The EBA Blog

Royal Ascot gets prize money increase
Prize money for the 2009 Royal meeting at Ascot has been increased by £450,000 to £4,450,000. The Golden Jubilee Stakes and Prince of Wales Stakes are increased by £75,000, while The St James’s Palace Stakes, Queen Anne Stakes, Kings Stand Stakes, Coronation Stakes and the Gold Cup all go up by £50,000.

Weather plays havoc with racing fixtures
The awful weather conditions this week have meant a number of meetings have been abandoned. Following Monday’s meetings at Taunton, Ludlow and even Wolverhampton’s all weather card succumbing to conditions, further fixtures throughout the week have been called off. Tuesday’s meetings at Leicester and Sedgefield are gone, Musselburgh and Fontwell are off on Wednesday and Thursday’s fixture at Hereford is doubtful.

Tolworth still undecided
The BHA are yet to make a decision on whether last weekend’s abandoned Tolworth Hurdle will be rescheduled for this weekend due to the current weather conditions. “With the forecast still being as it is, we are trying to leave a decision as late as possible to give it every chance of happening,” said British Horseracing Authority PR manager Paul Struthers.

This Saturday’s big race is the Tolworth Hurdle at Sandown Park. Only six runners go to post but it looks a very competitive affair, with the front 3 in the market very hard to separate.

Current favourite is Nick Gifford’s Dee Ee Williams. He was touched off last time by Alan King’s Medermit in a hot race at Ascot but had looked very good winning his two previous starts. On a strict line through Medermit, Paul Nicholls’ runner Mahonia should have every chance of beating Dee Ee Williams. Mahonia beat Medermit by 13 lengths at Exeter in November although he was receiving weight that day, Dee Ee Williams went down to Medermit off levels.

Clay Hollister lines up for the in form Nicky Henderson and Tony McCoy. He looked like he could be anything when winning last time after an injury lay off and you’d been foolish to rule him out.

Henrietta Knight had a winner at Cheltenham earlier in the week and her charge Somersby won in very nice fashion at Kempton last time out.

Tolworth Hurdle Trends
Here are some key trends that should help with your selection process.

Paul Nicholls has won 4 of the last 6 renewals.

Five year olds have won 5 of the last 8 renewals.

The last 11 winners have finished 1ts or 2nd on their previous start.

9 of the last 11 winners were 1st or 2nd favourite.

Tolworth Hurdle Betting (Prices from BlueSq)
Mahonia 7/4
Dee Ee Williams 2/1
Clay Hollister 7/2
Somersby 7/1
Benfleet Boy 25/1
Cabinet Minister 25/1

Don’t forget to visit our Horse Racing Forum for Tolworth Hurdle Tips and advice on all the weekend’s action.

Sublimity put himself right back into Champion Hurdle contention by winning the Leopardstown Golf Centre December Festival Hurdle today. He went off a 3/1 chance under jockey Phillip Carberry and travelled very well throughout the race, winning by half a length from Won In The Dark.

“He finished his race really well,” said trainer Robbie Hennessy.

“He loved the good ground and quickened up well on it.

“He’s a top-class horse and it’s all systems go.

“We might bring him back for the AIG as he didn’t really have a hard race.”

VC Bet cut Sublimity to 8/1 from 16/1 for the 2009 Champion Hurdle on the back of his performance. William Hill make him 10/1 from 12’s.

Sizing Europe finished a disappointing 5th, while veteran Brave Inca managed to grab 3rd place.

Kauto Star

There is little time to get over our Christmas Day feast before the King George is upon us. Kauto Star is bidding to become only the third horse to win the race three times but he will need to leave a poor performance last time well behind him.

The King George Chase takes place every Boxing Day at Kempton Park. It is a Grade 1 race, run over a trip of three miles and is open to horses aged 4 years and above. There are a total of eighteen fences to be tackled.

This year’s event sees Kauto Star head the market at 6/4 generally. He’s the class act in the field and his only blip was last time out, falling when coming to challenge in the Betfair Chase at Haydock. He has a host of new challengers this year but is deservedly a short price to make it three King George victories in a row.

