Kauto Star Gold Cup Favourite

So what are the four Cheltenham Festival bankers?

Tuesday- Supreme Novice Hurdle- DUNGUIB

Unbeaten to date, last year’s Champion Bumper winner has looked superb over hurdles. He has been backed in to 4/6 and is the Irish banker of the meeting, in the first race. he should win if everything we have seen and heard is to be believed.

Wednesday, Champion Chase- MASTER MINDED

Its over to Paul Nicholls for the next three days. Master Minded is going for a historic third successive Champion Chase. he had a cracked rib but came right back to form last time out and if on form should win again with Ruby Walsh aboard.

Thursday, World Hurdle- BIG BUCKS’

Big Bucks’ is many peoples idea of the best bet of the week. He has look unbeatable and should win this cosily if all goes to plan. This is the one to be most confident about.

Friday, Gold Cup- KAUTO STAR

Kauto Star is looking for a third Gold Cup. Last time out in the King George he put up a performance, the likes of which I have never seen. On the forecast ground he is a good thing, providing Denman doesnot spoil the party. He will need to run better than last time out at Newbury.

The accumulator pays 6/1 + with Stan James. Bet now and get a £25 free bet….

Bet now with Stan James, four horses 1 bet pays over 6/1.

Runner up Petit Robin jumped out to the left throughout the race and made mistakes, but was no match for the Paul Nicholls trained winner. Petit Robin was pushed out to 10/1 from 8s. In the Champion Hurdle picture Punjabi was pushed out to 16s from 10s to retain his crown at Cheltenham and is now the same price as his Haydock conqueror Medermit.

Queen Mother Champion Chase 2010 ~ Outright Ante post, (place terms: 1/4 the first 3)

6-4 Master Minded
5 Twist Magic (from 7s)
8 Forpadydeplasterer
8 Big Zeb
10 Petit Robin (from 8s)
10 Kalahari King
16 Barker
16 Sizing Europe
16 Golden Silver
20 Bar

Champion Hurdle 2010 ~ Outright Ante post, (place terms: 1/4 the first 3)

4 Zaynar
11-2 Go Native
11-2 Solwhit
8 Hurricane Fly
8 Binocular
9 Celestial Halo
9 Khyber Kim
14 Starluck
14 Voler La Vedette
16 Punjabi (from 10s)
16 Medermit (from 33s)
16 Dunguib
20 Sublimity

Stan James antepost market movers Saturday:

Roberto Goldbeck 16s from 25s for RSA Chase

Advisor 14s from 20s for Supreme Novices’ Hurdle

Diamond Harry 6s from 12s RSA Chase

Master Minded On Course for Champion Chase

Master Minded was sent for tests in Newmarket after finishing third behind Well Chief and Mahogany Blaze in the Connaught Chase. Having been consequently ruled out of a repeat bid in the Tingle Creek next weekend, owner Clive Smith is satisfied at having at least discovered the extent of Master Minded’s problems. He said:

“There was definitely a problem there, and there’s a sense of relief that we’ve now hopefully got to the bottom of what has been troubling him. “He’ll now have a little bit of a rest and is not going to be ridden for a month. Paul is quite convinced that with a month on the horse-walker he’ll be fine from January onwards. With all the things that can go wrong with a horse, this is probably as good as we could have hoped for.”

Rather than head to Sandown for the Tingle Creek, Master Minded will now be primed for the Game Spirit Chase at Newbury in February. Smith is hoping his charge will then be back on top form in his quest to retain the Champion Chase crown a month later. He added:

“We want to see him run well at Newbury and then hopefully it will be all systems go for Cheltenham.”

Following the news that Champion Chaser Master Minded will miss the Tingle Creek at Sandown next month Stan James have opened a market on the 2010 Champion Chase without the dual winner of the race.

