Three weeks today the Cheltenham Festival begins and every National Hunt enthusiast will be eagerly awaiting the Cheltenham Gold Cup which will be run on Friday 14th March. There will be a packed winners circle for every race and no gaps as there were on Trials Day in January. Kauto Star will be opposed by his stable companion Denman for the first time. I must admit to being a Denman fan. I use to be a Mill House fan in the days of Arkle but there was nothing that could stop Arkle, apart from the terrible injury he sustained in the 1966 King George VI Chase at Kempton. Kauto Star is a super horse, but if the Gold Cup is run at a good pace, and if the going is soft we might well see a new champion in Denman. Last year Kauto Star's stable companion Neptune Collonges set a steady pace and when the field came into the straight for the second time there were at least ten horses in with a shout. It was the change of gear that Kauto Star showed that won him the race. A good gallop on soft ground makes the three and a quarter miles seem like three and a half miles. If it comes to a slog up the Cheltenham hill I think it will suit Denman better than Kauto Star. Racing is all about opinions which is what makes it so interesting. It would not surprise me if we had seen both the Gold Cup winner and the Grand National winner in last years Royal and Sun Alliance at Cheltenham. Here at level weights Denman beat Snowy Morning by ten lengths. We all saw Denman run a smashing race in winning the Hennessy Cognac Cup at Newbury on the 1st December 2007. Here Snowy Morning was receiving 18lbs from Denman and strongly fancied to beat him. Unfortunately he fell at the 7th fence. Denman went across to Ireland for the Lexus Chase at Leoparstown where at level weights he beat The Listener by four lengths. Then in the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup at Leopardstown at level weights The Listener beat Snowy Morning by six lengths. It was interesting that Ruby Walsh chose to ride Snowy Morning here in preference to Hedgehunter. Snowy Morning has been alloted 10-12 in the Grand National. He looks to be on a very handy mark. Going back to the Gold Cup and as mentioned in previous blogs there is usually something that sneaks into a place at long odds. Halcon Genelardis was paid a further compliment by Miko De Beauchene at Haydock last Saturday. Miko De Beauchene carried top weight to victory over the three and half miles in the Red Square Vodka Gold Cup Handicap Chase. In the Welsh National at Chepstow Miko De Beauchene beat Halcon Genelardis a head when in receipt of twenty one pounds. Now if it comes up soft or really heavy on Gold Cup day not many are going to truly stay the distance. Keep an eye on the weather, Halcon Genelardis could well be the each way value. For all the runners and riders with the jockey's colours go to Paddy Power and click on "Horse Racing".

With the weights being announced for the 150 entries for this years Aintree Grand National the countdown begins over the next 8 weeks to the big day on the 5th April 2008. A lot of water will flow under the bridge before then as the field is whittled down to 40 runners who will all be competing for a total prize fund of £800,000. The question at the moment is more about who will make the race than who will win it. The BBC One Show which goes out at 7.00pm each weekday are making a case for McKelvey whose preparation will be followed upto the big day. Claire Balding is orchestrating this for the BBC. McKelvey was second last year and with a little more luck could easily have won the race. He sustained a tendon injury in the race but according to his trainer has made a full recovery and will be ready to run soon. The last National runner-up to go one better the next year was Red Rum when he gained his third win in 1977 after being second in 1975 and 1976. Prior to that, L'Escargot, the 1975 winner was runner-up in 1974. What good races there were in 1973, 1974 and 1975 between Red Rum and L'Escargot in the Aintree Grand National. Nigel Twiston-Davies is very bullish about Knowhere for the race. In winning the Letheby and Christopher Chase at Cheltenham he certainly looked as though he could have gone round again. Point Barrow was co-favourite for the race last year but fell at the first. Simon was another faller last year. He appeared to be still travelling strongly with six left to jump but came down at second Valentines. In the Letheby and Christopher Chase at Cheltenham he was travelling powerfully when he unseated Andy Thornton at the fourteeth. One to keep an eye on as is Mon Mome who has not run this season. He was runner-up to Halcon Genelardais in the Welsh National of December 2006. There are so many good horses entered for this years Aintree Grand National. There can only be one winner. Over the next eight weeks I will come up with a short list, whether I can find the winner is another matter. For all the runners and riders with the jockey's colours go to Paddy Power and click on "Horse Racing".

Knowhere beat some good horses in the Letheby and Christopher Chase at Cheltenham on Trials Day last Saturday and continued the terrific season his trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies and jockey Paddy Brennan are having. For all the runners and riders with the jockey's colours go to Paddy Power and click on "Horse Racing".

Maljimar was a very popular winner on Saturday at Cheltenham for jockey Daryl Jacob and gave trainer Nick Williams his first Cheltenham winner. For all the runners and riders with the jockey's colours go to Paddy Power and click on "Horse Racing".

There was a nice touch at Cheltenham on Trials Day last Saturday when all his weighing room colleagues came out to wish Ollie McPhail all the best in his retirement from race riding. For all the runners and riders with the jockey's colours go to Paddy Power and click on "Horse Racing".