Cheltenham (cross-country chase included) goes ahead after two inspections this morning.
I'll pass on the Enda Bolger benefit race, but there is plenty on the card to get the juices flowing, starting with Openditch (12.45) in the Pertemps Hurdle. This six-year-old will be having just his second start for David Pipe, whose stable is getting back to form, and it is not a concern that he has been off the course since May, when he ran a close fourth behind Liberate. Openditch is described by his trainer as a "light-framed'' horse who does not take a lot of getting fit, and that is backed up by the fact that the gelding won first time out last season after an absence of eight months.
Pipe has worked wonders with Very Cool (2.30) over hurdles and can hardly fail to exploit the gelding's much lower mark over fences. There was a valid excuse for Very Cool's defeat at Fontwell, where he was badly hampered, and today's conditional jockeys' chase looks ideal, as Very Cool has run a series of good races for today's rider, Johnny Farrelly.
A recent win over hurdles should have put Character Building (1.55) right for this return to chasing. Injury has halted the progress of John Quinn's gelding, but last season's Hennessy third behind Denman shows he has a good prize in him — and he boasts sound Cheltenham form, having narrowly failed to hold off Butler's Cabin in the National Hunt Chase at the 2007 Festival.
Doncaster has also been passed fit for racing after a morning inspection. The clash between I'msingingtheblues and Calgary Bay (1.45) in the novice chase is the highlight, and there is a lot of confidence behind Henrietta Knight's runner to turn over the Paul Nicholls-trained favourite.
Greg Wood is at Cheltenham and will be providing updates from the home of jump racing throughout the day.
Tipping competition, day five
Millreef leads into the home straight after riding Monet's Garden to the top yesterday. Having tipped winners last week at 20-1, 5-1 and 3-1, millreef has to be regarded as someone who is actually good at this - but km68 still nicked last week's title with a 33-1 shot and it wouldn't take that much this time. In fact, a 16-1 winner would take anyone straight from last to first, assuming no one else had it.
Besides the prestige and everlasting glow of satisfaction, the prize awaiting our winner is a copy of the newly published 'No Easy Money' by professional punter Dave Nevison. The sequel to his popular autobiography, this book follows Nevison through the recent Flat season as he attempts to turn a profit of £80,000 to fund his expensive lifestyle. It was co-written by David Ashforth, recently named Racing Journalist of the Year.
What we need from you today is one tip in each of these races, all at Cheltenham: 1.55, 2.30 and 3.05. As you are probably well aware by now, the winner is the tipster who makes the best profit on the week to level stakes at starting price. New entrants are welcome today but you must start on -12. Good luck!
The standings after day four:
millreef +5
xwireman +4.50
Hotspur61 +3
Bertie47 +1
socialwanderer +0.50
MaxH -3.50
Moremoneythantalent -4
nerium -4
suckzinclee -4
TheVic -4
kennbry -4
johne5knuckle -4.50
JDK1 -4.50
kierenfallon -7
WaywardLad -7
DrKelso -8.50
WellChief -8.50
mike65ie -9
lasramblas -12
finnbob08 -12
harrytheactor -12
Rivercity -12
Moscow08 -12
MrWinnersSoninLaw -12
williewinit -12
Bodkin01 -12
Blitzwing -12
km68 -12
RickyVillasBeard -12
FredS -12
percinho -12
willbeckwith -12
10.40am Greg Wood live at Cheltenham
Good morning from Cheltenham, where the track has survived an inspection at 8am and, in the case of the cross-country course, another long look a couple of hours later.
The fact that the cross-country race has survived will not please everyone, as this course still struggles for widespread acceptance more than a decade after the first row of hedges went into the ground. Personally, I like it for the same reason that I like five-furlong handicaps on the all-weather at Southwell, which is that the same horses turn up time and again and run with remarkable consistency. And the cross-country course also offers the chance to ignore everything that isn't trained by Enda Bolger, although Ireland's maestro of the odd obstacles still sets a puzzle for punters today with a total of four declared runners. Drombeag, who took to the challenge well on his cross-country debut last time out, looks to be the one with the most scope for improvement, though Garde Champetre cannot be ruled out either with Nina Carberry in the saddle.