Master Minded

Head of PR Charlie McCann:”Everyone hopes that the bone scan scheduled for Thursday will show nothing serious, but we have decided to give antepost punters the alternative of betting without the Paul Nicholls star on the 2010 renewal of the Champion Chase. Big Zeb heads our market at 5/2.

2010 Champion Chase: betting without Master Minded: Ew 1/4 odds 1,2,3;

Big Zeb 5/2
Well Chief 9/2
Kalahari King 7/1
Forpadydeplasterer 10/1
Planet Of Sound 10/1
Voy Por Ustedes 12/1
Barker 12/1
Schindlers Hunt 12
Cooldine 20
Sizing Europe 20/1
Twist Magic 20
Petit Robin 25
Crack Away Jack 25
Tatenen 25
Tranquil Sea 25/1
33s Bar
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Injury-plagued Well Chief received a hero’s welcome after defying his advancing years to lower the colours of Master Minded in the Connaught Chase at Cheltenham.

Although the inaugural running of the two-mile test appeared to be a match on paper, the big guns were split by Mahogany Blaze as Master Minded finished out of the front two for the first time in a completed chase in Britain.

Paul Nicholls had warned the dual Champion Chase winner would benefit from the outing and the writing was on the wall for the 4-7 favourite as Timmy Murphy produced the David Pipe-trained Well Chief to lead over the third-last.
The Queen Mother ante-post betting took on an altogether different shape today after Well Chief set the cat amongst the pigeons with a triumphant victory in the Connaught Chase at Cheltenham.

Well Chief Beats Master Minded

In receipt of 10lbs from reigning Champion Chaser, Master Minded, the veteran of Pond House showed a magnificent return to his form of old with a one and-a-quarter length victory in the £50,000 two-mile event. Leaving Paul Nicholls’s star to return home in third place.

The result caused ructions in the Queen Mother ante-post betting, with William Hill easing Master Minded to 7-4 from 11-10, and slashing Well Chief to 7-1 from 20-1. Irish raider Big Zeb – an impressive winner at Navan last time out – is now the 4-1 second-favourite (from 6-1), with Arkle winner Forpadydeplaster now 14-1 from 16-1, and his runner-up Kalahari King 8-1 from 12-1.

Well Chief holds an entry in Boxing Day’s William Hill King George for which the sponsors halved him to 16-1 from 33-1, and to 10-1 from 20-1 in the market without Kauto Star.

Kate Miller, spokeswoman for William Hill, said: ‘’ We are keen to not react too much to Master Minded’s defeat. Whilst not wanting to crab the Pond House hero; today might just have been Well Chief’s Queen Mother, and back on decent ground and level weights in March the result could be a different one entirely.’’

Queen Mother Champion Chase: (William Hill Bet) 7-4 Master Minded, 4-1 Big Zeb, 8-1 Kalahari King, 14-1 Barker, Forpadydeplasterer, 16-1 Planet Of Sound, 25-1 Twist Magic, 33-1 Bar (EW 1/4 1,2,3)

William Hill King George VI Chase (sponsors bet): 10-11 Kauto Star, 5-1 Madison Du Berlais, 14-1 Imperial Commander, Nacarat, Voy Por Ustedes, 16-1 Cooldine, 20-1 Albertas Run, Deep Purple, Racing Demon, 25-1 Barbers Shop, Joe Lively, Kalahari King, Monet’s Garden, Schindlers Hunt, 33-1 Cloudy Lane, In Compliance, Roll Along, War of Attrition, Well Chief, What a Friend, 50-1 Atouchbetweenacare, Cappa Bleu, Glencove Marina, Ollie Magern, Our Vic, Shining Gale, 66-1 Casey Jones, Master Medic, Tartak, 100-1 Ballyfitz, 150-1 Chief Dan George, 500-1 Sandymac (EW 1/4 1-2-3)

