	Cheltenham	The Open
Saturday 29th November	Newbury	Hennessy Gold Cup
Friday 26th December	Kempton	King George VI Chase

The Coral Hurdle

The Coral Hurdle

By Stephen Dwyer

It has always been a serious race. Dawn Run won it, Morley Street, Baracouda, Hardy Eustace too and in recent years Overturn and Silviniaco Conti. Though a Grade 2, it is not treated as such and this year’s renewal is awash with class. Though both Zaynar and Silviniaco Conti won the Coral Hurdle as four year olds, it pays to side with experience. Nicky Henderson’s Rolling Star, the only four year old in the field, was last year’s Triumph Hurdle favourite, before finishing sixth to Our Conor. He was subsequent favourite in the Grade 1 4yo Juvenile Hurdle at the Aintree festival but could only manage one place better when fifth to L’Unique. The impression given on both starts is that Rolling Star is more of a 2m4f horse and his future lies over fences. The Ascot trip will play to his strengths but he may not have necessary class to beat the market principles. Having won the race three times since 2008, Nicky Henderson does have place prospects with Rolling Star and he did win on his seasonal debut last year in a Triumph Hurdle trial.

Currently rated 167, Zarkandar is the highest rated hurdler in the field. He is a half-brother to the unbeaten Zarkava and winner of eight of his eleven hurdle races. Already a Triumph Hurdle winner, Zarkandar won three Grade 2 races last season before finishing fourth in the Champion Hurdle to Hurricane Fly. Connections maintain that he is at his best with cut in the ground but it was blinkers swhich proved a real revelation when he beat the brilliant The New One in a showcase finish in the Aintree Hurdle over 2m4f. It is worth noting that Zarkandar wore blinkers when racing in France and Paul Nicholls admitted after the Aintree race that he was a different animal with blinkers applied. Interestingly he also said “I definitely don´t see him as a Champion Hurdle horse next season. He´s going to be a three-miler.” At his brilliant best though, he is a tough nut to crack and whatever happens at Ascot Zarkandar remains a class act to follow all season long.

Despite the class of Zarkandar and the potential that Rolling Star clearly has, the race may go to the Irish for the first time since Hardy Eustace in 2007. There has only been one Irish runner in a Coral Hurdle since 2007, when Sabrina Harty ran the 100/1 chance Bull Flyer who was well beaten in the 2008 renewal. Given the amount of valuable prizes on offer in the Irish racing calendar, Ascot is not a target for many of Irish trainers, but Willie Mullins thinks differently. 

Annie Power is one of the most exciting hurdling prospects in the Mullin’s yard. Outside of Hurricane Fly and Quevega, Annie Power has the potential to join those exalted two and have an absolutely stellar career. Just a 5yo, she is unbeaten in all of her seven starts. I have heard good word that Annie Power bypassed the Morgiana Hurdle because she would have beaten Hurricane Fly. Given that Hurricane Fly was clearly not fully match fit on the day, there may have been some substance to these rumours.

A dual bumper winner for Jim Bolger before being acquired by Rich Ricci and the Mullins team, Annie Power has done nothing but improve since sent over hurdles. She put Don Cossack and Defy Logic (rated 142 and 148 over hurdles respectively) to the sword in a Grade 2 hurdle at Naas. The mare then ended last season with a facile twelve length victory in the Grade 1 Mares race at Fairyhouse. Willie Mullins is on record as saying that “She could be anything.” after that race, and he could be right.

Annie Power receives a hefty 11lbs from Zarkandar in the Coral Hurdle. This is a serious amount of weight to give to such a classy mare. On plain ratings, Annie Power is 155 and Zarkandar 167 and the betting shows are 11/10 for the Mullins mare and 11/8 for Zarkandar. That she is so short in the betting reflects her chances.

She should take some beating.

QIPCO Champion’s Day

QIPCO Champion’s Day

By Stephen Dwyer

It has all been leading up to this. One day in the racing calendar when the stars collide on an unprecedented scale. Thirty five of the best flat races have been run over the past five months and now all roads lead to Ascot on October 19th. QIPCO British Champions Day is, in a word, unmissable.

Champions Day is the richest day in British racing. On offer is £3.4 million in prize money, an amount that has increased steadily since the inaugural Champions Day scarcely two years ago. Organisers of the showcase event have built upon the resounding successes of the two previous years and the 2013 renewal will conclude the flat season in some style.

