Cheltenham Festival Preview 2011

THE 2011 Cheltenham Festival starts tomorrow and it is set to be the most open meeting for many years.  Kicking off the week’s prestigious events will be the Supreme Novices Hurdle at 1.30pm tomorrow.  Of course, the main event is the Gold Cup itself on Friday afternoon, and after last year’s surprises – who knows what will happen.

The Cheltenham Gold Cup – Friday: 3.20pm

Imperial Commander was the shock winner of last year’s Gold Cup, but he isn’t the favourite this year.  Yet again, that honour falls to Kauto Star.  Trained by Paul Nicholls, he won in 2007 and 2009, but fell last year whilst in the midfield.  Ruby Walsh will once again take the reins, and Kauto’s form isn’t great coming here.  He was surprisingly beaten in the King George VI at Kempton in January, so he will be looking for a return to form here.  2008 winner Denman and Imperial Commander are likely to be in the race and other leading runners will be Ireland’s best hope Kempes, ridden by Tony McCoy and Long Run, who was the King George VI winner.  Can Kauto Star win the Gold Cup for a third time and cement his place as one of the greatest steeplechase horses of all time, or is another shock in store for the favourite?  My tip is for Kauto to defy his bad form and make it a third win.

HAPPYDUDE’S GOLD CUP TIP: Kauto Star

The Champion Hurdle – Tomorrow

McCoy might be the leading jump jockey of all-time, but the BBC Sports Personality of the Year winner in 2010 will not have a show ride in tomorrow’s feature race.  Binocular, who won the Champion Hurdle last year had to pull out yesterday from this year’s running list, after trainer Nicky Henderson was told that medication given for an allergy would not clear up in time for the horse to pass a standardised drugs test.  It means the field for this race is thrown wide open, with Welsh Champion Hurdle winner Oscar Whisky and Hurricane Fly among the leading contenders.  However, my tip is Peddlers Cross, who is trained by Donald McCain and arrives in Cheltenham with an unbeaten record.  I think that formidable form will be good enough to turn the tables.

HAPPYDUDE’S CHAMPION HURDLE TIP: Peddlers Cross

Queen Mother’s Champion Chase – Wednesday

 Wednesday’s big race is the Queen Mother’s Champion Chase and it is set to be a blockbuster, with one of the most eagerly awaited battles of the four-day event.  MasterMinded is the king of this race, following dominant wins in 2008 and 2009.  However, he was usurped last year by Big Zeb.  Ruby Walsh is back on MasterMinded, and although he is lacking fitness, his stunning Cheltenham record is enough for to convince me that MasterMinded will return to glory in this race this year.

HAPPYDUDE’S CHAMPION CHASE TIP: MasterMinded

Ladbrokes World Hurdle – Thursday

Walsh will also ride the favourite in the Ladbrokes World Hurdle on Thursday, as he strides to succeed on Big Bucks for the third successive year.  However, he has a much more talented field to deal with this year and I reckon this could be the surprise of the week.  I’m backing Fiveforthree to end Big Bucks ten race winning streak.  Plus, there is always an upset at Cheltenham every year in one of the feature races.

HAPPYDUDE’S WORLD HURDLE TIP: Fiveforthree

The festival reaches its centenary this year and I predict the racing to be as close as ever, the pints of Guinness to flow and the Irish to rule the roost on St. Patrick’s Day.  This is set to be a cracking Cheltenham Festival in 2011 and it starts at 12.20pm tomorrow, LIVE ON CHANNEL 4.

2010: A year in sport

IT HAS been an extraordinary year in sport, which saw some pleasant surprises, favourites fall flat on their faces and intriguing battles that went down to the wire.

UNLUCKY: Andy Murray came so close, yet so far in the Australian Open

The year began with a hard luck story for Andy Murray.  The Scot performed brilliantly to reach the final of the Australian Open, including a quarter-final success over Rafael Nadal.  Sadly, it ended in heartache, as Roger Federer swept him aside in straight sets in the final.  For both, this was to be their highlight of 2010.  In rugby union, France overpowered the feeble competition from the Northern Hemisphere to win a poor Six Nations championship.  They sealed the Grand Slam with victory over inconsistent England in the final match of the championship in Paris.  The New Orleans Saints completed a famous win in the NFL, defeating huge favourites Indianapolis Colts 31-17 to win Superbowl XLIV.  The Winter Olympics were held in the cold chill of Vancouver in Canada.  The games were overshadowed by poor weather, dismal organisation and the tragic death of a male Georgian competitor in the Luge competition on the eve of the event.  However, there was gold success for Britain, as Amy Williams showed she was the Queen of Speed.  She clinched gold in the women’s skeleton, Britain’s first solo gold in the Winter Olympics for over 40 years.  Manchester United beat Aston Villa 2-1 to win the first silverware of the football season.  They came from behind to lift the Carling Cup at Wembley, but that was Sir Alex Ferguson’s only taste of silverware in 2010 for the Red Devils.

