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Fantasia reported in tip top condition.
Luca Cumani is confident Nell Gwyn Stakes victor Fantasia is in prime condition for Sunday's Poule d'essai des Pouliches, (French 1,000 Guineas), and the trainer believes if she gets a trouble free run, she will take all the beating in the Longchamp Group 1.
Her main opposition is likely to come from the French based fillies Elusive Wave and Proportional, but a repeat of her devastating burst at Newmarket should be enough to see off her rivals.
The French 2,000 Guineas looks like a contest between the home based Prix Djebel one and two - Le Havre and Naaqoos, and Aidan O'Briens Westfalia, and Jim Bolger's Vocalised.
San Frontieres puts in good home work.
A spokesperson for owner Sir Robert Ogden has reported Craven Stakes runner-up San Frontieres put in a very impressive piece of work under Kieran Fallon on the Newmarket gallops on Wednesday morning, and connections are very hopeful of a strong run in next week's Dante Stakes at York.
It has to be said, based on the current list of entries, the strength and depth of the field for the Dante is the strongest seen so far this season, and it is fairly likely the winner of this Group 2 Derby Trial will head the Classic anti post market by the end of next week.
Cross Country Scoop Six.
Tomorrow's Scoop Six Bet has a cross country feel as it involves races from four racing venues, and the current Win Fund roll over of £95,207 is likely to lead to a possible Win Fund of a quarter of a million pounds by the off time of the first race.
For those who like to have a wager on this enjoyable 'multiple', the six legs for tomorrow are as follows:
Leg 1 - 1.55 pm Haydock Park.
Leg 2 - 2.10 pm Lingfield Park.
Leg 3 - 2.15 pm Ascot.
Leg 4 - 2.25 pm Nottingham.
Leg 5 - 3.05 pm Haydock Park.
Leg 6 - 3.45 pm Lingfield Park.
Derrinstown Stud promises to be a significant Derby Trial.
Two of the top current fancies for the Epsom Derby will be among the runners for Sunday's Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial at Leopardstown.
The horse who is beginning to look like Aidan O'Brien's main hope for the Classic, Fame and Glory, is joined by Hail Caeser and probable pace maker Liszt from the Ballydoyle yard.
John Oxx, who already has the Derby favourite in 2,000 Guineas winner Sea The Stars, is represented by the well fancied Mourayan, while Jim Bolger relies on Fergus McIver to boost his Derby chances.
Murtagh likes Age of Aquarius.
Despite having a lack lustre Chester Festival meeting, Johnnie Murtagh is confident his luck will turn when he rides Age of Aquarius in tomorrow's Lingfield Derby Trial. Although the three year old is very lightly raced, only having run on two previous occasions, Murtagh believes he has come on over the winter, and tomorrow's conditions and track will suit this son of Galileo.
Close finish to Hawker Beachcraft Handicap.
Although Noble Storm did very well to get across from his outside draw to set the pace in today's Hawker Beachcraft Handicap Sprint, it was the number 1 drawn Doctor Parkes who had his head in front at the finishing line, while the gallant Noble Storm just held on to second place from the late finishing City Dancer.
This race has produced some very good winners over the years, including the prolific Look Busy, who occupied first position in 2008, so the first three home today are worth placing in the notebook for three year old sprints during the remainder of the current flat season.
Ormonde Farce!
Some of the ghosts of former years must be turning their backs on Chester this afternoon, for only three horses went to post in the Chronicle Bookmakers Ormonde Stakes, and the race dissolved into the worst possible exhibition of horseracing.
None of the three runners wanted to set the pace, and for the first one mile of the one mile five and a half furlong race the three remaining entrants trotted around the Rooddee. Eventually, William Bewick aboard Buccelatti committed for home, and the move proved decisive. The runner-up Scintillo did try to close towards the end, but he did not have the speed, while odds on favourite Frozen Fire 'spat out his dummy', and never got involved in the finish.
This race will produce headlines, but for all the wrong reasons, and at a time when the racing industry is trying to encourage people to come racing, this kind of race sends all the wrong messages!
South Easterblows away first two in the market.
In the Group 3 Dee Stakes, the nearness of the first three home may suggest this was not a classic renewal of this historic Chester race.
The unexposed William Haggas trained South Easter managed to prevail in today's contest by a neck, and although the runner-up Gertaano Hernando may have had an unlucky passage up the inside, the favourite Drum Beat had no excuses as he failed to quicken on the outside.