Five end-of-season championship races will decide the winners of the respective Sprint, Mile, Middle Distance, Long Distance and Fillies & Mares categories. The Sprint Specialists include Lethal Force who won the Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Ascot in June. He lines out against the veteran Society Rock and Irish raider Sole Power in the Group 2 Sprint Stakes over 6f. Fifth when 7/2 favourite in the race in 2012, the James Fanshawe-trained Society Rock has finished second to Lethal Force in his last two starts but is a dual course winner at Ascot. Now a 6yo, whether he can turn the tables on Lethal Force on Champions Day remains to be seen. Lethal Force readily accounted for the field in the Darley July Cup and it is interesting to note that  five of the previous ten winners of this race have gone on to become the seasons Champion Sprinter.

With £1 million in prize money, Europe’s richest race over a mile, the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes has been won in the past by the likes of Frankel and Brigadier Gerard. The 2013 running is set for another great dual between Toronado and Dawn Approach as they lock horns once more. Last year’s Champion two-year-old and current 2000 Guineas winner, Dawn Approach is currently the 7/2 second favourite for the Queen Elizabeth II and sits just one point behind Toronado in the Mile category standings. Should he prevail against the brilliant Hannon colt and take the title of Champion Miler, it will end the season on a high for connections following a tame fifth in the Prix Jacques le Marois at Deauville. Dawn Approach was not himself that day (scoped dirty) and Olympic Glory who finished a short head behind Moonlight Cloud in the Prix Jacques le Marois heads the betting for the Queen Elizabeth II.

The Middle distance series includes such seasonal highlights as the Coronation Cup, Epsom Derby and the Juddmonte. This culminates on Champions Day in the Qipco Champion Stakes where there is £1.3 million on offer. This ten furlong Middle distance race is likely to feature triple Group 1 winner Al Kazeem amongst a superb field of runners. Since winning the Eclipse at Sandown in July connections of Al Kazeem have strongly hinted that this will be the 5yo will be retired after Ascot and though the fast ground did not suit him when third to Declaration Of War in the Juddmonte, conditions are much more likely to be in his favour on Champions Day where he is currently the 3/1 favourite.

Considering the value of the race and the prestige involved, opposition to Al Kazeem is guaranteed to be very strong. Last year's QIPCO Champion Stakes winner, Cirrus Des Aigles is entered as is Farhh for Godolphin. Paying close attention to the Racing Post analysis of the Lockinge where Farhh “absolutely bolted up”, he is an intriguing entry and his pedigree suggests he has all the required stamina to prove a real threat to Al Kazeem. Irish Derby winner Trading Leather finished second to Novellist who set a new course record in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot in July. Although many form analysts would question the depth of that race, it still contained five Group 1 winners and Trading Leather handled the track like a very smart colt. Aidan O’ Brien has entered Camelot, Ruler Of The World and Declaration Of War and interestingly, the Champion Stakes is a race that the O’ Brien team have never won. This race promises to be absolutely top class.

The Ladies then take their turn in the Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes which this year is being run as a Group 1 for the first time. The prize money for this race has also doubled in value to £500,000 and attracted a wealth of European talent. The first three home in the British Oaks (Talent, Secret Gesture and The Lark) are pitted against the first three in the Irish Oaks (Chicquita, Venus De Milo and Just Pretending) and the German Oaks winner Penelopa. Last year's winner Sapphire and The Fugue represent the best of the older generation, while Germany's Nymphea and South Africa's Igugu head the overseas challengers. Make no mistake, the Champions Fillies & Mares race is a proper Group 1. The distance of the race, 1 Mile 4 Furlongs, ensures that there can be few excuses for a true-run contest and since Dancing Rain (who had won the Investec Oaks at Epsom and the German equivalent) won the inaugural running of this race in 2011, it has risen sharply as a target for trainers across the world.

The seven races of the QIPCO British Champions Long Distance category vary in trip from the extended 1¾ miles of Doncaster’s Ladbrokes St Leger to the 2½ miles of the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot. Settling on an even 2 miles, the QIPCO British Champions Long Distance Cup is one of the most demanding and stamina sapping events in the racing calendar. The Queen could be represented in this race as her Ascot Gold Cup winner Estimate was entered. With the Irish having won the 2011 and 2012 renewals, a royal victory would be all too fitting. Michael Owen's Brown Panther is also entered in this £200,000 race which is the final major long distance race of the British season.

With so much on offer for so many, organisers have done well to condense such talent and quality into one day. All that is left now for the rest of us is to enjoy it. An easy task.

Copyright - Betview Magazine