SHOCK: Imperial Commander was the surprise winner of the Gold Cup

The F1 season began with an absolute stinker in Bahrain.  Fernando Alonso inherited victory on his Ferrari debut, after Sebastian Vettel encountered technical problems on his Red Bull.  Little did we know then of the later drama in the Grand Prix season.  It was dubbed the greatest horse racing showdown battle, but it never materialised at the Cheltenham Gold Cup.  Imperial Commander was the shock winner, taking full advantage of a shock fall for the pre-race favourite Kauto Star and the lack of fitness from his stablemate, Denman.  If Cheltenham upset the odds, Phil Micklelson’s victory by three shots in the US Masters at Augusta wasn’t so much of a surprise.  Tony McCoy may have guided Denman to runner-up in the Gold Cup, but he went one better at the Grand National, riding Don’t Push It to glory and finally, winning the world’s greatest steeplechase event at the 15^th attempt of asking.  This success helped him land the coveted title of 2010 BBC Sports Personality of the Year.  In Jerez, Jorge Lorenzo passed countryman Dani Pedrosa on the last lap to win a thrilling Spanish MotoGP and set the tone for the motorcycling season to come.

GLORY: Chelsea lift the Barclays Premiership title in a double-winning year

As damaging allegations about former world champion John Higgins came to light, Australian Neil Robertson kept his nerve to win the World Snooker Championship at the Crucible.  Chelsea thrashed Wigan Athletic 8-0 on the final day of the Premiership season to clinch their third title in six years.  A week later, Carlo Ancelotti guided his side to a historic league/cup double, as Didier Drogba’s brilliant free-kick was good enough to defeat a brave and debt-ridden Portsmouth side 1-0 at Wembley in the FA Cup final.  There was more success for Australia on the streets of Monaco, as Mark Webber took the leadership of the Formula One world championship, leading home Sebastian Vettel to a Red Bull 1-2 in the principality.  A fortnight later, the two Red Bulls took each other off as Istanbul Park, handing Lewis Hamilton his first win of the season, as he won the Turkish Grand Prix for McLaren.  Blackpool joined Newcastle United and West Brom in the promise land of the Premiership.  The Tangerines sealed their shock promotion to the top flight, beating Cardiff City 3-2 in a pulsating Championship play-off final at Wembley.

CELEBRATION: Paul Collingwood lifts afloat the World 20:20 trophy

Argentine Diego Milito scored twice as Inter Milan beat Bayern Munich 2-0 in the UEFA Champions League final in Madrid, the perfect going away present for departing manager Jose Mourinho, who was heading for Real Madrid.  There was agony for Fulham, as they were cruelly beaten in the inaugural final of the UEFA Europa League, 2-1 by Atletico Madrid.  Diego Forlan scored the winner in the dying stages of extra-time and it was to be Roy Hodgson’s final game in charge of the West London side.  He took over the Liverpool job, after Rafa Benitez was sacked.  Benitez turned up at Inter, but might be sacked again before the year is out.  In cricket, Paul Collingwood captained England to a surprise and fantastic victory in Cricket’s 20:20 World Cup.  6-1 shot with the bookies, Workforce won the Epsom Derby and Rafael Nadal claimed back the world no.1 spot after overcoming Robin Soderling in the final of the French Open at Roland Garros.  Italy’s Francesca Schiavone was the shock winner of the ladies singles in France. 

PAIN: Valentino Rossi is treated after his horror MotoGP crash

Valentino Rossi’s hopes of retaining his MotoGP title were shot, when he broke his leg in a serious practice accident for his home event in Mugello.  A week later, the greatest show on earth kicked off with the 2010 FIFA World Cup beginning in Soccer City.  A colourful opening ceremony was followed by hosts’ South Africa drawing 1-1 in the opener with Mexico.  Siphiwe Tshabalala scored one of the goals of the tournament for the hosts.  Twenty-four hours later, England drew their opening match in Rustenberg against the USA.  The 1-1 draw stood out for a glaring error from goalkeeper Robert Green and millions of ITV HD viewers missing the England goal from Steven Gerrard, enjoying a Hyundai car commercial instead!  There was success for Northern Ireland, when Graeme McDowell won the US Open at Pebble Beach, becoming the first European since Tony Jacklin in 1970 to win the prestigious event.  Meanwhile, Mark Webber was very lucky to walkaway unscathed from a terrifying 196mph shunt with Heikki Kovalainen at the European Grand Prix in Valencia. 