The cross-country course was the focus of some controversy at the Open meeting, when Davy Russell found his own, entirely legal, route around the course which ensured that his horse covered significantly less ground than anything else on the way to victory. The Betfair forum was awash with smug punters for days, claiming to have backed a sure-fire winner at close to even money when it was already past the post, but at the time it looked just as likely that Russell had been gripped by temporary insanity and there must have been some stories of deepest woe among the in-running players.
In an effort to prevent anarchy, the precise borders of the course will apparently be explained to all riders in great detail before the off (though the smart ones may well bring a lawyer along to help them look for loopholes). Russell's short-cut to victory, it seems, was one of those ruses that was only ever going to work once.
Elsewhere on the card, there is a novice chase with a shortage of runners and a Pertemps qualifier with too many for comfort, while Timeform reckons there is 10lb between all 15 runners in the Listed boylepoker.com Chase. Comply Or Die, last year's Grand National winner, will attempt to recover from a desperate return at the Open meeting, but progressive types lined up against him include Character Building, third to Denman in last year's Hennessy, and Possol, a winner at Haydock last time.
And, of course, the best is kept until last for fans of Ruby Walsh, who returns, minus his spleen, to ride Mahonia, the likely favourite, for Paul Nicholls in the 3.40.
12.30 What A Friend (15-8) wins the opening novice chase
Greg Wood: Ruby Walsh may be about to relegate him back to a position of "number two, well, so long as you keep winning, anyway" at the Paul Nicholls yard, but Sam Thomas is not letting it get him down. A cool ride on What A Friend, the second favourite, as he tracks Ballyfitz, the market leader, throughout before surviving a blunder four-out and then committing on the run to the last. He wins by seven lengths, Ballyfitz is beaten at 5-6.
High praise from Paul Nicholls for What A Friend. "This could just be the best staying novice we have," he says. "I wouldn't rule out Leopardstown [at Christmas] for him yet, as it's a nice prize." As for Celestial Halo, who runs in the Boylesports International Hurdle tomorrow, tactics will be left to Ruby Walsh but it "could be interesting if it gets very heavy." The Triumph winner is fit enough to do himself justice, "but if it's really testing, well, I'd be happier going in having got a run into him, put it that way."
What A Friend is generally a 14-1 chance for the Royal & SunAlliance Chase, though the price may not last once Nicholls' opinion of the winner gets abroad.
12.55pm Fair Along (8-1) repeats last month's Cheltenham win
Greg Wood: A steady early pace in the Pertemps qualifier, with no-one too keen to show their hand, which is hardly surprising. Winning this by 15 lengths and going up a stone for the main event at the Festival is no way for any jockey to recommend themselves to an employer.
In the end it's Tora Bora, Diabolo and Liberate who set a sedate tempo, and Openditch makes stealthy progress on the far side under a patient Timmy Murphy. The eyecatcher coming down the hill, though, is Maucaillou, who cruises towards the lead turning for home, only for his challenge to peter out on the run to the last.
That leaves Fair Along to run on for the win, his second victory in a row, beating Don't Push It, Maucaillou and Cullahill. Philip Hobbs's hurdler has always been a gutsy type, but after an 8lb hike for his last win, this will put him out of contention for the Final . . . won't it?
1.10pm The cross-country is up next . . .
Greg Wood: There are three horses representing the McManus/Bolger axis at the head of the market on Betfair, after which it is 14.5 bar. Garde Champetre is definitely the pick according to the betting, but I can't help feeling Drombeag may be the value, even if the feeling that your money may be going toe-to-toe with JP's is not one that many punters would relish.
1.30pm Fair Along is being quoted . . .
. . . for the World Hurdle by Hill's, introduced into the market at 14-1, though oddschecker.com suggests there are bigger prices elsewhere. Kasbah Bliss, the current favourite, got a Timeform rating of 166 for finishing second to Inglis Drever last time around — so, having won off a mark of 152 today, Fair Along looks to have a few pounds to find to stand a chance of winning the stayers' championship over timber.
