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Huntingdon to hold precautionary inspection.

Although Wednesday is forecast to be warmer than the rest of the week, the weather forecasters have also indicated there may be some overnight frost, and as a precaution, Huntingdon officials have decided they will hold an 8.00 am inspection of their track on Wednesday morning.

Murphy delighted with Kalahari King.

Formost of this current national hunt season, Ferdy Murphy has been concerned setbacks and cold wether would prevent him from getting last season's Arkle Trophy runner up Kalahari King back onto a racecourse. Gladly, Murphy has now managed to get enough work into his chaser to confirm he will have his first run of the current campaign in the Blue Square Handicap Chase at Doncaster on Saturday week.

Providing Kalahari King puts his best foot forward in that race, Murphy will then aim to give him one more outing before taking aim at the Queen Mother Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.

Whispers spread that Geraghty may defect to Zaynar.

With the news Punjabi's owner Raymond Tooth has asked his Racing Manager Tony Staford to express the connections concerns over the possibility Barry Geraghty may favour Zaynar rather than the reigning championfor this year's Champion Hurdle, it adds weight to the whispers coming out of Nicky Henderson's Sevenbarrows yard that indeed Geraghty has decided he will ride Zaynar rather than Punjabi if both are declared for this year's hurdling blueribbon race at the Cheltenham Festival.

Top trainers choose Huntingdon as weather threatens.

With forecast frost and snow as potential threats to the weekend racing, two top trainers have decided to give their leading fanccies a run at tomorrow's meeting at Huntingdon.

Alan King has entered JCB Triumph Hurdle anti post favourite Mill Chief in a fourteen runner older novice contest at the Cambridgeshire track. Explaining his decision, King siad,

"I have no worries about entering Mill Chief against older novices. He is far and away my best four-year-old, and anyway, Penzance did exactly the same thing before he went on to win the 2005 Triumph Hurdle, and as Mill Chief has won a flat race on soft ground in France, tomorrow's predicted soft ground at Huntingdon should not present him with too many difficulties." King went on,

"With cold weather threatening to close in for the wekend, I thought it important to give him a run on a day forecast to be quite mild, and providing he comes through tomorrow's race unscathed, it gives us the time to prepare him for his pre-Cheltenham Festival run in the Adonis Hurdle at Kempton on 20 February.

Also at tomorrow's Huntingdon meeting, Henry Daly is giving Mighty Man his second run over fences, in a 3 mile Beginners Chase where he will face a maximum of four rivals.

It is thought Mighty Man's performance on Wednesday will determine whether Daly takes him forward to the RSA Novice Chase at the Cheltenham Festival, or whether the nine-year-old will revert to the smaller obstacles for another effort against Big Bucks in the Ladbrokes sponsered World Hurdle.

Big Zeb faces a maximum of four.

Colm Murphy believes his Fortria Chase winner Big Zeb failed to shine in the Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown because he did not go into the race in 'fresh' condition. Having now had a rest since November, the same argument cannot be used when he lines up in this weekend's Tied Cottage Chase at Punchestown, and if he is to figure in this season's Queem Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham, it is a race Big Zeb needs to win.

While the current form of potential rivals; Mansony, Conna Castle, and Don't Be Bitin, would suggest they have a lot to find to defeat an in form Big Zeb, the Willie Mullins trained Golden Silver is currently in outstanding form, and if he gets soft underfoot conditions similar to those at Leopardstown for his victory in the Dial A Bet Chase, then Big Zeb will have to be at his very best if he is to take the honours from Golden Silver.

Supreme gets new sponser in 2010.

The first race at this year's Cheltenham Festival will be called the Spinal Research Supreme Novices Hurdle, and it will be sponsered by the Stewart family, headed by well known racehorse owner and businessman Andy Stewart.

As most people involved in racing know, his son Paul suffered a severe spinal injury when snowboarding in December 2008, and immediately afterwards, he was paralysed from the waist down, with doctors telling him he would never walk again.