AGONY: Steven Gerrard feels the pain of an early exit for England

England’s World Cup dreams were blown apart in Bloemfontein.  Fabio Capello’s flat Three Lions losing 4-1 to bitter rivals Germany in the last 16.  Despite having a clear goal disallowed, when Frank Lampard’s shot bounced over the line, the younger German side had far more passion and the scoreline didn’t flatter them.  It was another dismal major tournament performance from England, but Capello somehow managed to hang onto his job.  England weren’t the only ones to make an embarrassing exit, as 1998 winners France and defending champions Italy also making desperate early departures.  In the quarter-finals, Ghana got denied a semi-final place by Uruguay in a gripping quarter-final in Soccer City.  Luis Suarez’s blatant handball handed the Africans a last minute penalty in extra-time, which Asamoah Gyan missed.  Suarez’s celebrations left a bitter taste with many fans afterwards.  The final of the World Cup was a bruiser; with English referee Howard Webb dishing out 14 yellow cards.  Spain won the bad-tempered final in Soccer City, with Andreas Iniesta striking the decisive goal in extra-time against a Holland side that seem to be more interested in playing kung-fu.  At Wimbledon, John Isner beat Nicolas Mahut in the longest game ever in tennis.  Their first round match ended in Isner’s favour, 70-68 in the fifth and deciding set.  Watched on by David Beckham amongst others, Andy Murray failed in his quest to become SW19 champion, beaten by the inspirational Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals in straight sets.  Nadal went on to win the final, cruising past the conqueror of Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, Tomas Berdych in straight sets.  In the women’s game, Serena Williams regained her title, thrashing Russia’s Vera Zvonareva in less than an hour.

WINNER: Mo Farah achieves a brilliant double in Barcelona

South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen ran away with the Open Championship at St. Andrews, finishing on 16 under par, seven strokes clear of Lee Westwood, who would end the year as the world no.1.  In the Tour de France, Britain’s Mark Cavendish finished with an impressive five stage wins and Bradley Wiggins ended the event in fourth place.  The winner was Spain’s Alberto Contador.  Ferrari received a $100,000 fine for their use of team orders at the German Grand Prix.  Felipe Massa controversially handed a deserved victory over to his team-mate, Fernando Alonso at Hockenheim.  Formula One wasn’t the only sport in the dock in the summer, as cricket was faced with some tough questions, over match-fixing and ball-tampering allegations involving some of Pakistan’s key cricketers.  It made for savoury front page headlines and overshadowed a dominant summer series victory for England.  Happier times came out of the European Athletics Championships, which were very successful for Britain in Barcelona.  Mo Farah starred with two long distance wins in the 5,000m and 10,000m.  Phillips Idowu added to his world championship gold in the men’s triple jump and there was also gold for Jessica Ennis in the heptathlon and Andy Turner in the men’s 110m hurdles.  Britain left the event with 19 medals and puts us in great stead for London 2012.

REGAIN: McDowell played a key role in the Ryder Cup

The Warrington Wolves surprised the odds to defeat the Leeds Rhinos 30-6, to win the Rugby League Carengie Challenge Cup at Wembley.  In Super League, Wigan Warriors overcame Leeds in the final at Old Trafford, to win their first title since 1998.  The Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor turned into a rain-hit affair and a tense battle for supremacy.  In the first ever Monday finish to the tournament, Europe came out on top in Wales, with Graeme McDowell sinking the crucial put to see off America by one point, and regain the trophy for Europe, guided by the fantastic Colin Montgomerie.  After a dismal build-up and the withdrawal of several top-class athletes, the Commonwealth Games went ahead in India very successfully.  The starring role was from Tom Daley, as the young 16-year old won a double diving gold, despite having missed most of the season through injury.  After his closest challenger Dani Pedrosa fractured his knee in a practice crash for the Japanese MotoGP in Motegi, Jorge Lorenzo was practically assured of his first championship, which he buttoned up in Malaysia with a podium finish.