1.40pm The money got it right
Greg Wood: The cross-country track snakes all over Gloucestershire but somehow Nina Carberry always seemed to be saving ground on the inside on Garde Champetre and he emerged with a well-timed challenge to beat his stablemate, L'Ami, with Nadover back in third. Drombeag was still going well turning for home but didn't run on with the same purpose as the front two — he was fourth, though, so each-way backers still get paid.
2.10pm Mon Mome (11-2) wins the big handicap chase
Greg Wood: Comply Or Die's attitude looks shot to pieces as he drops himself out before halfway and refuses to respond to any of Timmy Murphy's encouragement. Retirement may beckon for the Grand National winner, for all that he is only nine.
Possol, who drifted pre-race, never quite recovered from an early mistake but stayed on into a distant third, while Character Building travelled well enough in mid-division but couldn't make the change of gear required to challenge the leaders.
Up front, Mon Mome and Star De Mohaison, a former winner of the Royal & SunAlliance Chase, fight out a great finish, with the latter, despite top weight, looking to have the edge under Barry Geraghty just a few yards from the line. Aidan Coleman gets a final surge out of Mon Mome to get up on the line, though, prompting a loud expletive from professional punter Dave Nevison on the other side of press room. It is, however, a happy oath, preceded by "Thank" and followed by "for that". Jam for tea in the Nevison household tonight.
2.15 Socialwanderer strikes the front!
Chris Cook: All that careful pessimism has paid off as socialwanderer is taken to the top of our table by Mon Mome. Kennbry also had the winner and is right in contention with two races left.
2.40pm Saunders Road (9-1) wins the conditional jockeys race under Rhys Flint
Chris Cook: That takes Moremoneythantalent up to second place, just one point behind socialwanderer — it's all down to the last.
Greg Wood: Saunders Road stayed on strongly to beat Junctiontwentyfour, Double Dizzy and Alexanderthegreat. Very Cool, the hot 2-1 favourite from the David Pipe yard, was prominent until the top of the hill but never jumping with much conviction and then ploughed through the fourth-last before dropping away tamely.
3.15 Culcabock (20-1) wins the handicap hurdle . . . but who tipped him?
Chris Cook: Our last winner of the week was a big enough price to win the competition for anyone, but not one of you came up with Lucinda Russell's eight-year-old. Socialwanderer can finally start celebrating as our champion tipster of the week — expect an email from our moderators at some point this evening.
Commiserations to millreef and others who sided with the runner-up, I Have Dreamed (14-1), who traded at 11-10 in running but couldn't match the winner for pace.
Hi WellChief — yes, I can confirm that the intention is to carry on with a weekly tipping competition, starting from scratch on Monday from about noon.
Greg Wood: There were half a dozen still on the bit coming down the hill, but Culcabock was probably going marginally best of all for Campbell Gillies. The young conditional jockey fought off the challenge of Tony McCoy, on Stradbrook, going to the last before keeping his mount going up the hill to beat I Have Dreamed and Moon Star (40-1) by two lengths and four, with Stradbrook back in fourth.
And so to what is, some might say, the main event of the afternoon, as Ruby Walsh rides back into the fray on Mahonia. There is a long — and some would say slightly ignoble — tradition that jockeys returning from serious injuries tend to win first time back. Mahonia should not need any favours to win here, though, being the proud bearer of a large "P" from Timeform, an accolade that the sages of Halifax do not spray around lightly.
Mahonia is currently a 1.76 chance on Betfair, with only Karabak, from the Alan King yard, expected to put up any resistance.
3.50pm Walsh completes course but is beaten on first ride back
Chris Cook: Despite a starting price of 8-11, Mahonia could not give Ruby Walsh a successful return from injury in the novice hurdle at Cheltenham. The big-looking five-year-old was done for pace up the hill by Alan King's 11-4 shot Karabak. Still, that was an unstressful return for Walsh, on the sidelines for the past month after his spleen was burst in a fall at the last Cheltenham meeting. He appeared fit but tomorrow, when he has several high-profile rides, will be a much greater test.
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