The winner is partly owned by one of the directors of Investec, the new sponsors of the Epsom Derby, so he may well find himself being supplemented for the Group 1 contest.
However, the comparitively poor run by Drum Beat is just another in a long line of flops by Coolmore three year olds this season, and after such a successful campaign at Group 1 level in 2008, it is becoming harder with each outing to see where Aidan O'Brien is going to turn to obtain a three year old Group 1 success during the 2009 season.
Mister Hardy gets favourite backers off on the right foot.
In the first race on the last day of the Chester May Festival, the Richard Fahey trained Mister Hardy completed a three timer, and got favourite backers off to a flying start.
The seven and a half furlong Class 2 contest saw last year's winner Celtic Sultan set off at a suicidal pace, but at the entrence to the short home straight, he was already paying for his early efforts, and for a short while, Fath Star, now with David Nicholls, took it up, but Mister Hardy, who had been close to the pace during the early stages, obtained first run, and took over the lead in the final furlong. A late run from the badly drawn Opus Maximus failed to threaten the winner, but showed he is also in peak condition as he ran on for second place.
Irish Bookmakers Association makes suggestion to save jobs!
Represented by Chairperson Sharon Byrne, the Irish Bookmakers Association, (IBA), have shown the Irish Government audited figures which prove the increase in betting tax from 1% to 2%, announced in the government's recent emergency budget, will drive many of the Irish High Street bookmakers out of business. Indeed, the current economic recession in Eire has already caused the closure of fifty shops, with the resultant loss of two hundred and fifty staff so far this year, and it is estimated, the extra burden of taxation will only accelerate this process.
In a well thought out and researched plan to avoid these probableclosures and redundancies amongst Irish bookmakers, the IBA have come up with an alternative strategy to secure the extra revenue needed to help balance the Irish Government's books. In essence, many overseas gambling organisations are seeking gaming licenses to operate in the european market, and the IBA are suggesting the Irish Government should become a broker for such licenses. The IBA believe the revenue raised by this scheme would more than offset the increase in internal betting duty, and by reverting to the 1% tax band, the Irish Government would be seen to be safeguarding businesses and employment in Ireland.
Godolphin purchase American three year old.
It has been reported this morning, Skeikh Mohammed's Godolphin organsiation have purchesed Kentucky Derby ninth, West Side Bernie.
The son of Bernstein had earlier this season finished as runner up to I Want Revenge in the Group 1 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct, and it is understood he has been purchased to compete in next year's Dubai Carnival of Racing.
Zaahid could repeat Victoria Cup success.
When all the factors are taken into consideration, they all point to the possibility of a repeat success for Zaahid in tomorrow's Victoria Cup at Ascot.
Having won the corresponding race last year, Zaahid has proved he copes with the idiosyncracies of the Ascot track, he comes from the Barry Hills stable, who are 'on fire' at present, and he is likely to obtain his preferred sound surface for the seven furlong contest.
His main competition could come from current favourite Prescription, who has scraped into the handicap for canny trainer Sir Mark Prescott, and last week's Newmarket winner Evens and Odds. But the former has been off the track for over two hundred days and could need the run, while Evens and Odds appears to be at his best at six furlongs.
Abernant duo to clash again.
Earlier this season Tax Free and Equiano turned the Abernant Stakes into a dual, and the two are due to clash again in the Duke of York Stakes on the first day of next week's Dante Meeting at York.
However, the two protagonists may not have things all their own way on Wednesday, for if the ground remains good to firm, Edward Lynam intends to send former York winner Duff over from Ireland, and on a line through Knot in Wood, the supplemented Hitchins, now with the David Barrons stable, could both figure as potential winners of a very competitive race.
Osana to get change of scenery.
In a move owner Thomas Barr has described as 'a change of scenery', his Osana, runner up in the 2008 Champion Hurdle, is to be moved from the David Pipe stable to Edward O'Grady's yard in Ireland.
Betfair to take on Dutch Government.
At the back end of last year, the Dutch Government introduced legislation which made it an offence for Dutch based credit card companies and banks to process payments for on-line gambling by citizens of the Netherlands.
It now appears Betfair are to take out litigation against the Dutch Government relating to the loss of potential revenue from the Netherlands market. The litigation will involve the Claims the Dutch Government are in breach of the free trade agreements which were signed when they joined, and later endorsed, their membership of the European Union.
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