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Captain's Log: Marcus Townend on the build up to Cheltenham

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Gold Cup and Grand National winning trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies had an arm in a colourful sling when attending this week’s big Cheltenham Festival reception where the final entries and weights for the handicaps were unveiled.

But the injury had not been kicked by Gold Cup hope Imperial Commander or exciting novice The New One.

Twiston-Davies claimed the damage had been inflicted when he fell off the top of a dustbin – invariably a tricky ride – having been trying to crush down its contents.

Injury: trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies suffered an injury, not to Gold Cup challenger Imperial Commander (pictured), but after falling off the top of a dustbin

  Free money: Racing UK are offering free TV subscriptions to their channel (£249 each) if you can select a winner with an SP of 3-1 or more

Racing UK, the dedicated channel which will be covering the Cheltenham Festival, have in the past come up with some imaginative – some might say risky offers – when dangling the chance to win free subscriptions to new subscribers.

And they are at it again with their latest ‘Cheltenham Banker’ promotion.

Any new subscriber can wipe out their annual subscription (£249) if they can select, with their one pick, a winner at the meeting returned at an SP of 3-1 or more in the 27 races.

Last year, 10 races were won by runners which started at SPs between 7-2 to 10-1.  Six winners last year were less than 3-1.

It seems a straightforward challenge but those fiendish brains at RUK clearly realise it is not as easy as it seems.

More details are available at www.racinguk.com/banker 

 

More and more current and former riders are being trained up to be new jockey coaches.

The Captain understands that on the latest course those being prepared for the job included former Flat jockey and tactical ace Philip Robinson and well as Vince Slattery and Leighton Aspell.

  Fat cat in the hat: No, not Rich Ricci, but the name of one of the horses he is entering

Rich Ricci, the head investment banker at Barclays Bank, is always high on the hit list for both media and politicians when the controversial debate swirls about City salaries and bonuses.

Ricci, once described as the highest paid employee in the world, is frequently written about with an accompanying picture of him in a trilby at the races.

But he seems to at least demonstrated a sense of humour with one of his runners at next month’s Cheltenham Festival.

Fatcatinthehat, a winner at Leopardstown in January, is due to run in the Fred Winter Juvenile Novices’ Handicap Hurdle.

Ricci is poised for an exciting meeting with the horses which run in the name of his wife Susannah and are trained by Willie Mullins, Ireland’s champion trainer.

Their big hope is Pont Alexandre (Neptune Investments Novices’ Hurdle), Balleycasey (Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle) as well as Champagne Fever, the winner of the 2012 Festival Bumper, who is due to run in the opening Supreme Novices’ Hurdle.

 

The five-time King George VI Chase winner and dual Gold Cup hero Kauto Star has been an ever present at next month’s Cheltenham Festival since falling in the 2005 Queen Mother Champion Chase won by Newmill.

But, despite missing the meeting after his retirement, the great horse still has a packed schedule.

On Saturday at Newbury he takes part in Dressage demonstration before racing under Three-Day Event rider Laura Collett who has been teaching him the rudimentary first steps into his new life.

The 13-year-old will also be making an appearance at the Lambourn Open day on Good Friday (March 29th) as will lead the pre-race parade before the Gold Cup on the final day of the Festival (March 15th).

Busy horse: 13-year-old Kauto Star will make several appearances in March

  Cheltenham have made changes to the positioning of the rails after the final fence to keep both spectators and photographers are kept further away from danger should a horse fall and crash through the rail.

In last year’s Queen Mother Champion Chase there were dramatic scenes as Wishfull Thinking fell on the first circuit and was propelled through the rails.

French Photographer Jean-Charles Briens suffered minor injuries and had subsequently had his accreditation removed for all British tracks by the Racecourse Association because he had breached protocols about where photographers are allowed to stand.

He has served his ban and is expected back at the meeting.

 

Gaining a berth in the vastly oversubscribed handicaps at the Cheltenham Festival becomes ever more difficult, so much so that chief handicapper Phil Smith revealed in the lead up to the unveiling of this season’s weight he had received 17 phone calls or emails from trainers questioning whether he had underestimated their horses when allocating it a handicap rating.

At least it makes a change from the normal communications.

  More... O'Neill hails Taquin De Seuil as his best ever ahead of Cheltenham tilt Have a ball: McCain backs Cinders and Ashes to restore reputation in Champion Hurdle




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