| The four-day Cheltenham Festival dominates the | | | | Plenty of horses that have been placed in the race |
| March programme, but there's also a busy | | | | previously have put that beneficial experience to |
| programme of racing throughout the month including | | | | good use by returning again the next year to run |
| the ever-popular Imperial Cup day at Sandown plus | | | | well. Ireland's formidable trio of Brave Inca, Macs Joy |
| the thrills and spills of the Midlands Grand National day | | | | and Al Eile, who finished third, fifth and seventh |
| at Uttoxeter. Flat fans, meanwhile, will need no | | | | respectively in last year's race will all be fancying their |
| reminding that the new turf season kicks off with | | | | chances of winning this race a second time around. |
| the William Hill Lincoln at Redcar on March 25. | | | | The home-based challenge looks poor and has been |
| March begins with the newly-established Vodafone | | | | hit hard by a spate of cruel injuries as well as the loss |
| Gold Cup at Newbury on the 4th over two and a half | | | | of form of emerging contenders such as Faasel and |
| miles. It's something of a surprise to find such a | | | | Penzance. Maybe the best of the British will be |
| valuable race staged so close to the Cheltenham | | | | Arcalis, whose chances will be much increased by |
| Festival, and many trainers face the dilemma of | | | | quick ground at Cheltenham, and a return to form for |
| deciding whether to run here or in either the Ryanair | | | | his stable. |
| Chase or Racing Post Plate over similar distances at | | | | Wednesday sees the two-mile heavyweights clash in |
| the Cheltenham Festival. | | | | the stirring championship that is the Queen Mother |
| Twelve months ago a solid handicapper in the shape | | | | Champion Chase. Predicting this year's winner |
| of Supreme Prince held on to land the valuable prize | | | | revolves around whether punters think dual winner |
| while in its inaugural year, the classy Isio was a | | | | and reigning champion Moscow Flyer is just a jaded |
| well-backed winner. Absent since that season, Nicky | | | | member of the old guard ready to be swept away |
| Henderson's gelding may well reappear in this race | | | | by young pretenders such as the classy Kauto Star |
| and would be an interesting contender. | | | | and the improving Fota Island. |
| On the same day Doncaster's Grimthorpe Chase, a | | | | Disappointing on his two starts so far this season, |
| staying handicap over three and a quarter miles, has | | | | the mighty Moscow Flyer is twelve years of age and |
| been transferred to Lingfield and may well be the | | | | you have to go back almost thirty years (1977) to |
| chosen target of A Glass In Thyne, who won the | | | | find the last winner from that age group. |
| Skybet Chase that had also been switched from | | | | Kauto Star, by contrast, has youth on his side and |
| Doncaster to Southwell in January. Maybe the | | | | hails from the Paul Nicholls stable that has the best |
| changing fixture pattern will repeat itself again for | | | | recent record in this race with winners in 2004 and |
| Ben Pollock's improving young chaser. | | | | 1999, and four placed horses since 2000. Kauto Star |
| Champion trainer Martin Pipe has endured a stop-start | | | | is a worthy favourite to add to that auspicious tally. |
| season but plenty of punters will still be scouring the | | | | Thursday's championship race is the World Hurdle, |
| list of runners for the Imperial Cup at Sandown on | | | | formerly known as the Stayers' Hurdle and rather like |
| March 11 in the hope of unearthing another Pipe | | | | the Queen Mother Champion Chase, it features a |
| hotpot for one of the season's most | | | | past champion in Baracouda attempting to add a third |
| keenly-contested handicap hurdles. | | | | title at the age of eleven in what must rank a one of |
| Pipe has won the race five times overall and has | | | | the most open renewals in living memory. |
| landed the prize three times in recent seasons. His | | | | But for the foot-and-mouth abandonment of 2001, |
| mass of entries should be studied with the utmost | | | | Baracouda would already have three Stayers' titles to |
| care and may well include progressive sorts such as | | | | his name but his task this year is made even harder |
| Buena Vista, Acambo and Desert Air. | | | | by his advancing years and the presence of a strong |
| The punishing combination of a fiercely-run race and a | | | | domestic and Irish challenge from Mighty Man, No |
| stamina-sapping finish up the demanding Sandown hill | | | | Refuge, Asian Maze and Golden Cross. |
| has often meant that lightly-weighted horses have | | | | Friday March 17 is Cheltenham Gold Cup day and |
| held an advantage over their higher-weighted rivals, | | | | after the brilliant dominance of the chasing blue riband |
| while waiting tactics have also proved successful for | | | | by three times victor Best Mate, this year's renewal |
| several of the recent winners. Making all in a race as | | | | is one of the poorest and also most open in years |
| competitive as this isn't easy. | | | | and likely to produce a surprise result in this |
| The Irish won this race with shock outsider Regency | | | | greatly-anticipated championship event. |
| Rake, trained by Arthur Moore in 1999, and any | | | | The loss through injury of Kicking King, last year's |
| runners from across the Irish Sea should be accorded | | | | easy winner, has left the race wide-open but many |
| the greatest respect. Jessica Harrington's Studmaster, | | | | backers will be looking to Monkerhostin, runner-up to |
| an easy winner of his last two races might take in | | | | the imperious Kicking King in the 2005 King George VI |
| this contest or wait for the County Hurdle at the | | | | Chase, as a possible winner. Seven of the last ten |
| Cheltenham Festival. | | | | Gold Cup winners ran in the King George, making it a |
| On the same day at Sandown make a note also of | | | | key trial for future Gold Cup heroes. |
| the EBF Novices' Hurdle Final, a race that often | | | | Cheltenham week closes with the Midlands Grand |
| produces a star of the future. Plenty of classy young | | | | National day on March 18 and Ossmoses, a course |
| hurdlers will have this contest in their sights including | | | | winner last year, will be a leading fancy for the |
| the Lambourn-trained duo Mr Pointment, and Wogan | | | | four-mile one-and-a-half furlong prize given his |
| while the NickGifford team intends to field Dusky | | | | preference for running over long-distances in the |
| Lord. | | | | mud. On the same card backers should watch out for |
| In recent years the Irish have held the Champion | | | | Sue Smith's tough mare Viciana in the EBF Mares' |
| Hurdle on March 14, the opening day of the | | | | Novices' Chase Final. |
| Cheltenham Festival, in a vice-like grip, winning five of | | | | March closes with the William Hill Lincoln run for the |
| the last seven renewals and looking at the somewhat | | | | first time at Redcar (due to building work at |
| weakened field for this year's renewal it's hard not to | | | | Doncaster) and the draw is sure to have a big say in |
| envisage the hurdling crown being whisked away | | | | the outcome of this one-mile handicap, and the first |
| once more across the Irish Sea. | | | | big prize of the new turf Flat season. |
| Reigning title-holders boast a superb record in the | | | | Twelve months ago Newmarket trainer Sir Michael |
| Champion, but recent dual winner Hardy Eustace will | | | | Stoute won this contest for the first time with |
| have to banish a bout of the blues on his latest and | | | | Stream of Gold and bids to do the same again with |
| disappointing effort in the AIG Europe Champion | | | | the progressive King's Majesty while James Fanshawe |
| Hurdle at Leopradstown. At the age of nine many | | | | will be looking for easy ground if he's to run Cesare, |
| think his time may have passed. | | | | another young and improving horse. |