This week has not been the best for racing; with the news that Frankie Dettori the “face” of the sport has had his licence suspended for being tested positive in France. It appears there are some questions that need to be answered.

Frankie is the biggest name and undoubtedly the most recognised figure in racing, he is the BBC man, someone that even the random punter who knows nothing about the sport would be able to name. His fame has transcended far beyond the boundaries of racing and into restaurants, adverts and quiz shows. I’ve even had the odd occasion when someone has asked me: “Is Frankie riding in this?” and I have to say trying with all my strength not to sound overly patronising: “No, this is the Grand National jumps aren’t really Frankie’s thing.”

Who knows what will happen to the great man. A lengthy ban? I don’t know. But one thing is for certain he will now remain ever so slightly tainted, which is a real shame for the sport and the man.

On to the positives because there are some thank God!

I was lucky enough to go to Cheltenham last weekend for the Paddy Power it really got the heart rate up and the juices flowing.

Al Ferof’s romp in the Paddy Power came as no surprise. I really thought it was a no brainer. With the ground the way it was, slowly slowly deteriorating he seemed the most viable option. As for Grand Crus; again not showing his best at Cheltenham running an almost identical race as he did at the festival, he disappointed again. The explosive performance we were all anticipating was just not to be. But supporters of the lovely gray should not despair; in my opinion you will see a very different horse come Boxing Day at Kempton, a track he has shown he clearly enjoys.
The new crop of novice chasers really gave us something to roar about. Pipe’s Dynaste was simply unstoppable and Henderson’s Captain Conan was sublime. Both were absolutely foot perfect, they will be two seriously exciting novices for this season and certainly two horses to keep an eye out for.

This weekend we see the much-anticipated re-appearance of the 2011 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner, Long Run, in the Betfred Chase at Haydock. However this will sadly be run without it’s most successful graduate, Kauto Star, having won it last year at the ripe old age of 13. It will be sad not to see line-up, however Paul Nicholls and Clive Smith certainly made the right decision to retire the old boy in good health and after an amazing season. It is a very rare thing to retire a horse in perfect health a season after winning 2 Grade One’s. It’s pretty unbelievable.

So without his arch rival can Long Run deliver the goods on Saturday? With Imperial Commander now out with injury it is looking like Long Run should win, although the ground could be a worry, not to mention a classy horse in Silvinaco Conti. But if all goes to plan Henderson’s Gold Cup hopeful should canter home in front.

The racing is top notch on Saturday, with the return of some pretty exciting horses. With the likes of Oscar Whisky, Champion Court, Finian’s Rainbow, Captain Chris, Raya Star the list goes on and on. 

You would be seriously foolish to miss it!

Doncaster’s November Handicap is the last meaningful race of the flat calendar and after another fantastic year over the flats.
After another historic year, Sir Henry Cecil will be hoping to end his season on a high and has a great chance in doing so with favourite First Mohican (9/2).
The very talented but very under-run First Mohican is unbeaten in his career and has won his two previous races this season.
Cecil’s 4-year-old has been used as a galloping partner for the great Frankel and is highly regarded throughout the yard.
But it is a case of what could of been rather than what has been for First Mohican with him potentially of been a Derby prospect.
However the November Handicap is a notorious graveyard for favourites and has First Mohican proven enough to suggest that he is likely to amend that trend? I think probably not although form against Art Scholar and others suggests he is deserved of favouritism.
Clayton has been well backed from 20/1 to 8s over the week and is very well handicapped getting 11lbs off the favourite.
More horses have won this race from top weight than favourites have and it is very easy to overlook the best horse in the race which in this case is Retrieve (20/1).
All eyes in the National Hunt calendar move to Wincanton for this weekend’s Elite Hurdle and Badger Ales Trophy.
Trainer Paul Nicholls takes a talented group to the meeting and holds the top two in the betting for the Elite Hurdle and the favourite in the Badger Ales trophy.
But it is the return of the 2010 Hennessey winner Diamond Harry which will have fans of the jumps excited.
Since that win two years ago Diamond Harry had a lengthy lay off but failed to bring his A-game in any races last year and if the betting is anything to go by, he is unlikely to do so again.
But it is hard to discard that brilliant Hennessey win and if he comes back this season even a shadow of that horse, he would be hard to oppose.
He is top weight 11-12 but is probably nearly a stone to the good from what he would have been after his Newbury win.
Paul Nicholls’ Michel Le Bon returned to winning ways at Cheltenham last year after he himself had a lengthy lay off but at 4/1 favourite, offers little value.
There has been lots of money for Zarrafakt backed into 5/1 and he runs well fresh.
Exciting hurdler Zarkandar returns to the track this weekend as he claims top weight in the Elite Hurdle at Wincanton.
The promising 5-year-old had a delayed start to last season, but won on his reappearance at Newbury before finishing 5th in the Champion Hurdle.
It is hard to work out where the 2011 Triumph hurdler is at the moment. His sole victory last year was remembered more for the Darlan fall rather than Zarkandar’s victory.
No one will know whether he would have still gone on to win that race but his form afterwards is less than impressive falling in his race at Aintree after Cheltenham.
However, he is still most definitely the classiest horse in the field this weekend but his weight is a concern.
Zarkandar (9/4) is rated 163 and is giving away nearly a stone to his closest rival and stable mate Prospect Wells.
What is interesting is jockey Ruby Walsh has chosen to take the ride of Prospect Wells (5/2). You would think that Walsh would have got the pick of the Paul Nicholls duo.

