Cliffs Of Dover in Doubt for Triumph Hurdle

JCB Triumph Hurdle fancy, Cliffs Of Dover, is doubtful for Cheltenham, trainer Paul Nicholls revealed on Tuesday. 

Formerly trained by Charlie Hills on the Flat, this son of Canford Cliffs has been a revelation since joining Nicholls, winning six of his last seven outings over hurdles. 

This four-year-old is fancied for the Triumph Hurdle but his participation could be in doubt after taking a knock while schooling. 

Nicholls, who trains the 140 rated gelding for John Cotton and his wife Barbara, said: "I schooled him just before he was going to go to Musselburgh last week and he knocked himself. It might just be a race against time to get him there. If he doesn't come right he might have to go to Aintree."

Better next season 

Nicholls' added: "He's won six - I suppose we've placed him well - but he's a good horse. 

"If we'd known more about him he wouldn't have been beaten at Market Rasen - we rode him wrong that day. He's a good horse and if we can't quite get him right this season for whatever reason he'll be better next season when he'll be a really good hurdler.

"He wants looking after and we could do with a few more like him." 

2:00 Cheltenham Racing Tips (13th December) CASPIAN CAVIAR GOLD CUP (A Handicap Chase) (Grade 3) (CLASS 1) (4yo+)

Thirteen runners for this Grade 3 Handicap Chase over 2m 5f on Good going. With total win price money of over £100,000 this will be a fascinating contest. Paul Nicholls' Caid Du Berlais looks a decent each-way prospect. This five-year-old bay gelding, sired by Westener out of a French mare put up a mighty performance when running at this course in Novemeber when running on stoutly to deny John's Spirit by a head in the Paddy power Gold Cup Chase. With total prize money of just under £200,000 this horse could target the Ryanair Chase, come Cheltenham Festival in March. Remember to take advantage of bookmaker offer. Winner are giving Money Back If Your Horse Finishes 2nd In the Gold Cup on Saturday. Plus 1/4 odds each way for all Saturday's live Channel 4 racing. If that's not enough, then players can earn Free Bets by placing 10 bets on Horse Racing.   

Silviniaco moves a step closer to Gold Cup glory

The Paul Nicholls-trained Silviniaco Conti put up an impressive performance to get the better of last month’s Betfair Chase winner Cue Card in a tremendous renewal of the Grade 1 King George VI Chase at Kempton Park on Boxing Day and now looks a genuine contender for top honours in March in the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Third on his seasonal return at Haydock behind the Colin Tizzard-trained Cue Card, the French bred seven-year-old had clearly come on a good deal for his first run of the term and he was the only horse able to stay with Cue Card as last term’s Ryanair Chase hero set a searching gallop in testing ground at the Sunbury track.

By the final turn, only Silviniaco Conti remained as a danger to Cue Card, former champion Long Run having failed to respond to first-time blinkers while Dynaste failed to make the grade.

Al Ferof plugged on to take third, but up front it was Silviniaco Conti under a fine ride from Noel Fehily who leaped into the lead at the penultimate fence and eventually came away to score by three-and-a-half-lengths as the gallant Cue Card finally ran out of gas.

Punters reacted quickly to the impressive victory with Silviniaco Conti being slashed to a top price of 4.9 favourite on Betfair having traded at double figures prior to his Kempton victory. Bobs Worth, the defending champion is now a 5.9 shot in the latest odds, while Ireland’s Sir Des Champs, runner-up to Bobs Worth in the blue riband contest last season, now offered at 7.4.

Cue Card (9.8) is expected by many to head for a repeat bid for the Ryanair Chase over a shorter trip and is a clear 4.7 ante-post favourite on Betfair to land the two-mile-five –furlong event once again.

Cheltenham Festival Champion Hurdle Preview

The most prestigious hurdling event in the British National Hunt calendar, the Champion Hurdle, is the traditional highlight on the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival. This year’s renewal, due off at 3.20 p.m. on Tuesday, March 12, 2013, looks as competitive as ever, with the last three winners, Rock On Ruby, Hurricane Fly and Binocular, once again in opposition. 

Willie Mullins’ 9-year-old Hurricane Fly (7/4) heads the betting on the strength of four Grade 1 wins out of four since finishing 5½ lengths third to Rock On Ruby in last year’s Champion Hurdle. He’s started at long odds-on and faced a total of just 17 opponents in those four races, but Mr. Mullins was delighted by his 5-length win in the Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown in January. He said afterwards, “He is fine and has come out of his race very well and is back in the form he was in two years ago [when he won the Champion Hurdle].”  

Paul Nicholls’ 6-year-old Zarkandar (5/1) won the Triumph Hurdle in 2011 and finished fifth, beaten 6¾ lengths, in the Champion Hurdle last year. He subsequently fell in the Aintree Hurdle, but has been in decent form this season, completing a hat-trick of Grade 2 wins in the Elite Hurdle at Wincanton, the International Hurdle at Cheltenham and the Kingwell Hurdle, again at Wincanton. Strictly on the form book, he has something to find with Rock On Ruby, Hurricane Fly and Binocular but, unlike Rocky On Ruby and Binocular, he’s won on heavy going, so may have an advantage if the Champion Hurdle is run in testing conditions.

Harry Fry’s 8-year-old Rock On Ruby (6/1) has done little wrong since winning last year’s Champion Hurdle. He subsequently finished third, beaten 5¼ lengths, behind Oscar Whisky (ante post favourite for this year’s World Hurdle) in the Aintree Hurdle, over 2 miles 4 furlongs, but has run two perfectly adequate preparation races this season. He finished third, beaten 8 lengths, behind Zarkandar, to whom he was conceding 4lb, in the International Hurdle and showed the benefit of that run when comfortably beating Countrywide Flame by 3 lengths in the 32Red Hurdle at Doncaster in early February. That race was marred by a fatal injury to Darlan, but Harry Fry is reportedly delighted with the way Rock On Ruby has come out of the race. He said, “…we’re very confident and if it continues to dry we’ll be growing more confident by the day.”

Although he clearly has something to find with Rock On Ruby, if the Doncaster form is taken at face value, the North Yorkshire trainer has been equally bullish about the chances of his 5-year-old Countrywide Flame (16/1) in recent weeks. Prior to the 32Red Hurdle, Mr. Quinn said, “I think he’ll run a good race on Monday, but it’s not Cheltenham and that’s what we’re really looking forward to. We know he loves Cheltenham, he showed that in the Triumph Hurdle last year and as I was saying to someone the other day, if he hadn’t kicked the last hurdle out of the ground he’d have won the Triumph Hurdle by six lengths.”