Alan King’s Voy Por Ustedes is taking a step up in trip to contest the 3 mile events this season after dominating the top races over 2 miles in recent years. He’s been the model of consistency and probably needed the run when beaten last time. King is confident of him being up to the task over 3 miles but he’s possibly a little short at 3/1 with something still to prove.

Imperial Commander is the most interested horse in the race for me. The Paddy Power Gold Cup winner could have any amount of improvement left. While he would need to find a few lbs to trouble some of his rivals on official figures, the manor in which he won the Paddy Power suggests he’s up to the challenge. At a best price of 8/1, Imperial Commander is a solid each way bet.

King George Trends

8 of the last 10 winners were from the first two in the betting.

4 of the last 11 renewals have been won by Paul Nicholls.

9 of the last 11 winners were rated 160 or higher.

Just 1 winner older than nine since 1990.

12 of the last 13 winners had won last time out.

King George Resources

King George Tips – Tips and advice on the big race from our horse racing forum.

King George Free Bet – Get a £25 free bet on the King George Chase from Totesport.

Here are the Scoop 6 races for tomorrow;

Race 1 : 2.10 Ascot
Race 2 : 2.35 Haydock
Race 3 : 2.45 Ascot
Race 4 : 2.55 Newcastle
Race 5 : 3.10 Haydock
Race 6 : 3.25 Newcastle

Best of luck!

For all the hottest Scoop 6 tips, visit our horse racing forum.

The Scoop 6 races for this Saturday are as follows;

Race 1 : 1.55 Cheltenham
Race 2 : 2.15 Doncaster
Race 3 : 2.30 Cheltenham
Race 4 : 2.45 Doncaster
Race 5 : 3.05 Cheltenham
Race 6 : 3.20 Doncaster

All the Scoop 6 races are live on Channel 4 and I’ll be posting my thoughts on the Scoop 6 races on our horse racing forum.

Totesport are giving 5% cashback on Scoop 6 bets and a free £25 bet for new clients.

Imperial Commander

This Saturday’s Boylesports Gold Cup sees Paddy power Gold Cup winner, Imperial Commander, return to Cheltenham. Can he follow up his impressive victory?

The Boylesports Gold Cup is a Grade 3 Handicap Chase run over two miles five furlongs and consists of seventeen fences. The race has had a number of different sponsors over the years but was probably most well known as the Tripleprint Gold Cup.

Imperial Commander is the current 9/4 favourite and that price looks about right on the back of his win in last month’s Paddy Power. He has taken a significant rise in the weights but trainer Nigel Twiston Davies reports him to be in good order and it would come as no surprise to see Imperial Commander defy his new handicap mark. A possible negative is the fact only 3 horses have managed to win the Paddy Power and this race in the same season, another is only 1 of the last 10 favourites have been successful.

Paul Nicholls Silverburn is an 11/2 chance and before his slightly disappointing run in the Paddy Power Gold Cup, his handler was raving about him following a wind operation. With Noland winning at Punchestown earlier this week, the stable may be ready to put a few bad weeks behind them and we could see an improved performance from Silverburn.

Another horse with winning form at Cheltenham is Tom Taaffe’s Finger On the Pulse. I’m not sure if he’s quite top class but he seems fairly genuine. The form of his run behind Noland was franked this week and this runner must have a live each way chance at 10/1.

Boylesports Gold Cup Trends
9 of the last 10 winners were placed 1st, 2nd or 3rd last time out.

Only 1 of the last 10 favourites have won.

No winner older then 8 since 1994.

Only 1 winner in the last 10 years carried more than 11st 3lbs.

Boylesports Gold Cup Betting (Prices From Bet365)
Imperial Commander 9/4
Silverburn 11/2
Finger On the Pulse 10/1
Three Mirrors 12/1
Possol 10/1
My Petra 16/1
Notable D’Estruval 16/1
Sky’s The Limit 16/1
20/1 Bar

Boylesports Gold Cup Resources
Boylesports Gold Cup Tips - Get tips on the big race from our Horse Racing Forum.

Boylesports Gold Cup Free Bet - £200 in Free Bets from the race sponsors.

