Captain Chris won the Arkle Chase at Cheltenham in March 2011

Captain Chris heads the field for the Argento Chase on Cheltenham Festival trials day on Saturday.

Opponents include other potential contenders for the Cheltenham Gold Cup in March, such as Diamond Harry and Time For Rupert.

Last year’s Gold Cup fifth and sixth, Midnight Chase and Tidal Bay, are set to run but ante-post favourite Grands Crus was ruled out on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Big Buck’s seeks a 15th straight win in the Cleeve Hurdle.

Victory for Big Buck’s, trained by Paul Nicholls, would take the horse closer to matching Sir Ken’s record of 16 straight hurdles wins in the 1950s.

Captain Chris lines up for the feature race having finished a fine third for trainer Philip Hobbs behind Kauto Star and Long Run in last month’s King George VI Chase at Kempton.

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McCoy is heading for a 17th consecutive jockeys’ title

Tony McCoy had to settle for second place on his return to action at Warwick on Thursday following nearly a month on the sidelines after a fall.

The 16-times champion jockey has been out since 30 December after fracturing ribs and puncturing a lung at Taunton.

McCoy, riding Key To The West in the Racing UK Intermediate Open National Hunt Flat Race was beaten by Harry Skelton on Ballyalton.

“I’d feel better if I’d had a winner, he was a bit keen,” said McCoy, 37.

“I’ve recovered pretty quickly from what happened and I wanted to be back for Cheltenham [Saturday] and for riding a few horses over the next couple of weeks.

“I’ll be riding at Huntingdon tomorrow [Friday] and I will try to build things back up from there.”

McCoy was able to race after seeing a specialist on Monday, who was pleased with his recovery.

“I saw the doctor and he was very happy with all my scans and was happy with my ribs and my lung, so I am pleased,” McCoy told the Racing Post.

“It was not a case that I would have liked to have come back sooner. I would not have been able to come back sooner as I broke quite a few ribs and punctured my lung.

DID YOU KNOW?

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AP McCoy has ridden 3,542 winners in his 18-year career

“A fall is a fall. It hurts the same as it did 15 years ago.

“When you get a bad fall you get a bad fall. It doesn’t matter what age you are it is going to hurt, but that is part of the job.”

The Northern Irishman, who spent last week recuperating in Barbados, is on course to win his 17th title, leading this season’s championship with 174 victories, well clear of his nearest rival, Richard Johnson, who has 112 winners.

McCoy’s injury came just as the champion jockey was enjoying an excellent run of form, two days after winning the Lexus Chase at Leopardstown on Synchronised.

He has admitted that the fall has cost him any chance of breaking his own record of riding 289 winners in a season.

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By Cornelius Lysaght
BBC horse racing correspondent

Tom Scudamore rode Grands Crus to victory at Kempton on Boxing Day

For 20 years, jump racing has yearned for a grey-coloured replacement for Desert Orchid in the public’s affections, and in Grands Crus that horse may finally have been discovered.

The seven-year-old, trained by David Pipe for owners Roger Stanley and Yvonne Reynolds, was born on April Fool’s Day, but has been looking like the real thing ever since.

Unlucky to have been up against the long-unbeaten Big Buck’s in top long-distance hurdle races, Grands Crus has now escaped his old foe with a new career over steeplechase fences.

And after three wins from just three starts over the bigger obstacles, the horse is rated a Cheltenham Gold Cup-winner-in-waiting, in which context he now faces his biggest test in Saturday’s Argento Chase, held at the same Cotswold track.

Success there could see him taking on Kauto Star and co in this season’s Gold Cup, although the RSA Chase – at the same Festival fixture, but against fellow “novices” – is a possible alternative.

“With a horse like him, it’s hard not to get carried away,” says Tom Scudamore, regular rider of Grands Crus, before adding diplomatically: “But each race is his next target.”

That said, Scudamore, 29, and Pipe’s number one jockey, admits: “Every step he’s has taken this season has been another step up the ladder.”

The sequence began with smooth successes at Cheltenham and Newbury, but reached an impressive mid-season climax in the prestigious Feltham Novices’ Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day.

That day, top-notch opponents were swept aside in a time nearly three seconds faster than Kauto Star managed in winning a fifth King George VI Chase over the identical course on the same afternoon.

Although impressed by the time, Scudamore prefers to concentrate on the style in which the grey “left the others for dust”.