It is with red eyes and sore throats we wave goodbye to the flat and we can safely say: it was better than any one could have hoped. With Australian fillies, a triple crown hopeful and a monster. It certainly exceeded all expectations.
We must take a moment to congratulate the team at Henry Cecil’s with the phenomenal way they have dealt with the superstar. Being at Goodwood for perhaps his easiest victory, however it was not winning the race that made it so special it was events after I began to see why this horse had captured the imaginations and hearts of a nation. He was paraded in front of the stands and around the paddock for every Tom, Dick and Harry, and in a sense every person took a little bit of Frankel home that day. For a horse of such apparent unearthly qualities he truly is the nation’s favourite.
So what now?? Can the jumps season possibly come close to that? At the moment it feels rather like Coldplay’s support act is about to take the stage.
But, there are whispers of excitement about one horse in particular as the new season- proper approaches, one horse which last season just left everyone begging for more: Sprinter Sacre. Can he become the new Frankel and reconnect a nation with the jumps after the National saga of last year?
Having recently watched the re-run of the last years Arkle… WOW. If you are feeling a little sad to see the flat saunter off into the distance for the year, ONE piece of advice watch the Arkle. It will well and truly re-affirm your faith that there might just be something very special in store.
It would be cruel and very untrue to pretend that it will only be about one horse with others like: Fingal Bay, Long Run, Sanctuaire, Weird Al, Simonsig, Sir de Champs, Sizing Europe the list can go on and on and the the horse I am itching to see get back on the track is Rock on Ruby. Now with rookie trainer Harry Fry although it was no secret that he played a major role in the training of this horse last season, it will be interesting to see how he fairs after the “shock” victory in the Champion Hurdle last year.
To add another dimension to what could be an epic season, this year we may even see a change at the top of the trainers tree, with Henderson looking very dangerous to take the title he came so close to usurping last year…
In boxing throwing punches regularly can grind an opponent down and seal victory, but so often it is the one huge blow that you don’t see coming that wins the fight.
One thing we learnt last season: Nicholls is never beaten until that final bell. Henderson was placing hard punches, 7 winners at the Cheltenham festival and 6 at Aintree. Going into the last round at Liverpool it seemed that Henderson had dealt the final punch. Although in this match-up no one saw the last one coming. As a racing world eagerly watched the big screen at Liverpool to see confirmation the grey Neptune Collonges had become the first Paul Nicholls trained horse to win the national it was that final blow in what had become a thrilling trainers title. That was it, the punch that I suspect neither Henderson nor anyone saw coming.
The general consensus on the trainer’s title this year is that it is Nicky Henderson’s to lose. Looking at the horses he so much strength in depth and at present appears to hold all the trump cards. But in the unpredictability of the sport anything can happen…so do not despair and bring on the Support Act, it’s going to be a corker, enjoy!