The 2008 Peterborough Chase takes place this Thursday 11th December at Huntingdon. It’s a Grade 2 Chase run over 2 miles and 4 furlongs. Henrietta Knight has dominated the race having saddled 8 of the last 10 winners. Surprisingly, she has no entries in the race this year.

There are currently 23 horses still entered for Thursday’s Peterborough Chase but I’d imagine this number to reduce significantly before then with a number of trainers waiting to see what conditions are like before committing.

There are some very interesting horses in the field including Old Roan Chase winner Snoopy Loopy, Nicky Henderson’s very talented Trabolgan who has been off the track for 3 years and heading the weights is Noland from the Paul Nicholls’ yard.

Trainer of Monet’s Garden, Nicky Richards, think his horse will go well after a disappointing effort at Aintree last time.

“Monet’s Garden is in grand form and we are just building him up to go to Huntingdon now for the Peterborough Chase,” he told At The Races.

“I think everyone needs to forget his Aintree run as the ground was very testing and he has never been able to show his best on that ground.”
Although Trabolgan is entered for the Peterborough, he is more likely to run at Ascot on December 20th.

Trainer Nicky Henderson said: “He is in the Peterborough but I have found a nice open handicap at Ascot in a couple of weeks, and he is more likely to go there.”
Noland is also a doubt with him being more likely to go for the rescheduled John Durkan Memorial Chase at Punchestown tomorrow.

Peterborough Chase Tips

It seems there is some confusion over the Scoop 6 races for this week since the Racing Post website disaster.

Here are the races that make up tomorrow’s Scoop 6;

Leg 1 Sandown 1.25pm
Leg 2 Sandown 2.00pm
Leg 3 Wetherby 2.50pm
Leg 4 Sandown 3.05pm
Leg 5 Wetherby 3.20pm
Leg 6 Sandown 3.35pm

You can get tips on tomorrow’s Scoop 6 from our horse racing forum.

Our Scoop 6 guide can help you solve the puzzle of finding the six winners!

The Tingle Creek Trophy is a Grade 1 National Hunt race open to horses aged five years and older. The race is run over two miles in early December at Sandown Park racecourse. It is named after the horse Tingle Creek who had a great record at Sandown during the 1970’s.

Tingle Creek Trends
Trainer Paul Nicholls has an outstanding record in the race with 5 winners in the last 10 renewals.

Dual winners are common. In the last 10 years, Flagship Uberalles won 3 times and Moscow Flyer and Kauto Star have won twice.

Look for horse at the head of the betting, outsiders do not win this race often.

2008 Tingle Creek Trophy
This year’s renewal sees Paul Nicholls’ Master Minded make his seasonal debut. In this year’s Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham, Master Minded put up a performance the likes of which we don’t see very often. He looked like a world beater. It was a different story the following month at Aintree though where his colours were lowered in no uncertain fashion by Vor Poy Ustedes.

With Ruby Walsh out injured, 2nd stable jockey Sam Thomas has been deputising for Nicholls. Things haven’t gone as smoothly as they did for Thomas last year though and there is talk of him being jocked off Master Minded and Tony McCoy taking the ride in the Tingle Creek.

Master Minded is currently a very short 1/2 favourite. Although there is no denying the horse’s ability, he’s the highest rated horse in training, it’s not a price I’d want to be taking with the furore surrounding the Nicholls stable at the moment.

Last year’s winner Twist Magic is becoming a little frustrating. He looked to have a great chance at Exeter last time in the William Hill Gold Cup but finished a disappointing 4th. If he’s on top of his game, he’ll be in with a good chance of making it back to back wins but that is a big if.

Nicky Henderson’s Jack The Giant is an interesting contender. He was very impressive at Ascot last time and with the form the stable are currently in, this horse could really provide Team Nicholls with some tough opposition.

Tingle Creek Trophy Resources
Tingle Creek Trophy Betting - Get the latest odds on the Tingle Creek Trophy from Betfair.

Tingle Creek Trophy Tips – Get free tips on the Tingle Creek from our horse racing tips forum.

Tingle Creek Trophy Free Bet – Get a £25 free bet on the Tingle Creek from Ladbrokes.