Not so long ago, Grands Crus’s exuberance gave cause for concern, but it has been striking how much more mature he has seemed since graduating to fences.

“He’s grown up in his attitude,” reckons Scudamore. “He’s a lot more settled, instead of burning all that energy by trying to fight me – and that’s made him a better racehorse.

“Maybe the bigger obstacles have calmed him down a bit. It’s a boring answer, but he just makes my life so straightforward.”

Grands Crus’s principal Argento Chase rivals Captain Chris, Diamond Harry and Time For Rupert are all Gold Cup pretenders too.

And although those three are more experienced steeplechasers, such has been the impact Grands Crus has made, it is he who bookmakers make favourite.

There will be coverage of both the Argento Chase (Saturday, 1435 GMT) and the attempt by Big Buck’s to make it 15 straight wins (Cleeve Hurdle, 1540 GMT), on BBC Radio 5 live

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Oscar Time (right) was beaten by Ballabriggs (left) in the 2011 Grand National

Oscar Time, the 2011 Grand National runner-up, has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a leg injury.

“He just has a slight tendon injury,” said trainer Martin Lynch. “It’s nothing huge, but it’s enough to keep him out for the season.”

Under jockey Sam Waley-Cohen, Oscar Time finished two and a quarter lengths adrift of Ballabriggs at Aintree.

“Terrible News,” Waley-Cohen tweeted. “GN dream hits rocks! Gutted for horse all connected.”

Oscar Time, owned by Waley-Cohen’s father Robert, had so far produced good form over the winter, with a creditable fourth place finish over the hurdles at Thurles in November.

“He’d been in tremendous form since his run over hurdles,” added Lynch. “Even better than he was this time last year, if anything.

“He’s a horse we’ve minded during his career, so hopefully he’ll be back next season.

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It’s unfortunate. It just shows you how difficult it is just to get horse and jockey to the races at the top of their game

Robert Waley-Cohen
Owner, Oscar Time

“He just has a slight tendon injury. It’s a big blow but it’s not career-threatening and the main thing is he’s still in one piece.”

With the Grand National no longer possible, Lynch suggested that next year’s Foxhunter Chase at the Cheltenham Festival would be his next big target before another attempt at Aintree.

“We’ll obviously make plans nearer the time,” added Lynch. “But there’s a possibility he could go down the hunter chase route and go to the Cheltenham before he goes back to Aintree.

“It’s all up in the air at the minute.”

Robert Waley-Cohen added: “It’s unfortunate. It just shows you how difficult it is just to get horse and jockey to the races at the top of their game.

“We were looking forward to running in the Bobbyjo Chase at Fairyhouse as we wanted to get another run into him before Aintree, but we’re going to run out of time.

“He’s lightly raced and it’s not unheard of for a 12-year-old to win the National, so hopefully he’ll still be up to it next year. Fingers crossed.”

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Watch the closing stages of the 2011 Grand National

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McCoy is heading for a 17th consecutive jockeys’ title

Tony McCoy says he is likely to return to action at Warwick on Thursday after being injured in a fall last month.

The 16-time champion jockey has been sidelined since 30 December after fracturing ribs and bruising his lungs in a fall at Taunton.

McCoy, 37, saw a specialist on Monday, who was pleased with his recovery.

“The doctor is very happy so I should be back on Thursday,” the Northern Irishman told the Daily Mail.

McCoy is on course to win his 17th title, leading the championship with 174 victories this season.

The injury came as the jockey was enjoying an excellent run of form, just two days after winning the Lexus Chase at Leopardstown on Synchronised.

McCoy admitted the fall had cost him any chance of bidding to break his own record of riding 289 winners in a season.

His nearest rival, Richard Johnson, had 112 winners before racing on Tuesday.

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By Cornelius Lysaght
BBC horse racing correspondent

Brendan Powell Jr saddled three horses to victory at Plumpton in December

Jockey Brendan Powell cannot wait for his 17th birthday on 26 January, and nor can his family, friends and fellow riders.

Getting a driving test organised will be high on the agenda for the sought-after teenager, whose father, also Brendan, won the Grand National during a distinguished race-riding career.

Powell Jr’s recent run of success has seen him clocking up the miles since Christmas with sorties as far afield as Leicester, Taunton and Plumpton, though, clearly, with others behind the wheel.