After the drama at Champions Day last week, the spotlight of this weekend’s racing turns from the flats of Ascot to the jumps of Aintree, with the Betfred Monet’s Garden Roan Chase taking centre stage.
The big race features a number of fine chasers with Paul Nicholls trained Pacha Du Polder (4/1) seemingly likely to head the betting.
The highly regarded 5-year-old scored on three of his five chasing starts over the bigger obstacles including an impressive victory in a grade 2 at Ayr and is likely to improve on his already solid form.

However, there is some serious opposition to Pacha Du Polder with seven of the 11 strong field, at odds of 12/1 or less.
Second favourite, For Non Stop (5/1), beat Pacha Du Polder at Newbury last year and looked like he had turned into a very impressive chaser by the end of the last season beaten only by Cue Card, Al Ferof and Sir Des Champs over fences.
Noel Fehily looks set to take the ride of the 7-year-old leaving behind a horse that he had previously rode to victory on seven occasions in Gauvain.
Gauvain, last year’s Peterborough Chase victor, moved stables over the off season from the yard of Nick Williams to Philip Hobbs. Hobbs stable jockey Richard Johnson will take the ride of top weight Wishful Thinking allowing Jason Maguire to take the Gauvain ride.
Wishful Thinking (7/1) was many punters one to follow last season after a very successful novice season, but nothing materialised from that form with the 9-year-old failing to score a victory.
However, apart from a bad fall in the Champion Chase, he has always seemed to jump with fluency last season like he has always done.
Should he rediscover any of the form from the 2010/11 season, he could be a serious contender despite him being top weight.
What will win this race will be who comes out the classiest out of a group of already classy chasers. And with other contenders including the return of Noble Prince (11/2), Nacarat (10/1) and Hector’s Choice (10/1), racing fans are in for a real treat in the 3.30 at Aintree this weekend.
Although the spotlight may have jumped ships, the flats are by no means forgotten this weekend with some seriously competitive racing at Doncaster and Newbury.
The Group 1 Racing Post Trophy is the 3.05 feature race at Doncaster and looks set to be a belter that sees Kingsbarns (2/1) and Van Der Neer (6/1) both put up their perfect records on the line.
But it is Steeler that looks to have the most promising form going into the race, already scoring in a Group 2 this year, and at 7/2 looks good value to continue that good form.

Frankel fever will hit Ascot’s Champions Day on Saturday for the last time in the colt’s spectacular career.
However, with recent weather concerns, racing fans around the world will be hoping nothing rains on the unbeaten 4-year-old’s farewell party.
Despite Frankel impressing on the gallops in Newmarket the other day, soft ground has pushed the betting into 2/9 from 1/10, to take the Champion Stakes, but that may change once Frankel Fever takes over the Ascot punters on the course.
Still, at 2/9 Frankel offers little value to punters who don’t have deep pockets and there will be a big market on the winning distance.
Frankel was scintillating in the Juddmonte at York, simply obliterating the field taking it by 7l from Farhh.
Frankel’s average winning distance is 7.5 lengths this season and he is 3/1 to win by seven or more lengths this weekend.
However, the 4-year-old has failed only three times not to score by at least four lengths, and at 4/5 to win by at least that margin, there could be money to be made.
Soft ground will favour last year’s winner Cirrus Des Aigles who is 5/1 second favourite.
With the Frankel inclusion keeping entries down, 4/5 for Cirrus Des Aigles to take the crown without Frankel may be worth a look at, especially with the ground in his favour.
Frankel’s career may have taken a different turn had Nathanial got up to beat him in his very first race. Since then nothing has come closer to beating Frankel and Nathanial is 11/1 to seek revenge and upset a 32,000 strong crowd.
One horse that won’t have to worry about Frankel is old foe Excelebration who is going for the Queen Elizabeth II stakes. The Aiden O’Brien trained 4-year-old has been beaten by Frankel no more than 5 times, but he is a very short 4/5 to win the race that his nemesis prevented him from winning last year.
Excelebration’s biggest threats come in the form of Cityscape (9/2) and Elusive Kate (13/2), the latter looking very healthily priced.
This year’s Champions Day at Ascot is one of the best cards that the famous racecourse has ever seen with six of the top ten rated horses likely to run.
Even the Long Distance Cup has the last three gold cup winners including this year’s victor, Colour Vision (11/2). However, with Fame and Glory (5/1) and Opinion Poll (3/1), the Godolphin horse will have his work cut out in winning the Ascot double.