IT'S NOT even 2009 yet, but already we are looking forward to one of the great re-matches in racing history. Thanks to Kauto Star's return to championship form in Boxing Day's King George VI Chase at Kempton, we can anticipate another fantastic day at Cheltenham in March when the Star will again meet mighty stablemate Denman in the Gold Cup.
It was Denman in front of 2007 winner Kauto Star last season and having predicted last week that the Star would come back to his best and win at Kempton, I am going to stick my neck out and say he will reverse last year's placings in the 2009 Blue Ri
band. That is simply because Denman's fibrillating heart problem, now apparently cured, has meant an interrupted preparation for this season.
To win the Gold Cup, you need to be in perfect nick, and even with the genius that is Paul Nicholls as his trainer, I just can't see Denman being 100% ready on the day.
The Festival is already looming large as racing goes into a wee bit of a lull before the build up to Cheltenham where we could see a vintage crop of champions emerge. Added to Kauto Star are Binocular for the Champion Hurdle, Master Minded for the Queen Mother Champion Chase and Punchestowns for the stayers' World Hurdle to make a class Yankee bet.
On the Flat, the horse I'm most looking forward to seeing is John Gosden's unbeaten filly Rainbow View, hot favourite for the 1,000 Guineas.
A long-term Derby hope is Black Bear Island, winner of a hot maiden at Naas in August. Aidan O'Brien's charge is a full brother to High Chaparral, and at Naas he finished an easy four lengths ahead of Dreamthe-impossible, who then went on to win a Listed race at the Curragh, and finished third behind Rainbow View in a Group 1 at Ascot. That's outstanding form and Black Bear Island should be bet now at 20-1 each way.
In Scottish racing this week, there's the final meeting of the year at Musselburgh tomorrow, which combines with the final of the New Year Sprint, while on Friday and Saturday, Ayr stages the first meeting of 2009.
There's still no word on the sale of Ayr, with reported interest from Irish and Middle Eastern consortiums having cooled – even the Celtic tigers and the Arabs are watching their bawbees at the moment. It may be some weeks or months before the deal is back on, if at all.
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