Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Sports World |
- Punters beware Sanctuaire
- Ortensia survives freak training spill in Honk Kong
- Commander will miss King George VI Chase
- Chelsea's decline is an inevitable part of their transition
| Posted: 07 Dec 2010 02:32 AM PST On the day that National Hunt racing returned to the fray the biggest shock was not that the Paul Nicholls'-trained 8/11 favourite Sanctuaire finished well beaten in a field of four for the Class 2 Exeter Hurdle, but that most horse racing tips left his odds unchanged for the Ladbroke Hurdle at 14/1, writes Elliot Slater. The valuable two-mile handicap event is scheduled for December 18, and I find it hard to believe that the four-year-old will turn over a new leaf in such a relatively short space of time after such a poor performance. The winner of the Fred Winter Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival last March, Sanctuaire went on to finish third at Aintree a few weeks later in the race won by Orsippus. He had a hard race that day. After a summer break the French bred gelding returned at Cheltenham last month and was travelling well when in contention and falling at the second last in the race won by live Champion Hurdle hope Menorah. That fall might well have shaken Nicholls' horse more than had appeared on the surface, for at Exeter he was reluctant to line up and looked unhappy to be back in action so soon. A horse who appears best in a decent sized field when able to settle at the back of the pack chasing a good gallop, the four-runner Exeter event was always likely to turn into something of a cat and mouse affair, and having consented to jump away Sanctuaire was soon pulling fiercely for his head under Daryl Jacob and eventually faded into third place behind the shock 22/1 winner Salontyre, who won from a remarkable 21lbs out of the handicap. Whilst racing tips suggest that he will get his optimum conditions in the 'Ladbroke', the jury is very much out on whether or not Sanctuaire is quite the horse he was last spring when he looked such a progressive performer, and punters should tread carefully before parting with their cash in favour of him.  |
| Ortensia survives freak training spill in Honk Kong Posted: 07 Dec 2010 02:09 AM PST A freak accident very nearly changed the overall look of the fixed odds by ending the challenge of Australia's sole representative in this Sunday's valuable Group 1 Hong Kong International Sprint at Sha Tin, when a cat ran across the path of Ortensia during a training session on the track, startling the mare and causing her to lose her jockey and run loose before being caught. The five-year-old daughter of Testa Rossa, trained by Tony Noonan and ridden at the exercise gallop by Noonan's son Jake, spooked at the unexpected sight of the feline interloper, throwing her rider before careering away and jumping the rails before her stable lass managed to bring her under control. A potential future career as a show jumper might not be completely out of the question for the Grade 1 winning sprinter, but after immediately placing ice on all four of Ortensia's legs, Noonan reported that his charge appears to have been remarkably unscathed. She has subsequently returned to training and apparently shaped well over 1200 metres in her most recent spin on Sunday. Generally on offer for the Hong Kong speed test at around 14/1, Ortensia was last seen in action at Flemington early last month when returning from a near five-month break to finish third to Black Caviar in the Group 1 Patinack Farm Classic, under Craig Williams. The majority of the horse racing betting interest on the contest surrounds the latest clash between local star Sacred Kingdom, winner of the race 12 months ago, and Rocket Man, the Singapore-based flying machine who recently took his tally to 8 wins from 10 starts when winning the Group 2 Cathay Pacific Jockey Club Sprint over Sunday's course and distance. The feature sprint is just one of a number of high class races taking place at the track on Sunday that has attracted star horses from around the world, including recent Melbourne Cup winner Americain, who is set to bid to follow up his famous Flemington success in the Hong Kong Vase, over a mile-and-a-half.  |
| Commander will miss King George VI Chase Posted: 07 Dec 2010 02:06 AM PST Fans of horse racing betting won't be pleased to hear that the eagerly anticipated clash at Kempton Park on Boxing Day between four-time King George VI Chase winner Kauto Star and the 2010 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Imperial Commander is off, after news broke that the 'Commander' has not recovered in time from a cut leg sustained in victory at Haydock Park last month. The Nigel Twiston-Davies trained Imperial Commander had appeared to be making good progress from the cut to a hind leg that he picked up when winning in grand style on his seasonal reappearance in the Grade 1 Betfair Chase, but an infection has ruled him out of his head-to-head with Kauto Star as the course of antibiotics and the time in his box would leave him short of his best for the December 26th contest. Whilst the majority of National Hunt racing fans had expected Kauto Star to win anyway on a course that has become a second home to the Paul Nicholls-trained superstar, the prospect of the two top class horses taking each other on would have been guaranteed to put thousands on the gate and create significant media interest, even though Imperial Commander has never run well on the right-handed track and was quoted as an 8/1 shot in the horse racing odds to beat the reigning 'King of Kempton'. Connections of Imperial Commander appeared far from despondent and reminded jumps fans that their charge's main task is to return to Cheltenham to defend his crown in March. He is not expected to have a prep race as he has always been a horse who goes well fresh. Bookmakers reacted to the news by making Kauto Star a best priced Evens chance to win his fifth straight 'King George', the up-and-coming Nicky Henderson-trained Long Run is offered at 5/1, and it's 10/1 bar the pair.  |
| Chelsea's decline is an inevitable part of their transition Posted: 07 Dec 2010 01:52 AM PST Although some Chelsea fans have been left scratching their heads in confusion and frustration when considering the extentof their team's recent slump, the club's more astute fans have been expecting a it for quite some time now. When Roman Abramovich bought the club back in 2003, he clearly intended to propel the club to the top of European football by initially investing in top class players before investing in training and youth facilities in order to help the Stamford Bridge outfit develop their own talent. What Chelsea fans are seeing now is the transitional phase of this project, with the Blues starting to play with a blend of youth and experience on the pitch, a fact that has left commentators bemoaning the squad's apparent lack of depth. Some people still make Chelsea betting tips for the title, but they will have to find something extra if they are to push on. With UEFA's new financial rules about to take effect, Chelsea are going to have to become a sustainable proposition. However, with Chelsea still looking to sign players such as Ramires, who can hopefully yet develop into world-class players during their time at the club, Abramovich has shown that he is still prepared to dip into his pocket to support the team when needed and the Betfair Football rumour mill reflects this. Despite this, the fact remains that Chelsea fans have been enjoying sustained success for so long now that they are not going to like seeing their side come back down to earth with a bump. As a result, Blues fans will want to see their club's billionaire owner show his love for, and loyalty to, the club by dipping his hand into his wallet and bringing another world class player or two into Carlo Ancelotti's squad in order to help bring back the side's belief in the short term.  |
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