The Tingle Creek Chase giving us yet another Saturday spectacle of hgh-class jumping
Altior turning on the style to make it fifteen wins from fifteen races when taking Sandown’s Betfair Tingle Creek Chase in atrocious conditions, getting the better of Un Du Sceaux (pretty damn good in defeat) after a wake-up call following a second-fence blunder meant that Nico de Boinville didn’t have the Nicky Henderson charge in the lead until the last fence, when he lengthened to a four-length victory on the testing ground
Min making it another winning reappearance when Ruby Walsh, who rode a treble, got past Shattered Love, whose pilot Jack Kennedy refused to give ground at the second-last to the Willie Mullins trained seven-year-old, forcing Walsh to change tack in order to take Punchestown’s John Durkin Memorial Chase to give Min his second Grade 1 victory
All the runners and riders in Aintree’s two races over the Grand National fences coming home safely, which was also the case for the card’s other contests
Jockey Club Racecourses unveiling plans for the phased redevelopment of Sandown Park over a number of years which will include housing development, a new hotel and refurbishment of the grandstand
Haydock’s fences, criticised for being too high and too stiff at the Betfair Chase meeting, receiving approval from jockeys following remedial work carried out before the track’s latest meeting
Online bookmakers’ plan to self-regulate TV advertising receiving approval from the secretary of state for digital, culture, media and sport, Jeremy Wright MP, who described it as “a welcome move” and said “I am pleased to see the industry responding to concerns raised and helping to protect children and vulnerable people from risks of gambling related harm”
ITV Racing seeking an early agreement to contiunuue to cover the sport for another four yers to 2024
STEWARDS ROOM
…and what hasn’t been so good
Sandown Park charging £4 for a bottle of non-alcohol lager
Leicester racecourse auctioneer, Nick Lees, starting the bidding for Rightdownthemiddle the winner of the seller, at £400 when it should have been £4,000 – once the error had been pointed out, their was no bid
William Buick receiving a six-week ban and £2,000 fine for reckless riding in Hong Kong
Betting shop numbers falling by 151 in the six-months to Spetmber to a total of 8,406 – the number of shops operated by firms outside the big four of Betfred, Coral, Ladbrokes and William Hill, was 1,091
BHA investigating the death of four horses at Musselburgh although it is known that one horse died of a heart-attack and no criticism has been levelled at the racing conditions
Horrible weather hitting Sandown Park just before the off of the Tingle Creek Chase
Towcester’s self-funded BHA-leased fixture on 3 January being cancelled as work continues to put in place long-term financing and management of the course following the acquisition of its assets by a company linked to the course’s chairman Lord Hesketh