However, despite his tender years, he has demonstrated fine driving skills from the saddle, and goes into 2012 tipped to go steadily up the gears, to the very top.

“It’s bred into me; it’s in my blood, so it’s more or less the only route I was going to take,” he said.

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“It’s great fun. Obviously, there are the dangers that come with it, but the rush you get from riding around places like this is unreal.

“It makes you feel like you are flying most of the time; it doesn’t get much better.”

Brendan Powell junior was not even a twinkle in the eye when his father famously won the 1988 Grand National on Rhyme N’Reason, even though the horse all but fell at Becher’s Brook.

In total, the now 50-year-old entered the winner’s circle 700 times – Dublin Flyer and Panto Prince were two particular favourites – and earned something of an ‘iron man’ image, bouncing back from several heavy falls.

Amazingly, he insists it took eight years from his debut ride aged 14 to his first success, in which case his son has certainly hit the ground running.

Two spells in Ireland, competing on a pony racing circuit that is rather more competitive than the growing version in Britain, probably made sure of that.

“Over in Ireland, it’s more or less proper racing,” said Powell Jr. “You’re riding full-sized racehorses and ex-racehorses that were running on the track.

“Over here, they’re only riding ponies which is still good experience, but Ireland definitely helps you hone your skills. And it’s not on a big stage so there aren’t tonnes of people watching if you make a mistake.”

His father added: “Twenty runners go round a three-and-a-half furlong (700m) field at a million miles an hour. You need to be sharp to survive.”

In a world where young jockeys like Henry Brooke, Conor O’Farrell and Lucy Alexander, are ensuring the quality is high, Brendan Powell Jr has already been sharp enough to discard his racing L-plates.

Now for the real thing…

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By Frank Keogh
BBC Sport

Ascot hosts 20 racedays annually outside the royal meeting

Ascot will refund Saturday’s spectators who were labelled with orange stickers for breaching new dress codes.

The rules, which require male premier enclosure ticket holders to wear a jacket and tie, were not enforced, but the stickers were issued as a warning.

“No customers should be expected to pay for such an experience,” Ascot chief executive Charles Barnett said in a statement.

The move is likely to cost Ascot a five-figure sum.

This week it was announced that women must wear hats rather than fascinators – a cross between a hair accessory and a mini hat – in the Royal Enclosure at Royal Ascot.

For racedays outside the royal meeting, the new course dress code states: “In Premier Admission, gentlemen should wear a jacket and tie, smart trousers or smart jeans, no trainers. There will be an announcement on the day allowing jackets to be removed, should the weather be hot.

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Ladies should dress for a smart occasion; hats are encouraged but not compulsory

Ascot dress code

“Ladies should dress for a smart occasion; hats are encouraged but not compulsory. Children should be dressed smartly.”

Small orange stickers were affixed to the clothing or badges of racegoers who breached the dress code, a policy described by some as “patronising and humiliating”.

“It is clear that we let down many of our premier enclosure customers yesterday with a well-intentioned but misguided policy,” Barnett said.

“We have taken the view that all premier enclosure visitors yesterday will receive a full refund.”

Barnett said Ascot was refunding racegoers as a gesture of goodwill, and urged them to retain their visitors’ badge in order to claim back the cost of admission.

He added: “We have worked very hard for many years to establish ourselves as a benchmark for customer service and are making this statement today to reinforce that we will not allow our reputation as a welcoming sports venue to be tarnished by an isolated lack of judgement on our part.

“We will work through the logistics of the refunds tomorrow. Most people will have booked in advance or paid by card on the day but we will look after cash customers too and anyone who still has their admission badge should hold onto it.”

Ascot spokesman Nick Smith told BBC Sport: “We are trying to bring in a new dress code but didn’t want on day one to turn anyone away and genuinely thought we were treading quite softly.

Analysis

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Ascot have rightly apologised but this kind of thing sets racing back when there is a lot of talk about a new dawn for the sport, with a new chief executive of the British Horseracing Authority. The course has done much to modernise itself but this was clearly a retograde step

Cornelius Lysaght
BBC racing correpondent

“Because we haven’t got just one premier enclosure admission point, it was not feasible to talk to people as they came in and so they were advised as they entered the escalators to level four.

“The idea of the tiny orange stickers was that staff would see who had already been advised so they didn’t hassle them for the rest of the day.”

Smith said the new rules were part of a move to restore formality at the course and the stickers were designed to identify dress that would be unacceptable at future meetings.

