Today's best bets
While the four-runner novice chase he won by 16 lengths at Taunton last week has to go down as one of the worst run anywhere this jumps season, Dizzy Future (2.10) should not be underestimated on his return to hurdling at Hereford today. Following a spell in point-to-points, the seven-year-old evidently retains much of the ability which saw him win on his only starts over this course and distance two years ago. Dizzy Future followed up off a mark of 92 at Ludlow and, 5lb lower here, has been gifted a golden opportunity, provided the ground does not ride slow, as he is best on good/fast going.
Flat or jumps, Tim Walford is a trainer who gets the best out of his horses. On the mark with Lawaaheb, who was having his first run for the stable, at Sedgefield yesterday, Walford has an interesting runner at Nottingham today in the shape of Cornish Castle (4.30). A relatively inexpensive purchase out of Henry Cecil's yard, Cornish Castle had his first run for Walford at Doncaster's Lincoln meeting and showed up well for a long way in a 10-furlongs maiden. Back to a mile here, he could have got in lightly in an ordinary handicap. Cornish Castle actually finished a place ahead of Crowded House on his debut at Newmarket last year, when ninth of 19 behind Delegator. He is available around 10-1 this morning, but is 15-2 with William Hill and Coral.
Recent all-weather winner Apotheosis (4.00) is not harshly treated off a 5lb higher mark at Nottingham. He showed promise on turf last year and, lightly raced, has the scope to improve on last month's comfortable Kempton success.
Tipping competition, day three
Socialwanderer seemed to have established a winning lead after two good winners on day one, but millreef has already blown past with a brace of 11-1 winners yesterday, while a number of others are also in the mix after finding King Gabriel at 16-1. If you're on -6, don't despair – this competition is never over til it's over, though you probably can't just stick to the favourites now.
Today, we'd like your tips please for these races: 4.10 Hereford, 4.30 Nottingham, 5.00 Nottingham.
As ever, our champion will be the tipster who returns the best profit to notional level stakes of £1 at starting price on our nominated races, of which there will be three each day.
This week's prize is a DVD called 'Festival Favourites', celebrating some of the horses that have thrilled us at Cheltenham over the years. It's provided by Racevision, who sell sundry similar products through their website.
New entrants are welcome today but you must start on -6. Good luck!
Standings after day two
millreef +18
socialwanderer +17
goofs +11
johne5knuckle +11
Mai11 +11
JDK1 +11
hkr105 +6
15244 +6
gashead1105 +0
suckzinclee +0
Pomme +0
Blitzwing +0
weejohn1974 +0
Scarlioni +0
slackdad38 +0
Ceulemans +0
Gluesniffer +0
niknak17 +0
sangfroid -6
OldApplejack -6
xwireman -6
Moscow08 -6
JD72 -6
mike65ie -6
FredS -6
Smidster -6
keepitdusty -6
tiznow -6
richeyrich -6
diegoisgod -6
Viejo -6
lasramblas -6
willbeckwith -6
Rivercity -6
WalkerTrader -6
TheVic -6
MillieJ -6
23skidoo -6
paddyconsidine -6
davs77 -6
BoneyMcCoy -6
Live updates, by Chris Cook
3pm No Ryan Moore today
Ryan Moore has given up his rides today, three at Brighton and five at Kempton tonight, after being sick last night. His agent reckons it's "probably just a 24-hour bug" and Moore is expected to ride at Folkestone tomorrow.
An 11-2 winner for Talking Horses!
Dizzy Future (11-2), Ron's first tip of the day, hacked up by eight lengths at Hereford.
Scholfield lands Turnell job
Nick Scholfield, who performed wonders to stay on Cornish Sett when the horse clouted Becher's first time in Saturday's Grand National, will ride as main jockey to Andy Turnell next season. "At 19, it is a great opportunity for me," says Scholfield, who will still ride for Paul Nicholls when available.
This is bad news for Mark Grant, who has ridden a lot of Turnell's horses over the last two years but has, um, failed to impress all observers. Bible Lord and Cheating Chance are among the talented horses that Scholfield can look forward to riding. Grant was on both at Aintree last week, when both fell.
3.10pm A truncated tipping competition
Apologies for not addressing this issue before but, as there is no racing
in Britain or Ireland on Friday, this week's competition will end tomorrow.
3.50pm Turner "desperate" to get back in saddle
Hayley Turner is expecting a phone call from the British Horseracing Authority's medical advisor, and is hoping for good news as she recovers from a head injury sustained on the gallops a month ago. "I'm feeling a lot better now," she has said today, "and waiting for a call from Dr [Michael] Turner, which should be in the next couple of days, to tell me how much longer I need to have off. I feel 100% and I'm desperate to get back. It's so frustrating, especially as this time of year is normally my favourite time. "I'm not even riding out at the moment, so it's pretty frustrating hanging around doing nothing. "I remember everything up until the accident, I remember jumping out of the stalls and my memory went then for 10 days. I'm moaning now about not riding but, in a way, I'm very lucky - head injuries can obviously be very dangerous."
4.15pm Carberry back on Sunday
More on the 'convalescing jockeys' front. Paul Carberry has made what seems a remarkably quick recovery from the collapsed lung he suffered in a fall from Jaamid at the Cheltenham Festival, and aims to ride Aran Concerto in a Grade One at Fairyhouse on Sunday. "He's back in good shape," his agent said today, and let's hope he's right. Carberry is likely to take part in Monday's Irish National, and you wouldn't want to be below your peak for a race as demanding as that.
Battlefield (5-1) gets up at Hereford
Oh, Sam Jones must wish he could do that again. Riding Kikos, the
100-30 favourite, he was clear going to the last but let his horse ease down going into it and the horse brushed through it, losing vital momentum. That let Battlefield back into it and Charlie Poste drove him up to pip Kikos on the line. Our current leader, millreef, has Kikos and may be ruing that result by this time tomorrow. The winner was picked by suckzinclee, Scarlioni, Pomme and slackdad38.
5.15pm A 10-1 winner for Talking Horses!
Woo and, indeed, hoo - it's a bumper day for Ron, with 10-1 Cornish Castle doing the business at Nottingham after his earlier 11-2 score with Dizzy Future. Why work? Scarlioni also had Cornish Castle, bringing up a double on the day after Battlefield, while paddyconsidine, Ceulemans and JD72 also had it. But the final tipping race of the day brought good news for our tabel-topper millreef, the only one to find Flying Applause at 8-1.
Updated standings plus the final three races of the week on here tomorrow.
5.20pm Good news on Denman
Paul Nicholls has given an upbeat report about Denman, after the horse's crashing fall at Aintree last week. "He really seems fine," the trainer said today. "He's a little sore, but if it was in the middle of the season you could run him again. He won't run again this season and he, Kauto Star and the others will be out in a field by the second week of May."
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