Cheltenham

Owner Michael Buckley is dreaming big regarding Flat targets for Constitution Hill (Blue Bresil), after the nine-year-old trotted up an imperious winner at Southwell on Friday. Although Buckley and trainer Nicky Henderson have yet to make a decision on the gelding's Champion Hurdle participation, several big Flat targets are being discussed at the moment. The two-mile G1 Melbourne Cup is under consideration. Buckley told Nick Luck on Racing TV's Luck On Sunday programme, "I did say to Nicky 'can we agree on one thing, whatever we decide about Cheltenham, let's...

Mags O'Toole bought point-to-pointer Dawn Of Light (Mahler) for a sale-topping £370,000 at the Tattersalls Cheltenham November Sale on Friday evening. Sold as lot 23, the four-year-old daughter of Genifique (Nickname) was consigned by Busher Bloodstock and is a half-sister to talented jumper Bravemansgame (Brave Mansonnien). She won a Quakerstown point-to-point at second asking earlier this month. The other lot to make £300,000 or more was Minella Yoga (Study Of Man) (lot 52) who caught the eye of Highflyer Bloodstock and Paul Nicholls at £360,000. Minella Racing consigned the three-year-old...

Former jockey Rachael Blackmore and Jack, Owen and Ivor Anthony will be inducted into the Jump Racing Hall of Fame at Cheltenham this week. The quartet will be formally inducted into the Hall of Fame on day one of the November Meeting on Friday, November 14. Blackmore, who retired in May, was the first female to ride a Grand National winner with Minella Times at Aintree. She is also a current ambassador for Cheltenham Racecourse and, with the assist of trainer Henry de Bromhead, was leading rider at the Cheltenham...

Robson Aguiar will send out his first runners as a licenced trainer in Ireland at Dundalk on Friday night but poured cold water on any prospects of a dream debut double under the lights with Square Necker and Bryant, both of whom are owned by Amo Racing. The Brazilian native has taken over officially from Adrian Murray, who has sent out a number of Amo's most important winners from the same Mullingar-based stable, and stresses that 'nothing has changed only whose name the horses are running under'.  His first runner,...

Powerhouse jumps trainers Willie Mullins, Dan Skelton and Nicky Henderson clashed on potential Triumph Hurdle candidate Fantasy World (Make Believe) on day three of the Autumn Horses-In-Training at Tattersalls, with the 103-rated gelding destined for Seven Barrows after agent Jerry McGrath struck the 600,000gns winning bid. McGrath had to see off a determined challenge from Harold Kirk on behalf of Mullins - who has drawn a blank this week - while Ryan Mahon, bidding on behalf of Skelton, filled the role as underbidder.  Fantasy World was sourced by Luke Lillingston...

The G1 Close Brothers Mares' Hurdle will move from Champion Day, March 10, to St Patrick's Thursday, March 13, during next year's Cheltenham Festival, the racecourse announced on Friday. Due to the date change, the distance of the race is now 2m 4f 56y on the New Course, instead of 2m 3f 200y on the Old Course. Moving into the Close Brothers Mares' Hurdle's old spot is the TrustATrader Plate Handicap Chase, which will be the sixth race on Champion Day. A further change to the running order on St...

A new four-year deal to continue showing exclusive, free-to-air coverage of UK horse racing from 2027 until 2030 was agreed upon by ITV on Tuesday. There will be 117 days of live coverage to be shown across ITV1, ITV4, STV and STV Player--all simulcast on ITVX--along with the morning racing programme The Opening Show. The live coverage will include some of the best races on the UK racing calendar, among them: the Randox Grand National, Royal Ascot, the Boodles Cheltenham Festival and the Betfred Derby. ITV4 will also include five...

Following the recent retirement of David Maxwell from race-riding, Tattersalls Cheltenham will host the complete dispersal of the leading amateur jockey and owner's racing interests at Cheltenham Racecourse on Friday, October 24. Headlining the dispersal of 17 lots is the five-year-old El Cairos (No Risk At All), who finished an eye-catching fifth in the G1 Weatherbys Champion Bumper at this year's Cheltenham Festival, plus the six-year-old Queensbury Boy (Doyen), a dual winner as a novice hurdler when he also finished fifth in the G1 Champion Novice Hurdle at the Punchestown...

High-class dual-purpose performer Vauban (Fr) (Galiway {GB}), who landed the Triumph Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in 2022 for trainer Willie Mullins, is close to making his debut for Australian trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott.  Vauban has been well-held in his two attempts at winning the Melbourne Cup for Mullins and owner Rich Ricci. The seven-year-old was snapped up by the Waterhouse and Bott combination for a reported $2 million after he finished 11th--beaten just over five lengths--behind Knight's Choice (Aus) (Extreme Choice {Aus}) in the Melbourne Cup in...

CHELTENHAM, UK -- It is a rare thing for a trainer almost to apologise for winning a race, particularly the biggest race of his career, but observers of Jeremy Scott over the years would perhaps have expected nothing less. A man of exemplary manners, he would struggle to take pleasure in triumph in the face of other people's disasters, and there was drama and dismay aplenty in the G1 Unibet Champion Hurdle, won by Scott with the plucky little mare Golden Ace (GB) (Golden Horn {GB}). "It probably wasn't the...

On the morning of Jonbon's ninth Grade 1 win in the Clarence House Chase at Ascot last Saturday, the recently-retired Aidan Coleman, who partnered Nicky Henderson's chaser to four of those top-level triumphs, opened up about the mental turmoil that comes with being forced out of the saddle through injury. Coleman speaks openly and honestly about coming to terms with being yesterday's man and how he is searching deep within himself to fill the void. Contextualisation alone is not enough to weather this storm but it does give Aidan Coleman...

Joseph O'Brien has provided an upbeat bulletin on Al Riffa (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), Apples And Bananas (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) and Trustyourinstinct (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}), all of whom are on course for targets in Saudi Arabia and Qatar respectively following a key workout at Dundalk last Friday.  Dual Group 1 scorer Al Riffa, who is set to take part in the Neom Turf Cup at the Saudi Cup meeting next month, heads the travelling squad for the trainer who has masterminded Melbourne Cup and Breeders' Cup successes. Al Riffa...