The Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup Handicap Chase worth £175,000 will be run over 3 miles 2 furlongs at Newbury this Saturday. It is one of my favourite races to watch and I reminisced and listed past winners of this race in my blog of a year ago. Last year we saw a quite exceptional performance by Denman who won by eleven lengths carrying top weight on heavy ground. This year Knowhere (pictured) carries joint top weight with Snoopy Loopy. Knowhere is one of four horses who ran in the race last year. He finished 5th, Character Building finished 3rd, Madison Du Berlais finished 4th and Always Waining was 8th. This years race looks very hard to solve. Air Force One has been well backed in the antepost market and is fancied by his trainer to do the business. Madison Du Berlais is wearing cheekpieces for the first time and might spring a surprise at a big price. Character Building does not carry a lot of weight, has already won this season and will carry the bloggers money to improve on his third of last year. For all the runners and riders with the jockeys colours click on the sporting life. For all the runners and riders with the jockey's colours go to Paddy Power and click on "Horse Racing".

We went to Ipswich for the game against Derby and missed all the excitement that unfolded on Saturday afternoon with the Tote Scoop 6. I recorded all of the afternoon racing on my Sky+ box and ploughed through it on Saturday evening. The climax was great and good luck to the lucky ticket holders who can now chase a bonus of around £1.5 millon this coming Saturday. It is quite likely the Tote will choose the Hennessy at Newbury as the bonus race in which to find the winner. This years Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup Handicap Chase looks very open and hard to solve. The fall of Kauto Star in the Betfair Chase at Haydock was a shock. He looked as though he was struggling at the time and was clearly not at his best Nicky Henderson has his horses in tremendous form and the winners keep coming since old Caracciola (pictured) won the Cesarewitch on the flat at Newmarket in October. I see he is entered in the Toteswinger Long Distance Hurdle at Newbury on Saturday, but he has shown all his best form on good going and I cannot see him getting anywhere near Inglis Drever or Blazing Bailey on softish ground. More of the Hennessy meeting ,which we will miss, later in the week. Ipswich have another home game against Sheffield United this Saturday so we will be there to cheer them on. For the first time this season the balance in the side looked good against Derby. No square pegs in round holes. Tonight (Tuesday) they travel to Birmingham. I hope the manager, Jim Magilton, keeps much the same side. It will be a good test. For the runners and riders for Newbury this Saturday click on the sporting life. For all the runners and riders with the jockey's colours go to Paddy Power and click on "Horse Racing".

The three day Cheltenham Open Meeting gets underway on Friday 14th with the main race of the meeting being the Paddy Power Gold Cup Chase worth £150,000 run over 2 miles 4 furlongs on Saturday. I listed past winners of this race in my blog of twelve months ago so will not go over that ground again. There have been some good horses win this race and Saturday's renewal looks very competitive and hard to solve. The two horses that most appeal to me are Maljimar and Stan. Both are course and distance winners. Maljimar was particularly impressive when winning by 11 lenghs from Burntoakboy back in January on Festival Trials Day. Perhaps we might see a repeat of the happy connections pictured coming into the winners enclosure again. Stan won the Mears Group Silver Trophy Handicap over 2 mile 5 furlongs on the course back in April when he beat Il Duce who was runnerup in this race last year. Stan has already had a run this season whereas it will Majimar's first run for 259 days. There is a big field for the Servo Computer Services Trophy Handicap Chase worth £60,000 run over 3 miles and 3 furlongs on Saturday. Although he has top weight Halcon Genelardais looks the one to be on for this race. Alan King the trainer has said that the horse is well so lets hope he can get his head in front at least once this season. For all the runners and riders with the jockey's colours click on the sporting life. Be lucky. For all the runners and riders with the jockey's colours go to Paddy Power and click on "Horse Racing".

My Best Mate and I have just returned from another wonderful cruise with Royal Caribbean International aboard Navigator of the Seas. We left England when it was really cold with snow in London and found the much warmer weather in the Mediterranean. Talking of snow reminds me of Christmas, which is not that far away, and the Injured Jockeys Christmas Card. Last year the sales from Christmas Cards, calendars, diaries and other items grossed over £1m for the first time. Their catalogue can be viewed by clicking on Injured Jockeys. It is a very worthy Charity for those of us who love horse racing, especially National Hunt racing. For all the runners and riders with the jockey's colours go to Paddy Power and click on "Horse Racing".