TimeformBlog

[b]Burton Port[/b] improved since returning from a long absence, chasing home Long Run at Newbury prior to good fourth in Gold Cup. Proven round this circuit and likely to be in the firing line once more. [b]Carruthers[/b] chased home What A Friend in this race 2 years ago and took advantage of a reduced mark when landing the Hennessy, but subsequent efforts less inspiring and tried in blinkers now. [b]Diamond Harry[/b] bolted up in last season's Hennessy at Newbury, but has hit the skids this term, failing to see things out first 2 comeback starts and ran a shocker in the Gold Cup last month. [b]Follow The Plan[/b] was a fortunate winner of the Guinness Gold Cup at Punchestown last season. Run well to make frame in a couple of graded races since, and cheekpieces need to bring ...

[b]The Cheltenham Festival build-up is well and truly in full swing now, with Saturday's Racing Post Chase at Kempton a mouth-watering precursor of things to come. Timeform's Adam Brookes looks over the field.[/b] Leading trainer Philip Hobbs has won the Grade 3 handicap three times since 1999, most recently with Farmer Jack in 2005, and he has young pretenders Quinz and Mostly Bob entered in the three-mile contest this time, with both looking to hold strong form claims. The first-named is a very solid jumper, but making the running told last time ultimately told when third behind Time For Rupert. As a result, he is much better judged on his previous run when comfortably dispatching the well-treated Far More Serious in an Ascot handicap. Even though you have to go back to 2000 to...

[b]Hot on the heels of A. P. McCoy's groundbreaking SPOTY landslide victory, racing's equine 'Star' gets his chance to make history as Kauto bids for an unprecedented fifth King George. Dan Barber asks can he be stopped?[/b] It might be Christmas, but you don't have to be Balthazaar, Melchior or Caspar to work out that any King George discussion must centre around [b]Kauto Star[/b]. Come to think of it, you don't even have to be Dennis or Ernie. In short, Kauto Star has made the King George his own this century. In 2009, he became the first horse in history to win the race for the fourth year in succession, matching Desert Orchid as the only quadruple winner of the Christmas showpiece. A year on, and the seemingly ageless Kauto Star seeks to eclipse racing's most famous front-running...

[b]The current Cheltenham Gold Cup holder and the former dual Champion Chaser both made impressive seasonal returns at the weekend; Gregg Taylor reflects on the merits of their performances.[/b] [b]Imperial Commander[/b] (182) didn't have to match the form of his Gold Cup-winning performance to land a high-quality renewal of the [b]Betfair Chase[/b] by a length and a quarter from [b]Tidal Bay[/b] (160$). It was the first time in five years that his old adversary Kauto Star had not shown up and the race failed to attract any of last season's top novices, yet Nigel Twiston-Davies's stable star left the impression that he's returned as good as ever. Hopefully the cut he suffered to his leg won't prove severe enough to make him miss his intended clash with Kauto Star at Kempton on Boxing...

[b]Charlie Hall Chase weekend usually marks the National Hunt season notching up another gear. Gregg Taylor considers the merits of the winner of the latest renewal of the Wetherby showpiece, along with the victors of the weekend's other chases of note at Ascot and Carlisle.[/b] [b]Nacarat[/b] (c165) gained a deserved first success in graded company when landing the Charlie Hall Chase by four lengths from [b]The Tother One[/b] (159). The proximity of last year's victor [b]Deep Purple[/b] (c158), former dual winner [b]Ollie Magern[/b] (c147$) and [b]That's Rhythm[/b] (c140) pin down the form of the race, yet Tom George's grey still met the standard of recent winners of the contest in running to a bare performance figure of 154. He travelled powerfully close up and would have been more...

[b]Timeform look back over a weekend on which there were plenty of ante-post pointers for the season's top NH races...[/b] Saturday's Charlie Hall Chase at [b]Wetherby[/b] went the way of clear form pick [b]Nacarat[/b], who allayed doubts that he might have needed the race in beating The Tother One by four lengths, with last year's winner Deep Purple a further two and a half lengths back in third. Nacarat's main target for the season is reportedly the King George at Kempton on Boxing Day and his form gives him excellent place claims at least, though he is currently a 13.0 shot for the race, which reflects that he still has plenty to find to get the better of a peak Kauto Star. The other performance of note at Wetherby came from [b]Fair Along[/b], who won his second successive West ...