William Hill King George without Kauto Star: 7-2 Madison Du Berlais, 7-1 Imperial Commander, Nacarat, Voy Por Ustedes, 10-1 Cooldine, 12-1 Deep Purple, Racing Demon, 14-1 Albertas Run, Barbers Shop, Monet’s Garden, 16-1 Joe Lively, Kalahari King, Schindlers Hunt, 20-1 Cloudy Lane, In Compliance, Roll Along, War of Attrition, Well Chief, What a Friend, 25-1 bar (EW 1/4 1-2-3)

Hurricane Fly…

Hurricane Fly fluffed his lines as Solwhit quickened right away from his rivals to run out a hugely impressive winner of the Dobbins & Madigans at Punchestown Hurdle.

The five-year-old travelled kindly for Davy Russell in behind rivals as Muirhead cut out much of the running in the Grade One contest.

There were three virtually in line jumping the final obstacle but it was Solwhit (7-4) who showed the best turn of foot to score by two and a half lengths.

Muirhead kept on for second while Hurricane Fly, who had been ante-post for next year’s Champion Hurdle following an unbeaten novice campaign, could only finish third.

William Hill and Victor Chandler were suitably impressed by the winner and make him 4-1 favourite from 8-1 for the Champion Hurdle, while Hurricane Fly is out to 5-1 from 3s.

Solwhit 4-1 from 9-1 (now joint favourite)

Hurricane Fly 5-1 from 3-1

Champion Hurdle (William Hill Bet): 4-1 Binocular, Solwhit, 5-1 Hurricane Fly, 8-1 Celestial Halo, 10-1 Punjabi, 12-1 Walkon, Zaynar, 14-1 Quevega, 20-1 Go Native, 25-1 Dunguib, Starluck, Voler La Vedette (Others On Request) (EW 1/4 1,2,3)

11/10 for Champion Chase

Head of PR Charlie McCann: “Many believe Big Zeb should already hold a verdict over Master Minded given his mistake at the last when seemingly travelling better than the Nicholls’ runner at Punchestown in the spring. This looked another step forward for the eight-year-old with a flawless round of jumping and it will be some race if Big Zeb turns up at Sandown for the Tingle Creek next month.”

Queen Mother Champion Chase 2010 ~ Outright Ante post, (place terms: 1/4 the first 3)

11-10 Master Minded (from evens)
6 Big Zeb (from 8s)
10 Kalahari King
14 Planet Of Sound
16 Forpadydeplasterer
16 Barker
16 Voy Por Ustedes
16 Schindlers Hunt
25 Bar

2010 Cheltenham Festival Betting

Head of PR Charlie McCann: “Given the modest form of the Hobbs’ yard it was a good effort from Planet Of Sound who was arguably unlucky in this year’s Arkle Chase. We weren’t too impressed by the run of Nacarat despite his big-weight and pushed him out to 12s from 10/1 for the William Hill King George VI Chase on Boxing Day.”

Queen Mother Champion Chase 2010 ~ Outright Ante post, (place terms: 1/4 the first 3)

EV Master Minded
8 Big Zeb
14 Planet Of Sound (from 33s)
14 Kalahari King
16 Forpadydeplasterer
16 Barker
16 Voy Por Ustedes
16 Schindlers Hunt
25 Cooldine
25 Twist Magic
25 Well Chief
33 Petit Robin
33 Crack Away Jack
33 Tidal Bay
33 Tatenen
33 Tranquil Sea
50 Bar

Ryanair Chase ~ Outright Ante Post, (place terms: 1/4 the first 3)

4 Voy Por Ustedes
5 Imperial Commander
8 Barbers Shop
8 Tidal Bay
10 Forpadydeplasterer
12 Schindlers Hunt
12 Kalahari King
14 Chapoturgeon
14 Planet Of Sound (from 33s)
20 Jack The Giant
20 Aran Concerto
25 Massinis Maguire
25 Trafford Lad
25 Big Zeb
33 Scotsirish
33 Joncol
33 Poquelin
33 Tartak
33 Tatenen