SOAKING: Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button give the new champ a shower

The closest ever F1 world championship battle went down to the wire in Abu Dhabi.  Four men still had the chance of clinching the jewel in the crown and it was Sebastian Vettel who became the youngest ever Grand Prix champion, with victory in the season finale.  Championship favourite Fernando Alonso was penalised by a poorly timed pitstop and wound up a frustrated 7^th, three places lower than what was required.  Mark Webber (8^th) and Lewis Hamilton (2^nd) were the other men in with a shout at the finale.  Hamilton may have missed out, but Dario Franchitti’s domination of the American scene continued, winning the Indy 500 for the second time in his career and the IndyCars title in the season finale in California, overhauling long-time leader Will Power in the final reckoning.  David Haye retained his world heavyweight championship title, after a comfortable stoppage of the woeful Audley Harrison in Manchester.  In the pick of the autumn rugby internationals, England beat Australia at Twickenham and Scotland stunned the world champions South Africa and the Ashes is currently tied at 1-1, after Australia levelled the series with an easy rout of England in the third test in Perth.    

That was 2010, a spectacular year and 2011 is bound to promise more of the same.

Cheltenham Festival 2010 Review - Never Underestimate The Underdog

It was billed as the decider, the build-up as intense as a grudge match between two gladiators, quite possibly the biggest rivalry ever in Horse Racing history.  However, who said it was a two-horse race, yesterday saw proof that the underdog shall never be underestimated.

Stablemates Denman and Kauto Star were up against one another again, but they were outgunned, outshone and beaten fair and square by the 7-1 outsider, Imperial Commander, who won the Cheltenham Gold Cup in clinical fashion.  Imperial Commander won by six lengths from Denman, giving jockey Paddy Brennan his finest hour in the sport.  4-1 shot Denman, with jockey legend Tony McCoy onboard, was always on top until the closing stages, when he seemed to run out of steam.  However, he held on for 2^nd, with last year’s shock Grand National winner Mon Mome, an unexpected 3^rd as a 50-1 shot.

Kauto Star was the overwhelming favourite at the bookmakers, in the betting ring and with many expert pundits.  With Ruby Walsh guiding him and Paul Nicholls training him, he was expecting to deliver a third Gold Cup in four years.  However, the increasing rain and the consequenting soft ground went against him.  After a bad mistake on the 8^th fence, Kauto Star never seemed like he was able to recover, even with Walsh steering him.  Four fences from home, the inevitable happened and he fell for good.  It looked a nasty fall, one of those that could easily twist a horse’s neck, but fortunately, both horse and jockey were unhurt and Ruby was able to remount, steer him back to base and urge to come back and do battle next year.

For Imperial Commander’s trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies, it was an amazing day, capped off by his son, Sam, who won the Christie’s Foxhunter’s chase a mere thirty minutes later on Baby Run, the 9-2jf.  Everyone loves an upset, and this was a local win, with Imperial Commander based just twelve miles down the road from Cheltenham, in Gloucestershire.  Twiston-Davies has trained two Grand National winners before, but this is his first Cheltenham success.  Imperial Commander had shown brief glimpses of form, having only been marginally beaten by Kauto Star in November at Kempton, but he was a disappointing 5^th in Boxing Day’s King George VI.  So, this was a major surprise. 

For the punters, Cheltenham 2010 turned into a sorry show.  Kauto Star’s fall cost the punters a reported £25million pounds.  Only four favourites won this week, with Big Buck’s the only expected winner of the major races, in Thursday’s Ladbrokes World Hurdle.  The bookmakers will be laughing to the bank, and though they must earn a living, some will get the feeling of giving them a decent slap!  The bookies are anticipated to have made £60million this week.  This was a case of the punters never winning.

Despite being bought down in the Gold Cup and seeing Masterminded soundly beaten in the Queen Mother Champion Chase on Wednesday, Ruby Walsh broke the jockey record at Cheltenham, with three wins at the meeting, though not as prolific as the dominance he showed last year.  Barry Geraghty, the only other jockey to win three races at the festival, but lost the jockeys trophy, as Walsh claimed more 2^nd places.  It is the fifth time that Ruby has come out on top at the festival, as top jockey.

I claimed it was a two-horse race in my preview earlier in the week and got that horrifically wrong, this is great prove of never underestimating the underdog, as it will come back to bite you.  Congratulations to the Twiston-Davies team and Imperial Commander for a stunning triumph, the remaining question is, has Cheltenham seen the last of the legend that is Kauto Star.  I don’t think so…