However, the family sought medical advice, and after pioneering treatment in the UK and Miami, Paul can now walk with just the help of a walking stick.

Discussing the reason for their sponsership of the Cheltenham race, Andy Stewart said,

"For obvious reasons, this is a cause close to my heart, and a high profile sponsership seemed a great opportunity to increase awareness of spinal research and the great work it does for the victims of spinal injury."

Airforce Oneready for take-off.

Not having been seen on a racecourse since trying to score back to back victories at the 2009 Punchestown Festival, the Charlie Mann trained Airforce One has certainly been in the 'wars' ever since, suffering a serious of setbacks, including a major injury to a hock.

However, on-going remedial work, including a month at a specialist equine centre, has seen Airforce One return to 100% fitness, and after a mile and a half gallop under Noel Fehily at Kempton Park, Mann has confirmed he is happy to give his gelding a clean bill of health to re-start his racing career.

It is thought the AON Chase at Newbury will be Airforce One's first outing, and if all goes well, a run in the Cheltenham Gold Cup or even the Aintree Grand National could be on the agenda in the remainder of the current season.

Nicholls keen on Argento run for Denman.

While most pundits had thought Denman's entry in this Saturday's Argento Chase at Cheltenham was just a possibility, and that his most likely pre-Cheltenham Festival run would be in the AON Chase at Newbury - a course where he is unbeaten and has taken two Hennessy Gold Cup victories.

However, Paul Nicholls has indicated his preference would be for this Saturday's race at Prestbury Park, and he is now waiting to hear if joint owner Paul Barber is prepared to go along with the Nicholls plan.

In many ways, the Nicholls proposal of a run over the Cheltenham course would be far better preparation for the Cheltenham Gold Cup, but Denman's two owners certainly have their own thoughts on racing, and there is no certainty Paul Barber will go along with the Nicholls proposal.

Musselburgh add extrra race to Wednesday card.

Musselburgh having lost there last five meetings to winter weather conditions, and with the same weather having caused a shortage of national hunt racing for Scottish and Northern based trainers, tomorrow's meeting at the East Lothian racecourse was oversubscribed, but rather than turn away entries, Musselburgh have added an extra race to their Wednesday card, with the meeting now commencing at 1.10 pm.

Despite the recent inclement weather , the track has drained well, and tomorrow's going will be on ground described as 'good to soft at worst'.

Darley Sun joins Godolphin.

Sheikh Mohammed's Godolphin organisation have confirmed they have purchased four -year-old Darley Sun from Abdullah Saeed Belhab. A five length winner of the Cesarewich on his last outing for former trainer David Simcock, Darley Sun had threatened to win the Doncaster Cup on a previous run during his three-year-old season, and it is thought Godolphin have purchased the progressive type for a Gold Cup campaign during the upcoming flat season.

Tidal Bay to return to hurdling.

In an interview today, County Durham trainer Howard Johnson confirmed he had intended to run 2008 Arkle Trophy winner Tidal Bay in this Saturday's Argento Chase at Prestbury Park, but his decision to give his under-performing chaser a spin over hurdles with his younger horses suddenly produced a change of mind which will see Tidal Bay line up in this weekend's Cleeve Hurdle on Cheltenham Trials Day. Explaining his actions, Howard Johnson said,

"Originally I had Tidal Bay entered in the Argento Chase, with a fall back entry in the Cleeve Hurdle, but after I saw he absolutely flew the hurdles in the training spin, I phoned Weatherbys immediately and asked them to pull him from the Argento Chase." The trainer added,

"If he does well in the Cleeve Hurdle, we may well look to give him an entry in the Ladbrokes World Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival."

To win on Saturday, Tidal Bay will have to repeat the kind of form he showed over hurdles when winning the 2007 running of the Mersey Hurdle at Aintree, for his formiddable opposition at the weekend includes; from the Allan King yard World Hurdle secodn favourite Karabak and former Champion Hurdler Catch It, the progressive Lie forrit, Golan Way, Time for Rupert and Mr Thriller.