“Everything behind the thinking appeared to make a lot of sense, but it’s clear that targeting people like this gave out the wrong message,” he said.

“We used a very small little tag, not a huge sign saying ‘you are wearing the wrong dress’.

“The intention wasn’t to be heavy-handed so we apologise. We haven’t had many complaints, but we are sure we will get some.

“It was clearly the wrong thing to do and there will not be orange tags next time. We will advise people politely, although this may unfortunately mean people are advised more than once.”

There is no formal dress code in the course’s grandstand for racedays outside the royal meeting, but the rules state “bare chests are not permitted at any time”.

Men are required to wear a jacket and tie in the grandstand at Royal Ascot, although the restriction does not apply to the Silver Ring.

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By Frank Keogh
BBC Sport

Ascot hosts 20 racedays annually outside the royal meeting

Ascot Racecourse has apologised after punters were labelled with orange stickers for breaching new dress codes.

The rules, which require male premier enclosure ticket holders to wear a jacket and tie, were not enforced but the stickers were issued as a warning.

“What we did was well meant but it didn’t look good and in hindsight, was a mistake,” said spokesman Nick Smith.

This week it was announced women will have to wear hats, not fascinators, in the Royal Enclosure at Royal Ascot.

For racedays outside the royal meeting, the new course dress code states: “In Premier Admission, gentlemen should wear a jacket and tie, smart trousers or smart jeans, no trainers. There will be an announcement on the day allowing jackets to be removed, should the weather be hot.

“Ladies should dress for a smart occasion; hats are encouraged but not compulsory. Children should be dressed smartly.”

Small orange stickers were affixed to the clothing or badges of racegoers who breached the dress code.

Smith told BBC Sport: “We are trying to bring in a new dress code but didn’t want on day one to turn anyone away and genuinely thought we were treading quite softly.

Analysis

Continue reading the main story

Ascot have rightly apologised but this kind of thing sets racing back when there is a lot of talk about a new dawn for the sport, with a new chief executive of the British Horseracing Authority. The course has done much to modernise itself but this was clearly a retograde step

Cornelius Lysaght
BBC racing correpondent

“Because we haven’t got just one premier enclosure admission point, it was not feasible to talk to people as they came in and so they were advised as they entered the escalators to level four.

“The idea of the tiny orange stickers was that staff would see who had already been advised so they didn’t hassle them for the rest of the day.”

He said the new rules were part of a move to restore formality at the course and the stickers were designed to identify dress that would be unacceptable at future meetings.

“Everything behind the thinking appeared to make a lot of sense, but it’s clear that targeting people like this gave out the wrong message,” said Smith.

“We used a very small little tag, not a huge sign saying ‘you are wearing the wrong dress’.

“The intention wasn’t to be heavy-handed so we apologise. We haven’t had many complaints, but we are sure we will get some.

“It was clearly the wrong thing to do and there will not be orange tags next time. We will advise people politely although this may unfortunately mean people are advised more than once.”

There is no formal dress code in the course’s grandstand for racedays outside the royal meeting, although the rules state “bare chests are not permitted at any time.”

Male racegoers are required to wear a jacket and tie in the grandstand at Royal Ascot, although the restriction does not apply to the Silver Ring.

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Somersby was beaten by Master Minded in the 2011 race

Somersby dug deep for rider Dominic Elsworth to beat Finian’s Rainbow and win the Victor Chandler Chase at Ascot.

The 9-2 chance, saddled by Best Mate’s trainer Henrietta Knight, stayed on well for a first Grade One success.

Al Ferof was third and Gauvain fell as last year’s runner-up triumphed in the 25th anniversary of the race.

According to Pete (9-1) won the Peter Marsh Chase at Haydock while trainer Donald McCain and jockey Jason Maguire enjoyed a four-timer.

Wearing cheekpieces for the first time, Somersby went one better than his narrow defeat by Master Minded in 2011.

The eight-year-old, who was fourth behind winner Kauto Star in the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day, had previously finished second in two Grade One and three Grade One chases during his career.

Somersby overhauled Finian’s Rainbow in the run-in to claim victory by a length-and-a-quarter and provide Knight with her first top-level success since 2005.

Her partner Terry Biddlecombe, the former champion jockey who is recovering from a recent stroke, was on hand to see the triumph.