Webber very happy with Time For Rupert.

Paul Webber is telling anyone who will listen, his course and distance winner Time For Rupert is in rude health ahead of his run in Saturday's Cleeve Hurdle at Cheltenham, and Webber believes his progressive hurdler is now good enough to secure a top three finish in Saturday's race - a performance which should be good enough to get him into the World Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.

Iris to make come-back at Doncaster.

After nearly two years off the track with a host of injury setbacks, 2008 Scottish Grand National winner Iris de Balme will have his seasonal debut in Saturday's Albert Bartlett Novices Hurdle at Doncaster.

Trainer Sean Curran had intended to get his ten-year-old back into action in time for the Welsh Grand National, but a further niggle ended that prospect, and Curran is now hoping his charge can come out of Saturday's hurdle in one piece. As Curran explained,

"Ultimately we would like to get him to the John Smiths Grand National at Aintree, but first he must come through Saturday's race, and then we will look at re-introducing him to a competitive chasing environment in the totesport.com Eider Chase at Newcastle on 27 February. If he then shows some of his old sparkle in that race, we will then head to Aintree with a sound chance."

Knight worried about low weighted opposition for Calgary Bay.

In December, Henrietta Knight's Calgary Bay carried 11 stone 10 pounds to victory over three miles in a Doncaster Handicap, so an extra two pounds for Saturday's Sky Bet Chase would not seem an impossibility, but even though Knight confirms she has her chaser in top condition, she admits in such a competitive handicap it is likely one of the 'nippy' horses at the bottom of the weights may prove to have too much in hand for Calgary Bay on Saturday.

Conversely, trainer Jeremy Scott is not too concerned about the 11 stone 7 pounds his horse has to carry, but he believes the three mile trip may prove too short for Gone To Lunch in Saturday's Chase,

"He managed to carry top weight into second place in last season's Scottish Grand National, and while the ground at Doncaster on Saturday should be much better for him than the desperate ground he encountered in the Welsh Grand National at Chepstow, the three mile trip of this weekend's race is probably too short for him to show his best form." Scott added,

"He is in great shape, and regardless of what he achieves on Saturday, I just want him to come out of the race in sound condition as his main target for this season remains the Scottish Grand National at Ayr."

Barbers Shop may take shorter trip on Saturday.

Currently with an entry in both the Argento Chase and Grade 3 Betfair Trophy Handicap Chase at Cheltenham on Saturday, despite the fact he will probably have to carry top weight in the latter , it is thought connections are edging towards allowing Barbers Shop to take his chance over the 2 mile 5 furlongs course rather than the 3 miles of the Argento Chase.

In both the Hennessy Gold Cup and the King George VI Chase earlier in the season, Barbers Shop has been prominent before faltering in the latter stages of each race, and it is known the Ryanair Chase over Cheltenham's 2 mile 5 furlong course is now the main consideration for the Cheltenham Festival, so the shorter race this weekend would seem the most logical option, but it appears the final decision will be left to trainer Nicky Henderson.

Somersby will be given the easiest option.

A top class novice hurdler last season, Somersby put himself into this year's Arkle Challenge Trophy picture with an excellent run when winning the Henry VII Novice Chase at Sandown. But while wanting to give her charge another run prior to the big race at the Cheltenham Festival, trainer Henrietta Knight has made it clear she will consider ground, opposition and available jockeys before confirming Somersby's target race this weekend.

The young chaser has an entry in Saturday's skybet.com Lightning Novice Chase at Doncaster, but a forecast of potential frost and even snow in the North of england later in the week may necessitate Knight taking the Sunday option of the Lindley Caterers Novice Chase at Hereford.

No problems for Leicester and Sedgefield.

Once again, the weather forcasters provided inaccurate information about overnight frost, and this happily means there were no ground problems with the courses at Leicester and Sedgefield, and both of today's meetings go ahead as planned.

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