Analysis

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Cornelius Lysaght,
BBC horse racing correspondent

Henrietta Knight hailed a ‘dream’ win for Somersby. It was good to see Best Mate’s trainer with a Grade One success after a fallow time

“I got so excited, I had a nosebleed,” he said.

Elsworth said of Somersby: “I’m delighted for the horse. He’s been a bit of a bridesmaid, but he’s done it nicely. I always knew he was going to stay on towards the end.”

Knight indicated the Ryanair Chase at the Cheltenham Festival in March would be his target, although the Queen Mother Champion Chase is an alternative.

At Haydock, the 11-year-old According To Pete saw off younger rivals for a stamina-laden success.

Celestial Halo (6-5 favourite) continued his revival by winning the Champion Hurdle Trial for trainer Paul Nicholls.

Meanwhile, McCain and Maguire chalked up victories with Cinders and Ashes, Our Mick, Reindeer Dippin and Real Milan.

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By Cornelius Lysaght
BBC horse racing correspondent

The new whip rule provoked controversy in 2011

In these days when, it is said, history is taught less and less in our schools, there’d be no chance of one Admiral Henry Rous (1795-1877) getting much of a look-in.

However, despite not being a household name, the bold Admiral is truly an integral figure in the history of horse-racing.

At a time when things were chaotic and corrupt, he worked to bring together the unhappy strands and form the foundations of the sport as we know it today.

Gallop forward 150 years and, although racing does not find itself in quite the same parlous condition as the one confronted by Rous, it is definitely not in great shape.

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Frankel glides to QEII Stakes win

As we move into 2012 with the positive equine images provided by the likes of Frankel and Kauto Star, British Champions Day and the Cheltenham Festival, the sport is also threatened by a big pile of negatives.

There is much anger around over funding, particularly when it comes to bookmakers that base themselves overseas to avoid paying their dues, and online betting exchanges.

Everyone agrees that the Levy – the system whereby a fee (based on profits) is agreed between the betting and racing industries to pay for “the product”, the main income for prize money – is outdated and Government action is called for.

In this vein, MPs from constituencies where courses are prominent are set to make an impact – names like Matthew Hancock (Newmarket) and Guy Opperman (Hexham).

The British Horseracing Authority is in existence to bang the drum for racing and additionally wield some authority – both of which it has not always been able to do.

The Horsemen’s Group of racing’s “players” has its own, separate agenda and is inclined to do its own thing.

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The reputation of the regulator has been dented by the damagingly slow response to serious issues thrown up by April’s Grand National and, later, by the mismanagement of the introduction of new whip regulations

And the 60 racecourses jealously guard their sovereignty, especially when it comes to the all-important fixture list over which the BHA is generally fairly powerless.

Meanwhile, the reputation of the regulator has been dented by the damagingly slow response to serious issues thrown up by April’s Grand National – where two horses died – and, later, by the mismanagement of the introduction of new whip regulations.

Morale is probably as low as it gets and there is no doubt the pros are frequently cancelled out by the cons.

Which, unlikely as it perhaps sounds, is where we come back to Admiral Rous.

Just as Rous grabbed the initiative by rolling up his sleeves and banging heads together in the 1800s, so the same opportunity now arises for the BHA’s new chief executive.

He is Paul Bittar, an Australian, who takes up his post on 18 January, having left a big job in Victoria.

Though no naval war hero, the 42-year-old arrives on these shores already giving the strong impression of navigational competence in choppy waters.

In recent interviews, he has impressed as being likeable, open and non-stuffy, regularly using a word – “communication” – probably not employed enough by British racing.

Brazilian Silvestre De Sousa missed out on the Flat jockeys’ title

Bittar insists he has no interest in war with the bookmakers, the Horsemen’s Group or the racecourses, but wants to bring the factions together.

And he is not burying his head in the sand, accepting that the BHA has not covered itself in glory of late, particularly over the whip rule.

To me, this feels like a chance for somebody to make a massive difference.

Bittar is best placed to have a go, although we will have to wait and see if he is able to pull it off.

And he may not be the only overseas-born name making headlines.

The Yorkshire-based, Brazilian Silvestre De Sousa was unlucky – because of bans and riding commitments abroad – not to beat Paul Hanagan to the 2011 Flat jockeys’ championship.

In trainer Mark Johnston, De Sousa has a powerful ally and his time will come.

I wonder what Admiral Rous would have made of that?

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