Cloth Cap leads the way, with all set fair for National spectacular the42.ie - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from the42.ie Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
English Seek Grand National Glory To Stem Irish Domination By Pirate IRWIN
04/07/21 AT 1:16 AM
English trainers have been forced to do some serious soul-searching since being trounced by their Irish rivals at Cheltenham but hope to restore pride in Saturday s Grand National.
The three-day meeting at Aintree racecourse in northwest England, starting on Thursday, will have the Irish licking their lips in anticipation of another financially rewarding raid.
The strong favourite for the National arguably the world s most famous race is Cloth Cap, trained in England, which offers hope to the home contingent.
But Irish-trained horses won 23 of the 28 races over the four days of last month s Cheltenham Festival, jump racing s showpiece event, even though the English provided 60 percent of the runners.
A racing punter won t rest easy tonight with more than £500,000 on the line
Paul Dean placed a £5 accumulator last June, when betting on Royal Ascot
By placing the bet so early, he got higher odds than the current bookies prices
Now if Envoi Allen wins tomorrow, he could win over half a million pounds
Betfair have confirmed that he has been offered £275,000 to cash out
Cheltenham Festival 2021: Tiger Roll claims fifth Cheltenham Festival win bbc.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from bbc.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Cheltenham Festival 2021: A meeting like no other starts on Tuesday
By Frank KeoghBBC Sport at Cheltenham
Last updated on
The four-day Cheltenham Festival starts on Tuesday behind closed doors
Cheltenham Festival 2021
Main race: 15:05
Coverage: Commentaries on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra, feature races Radio 5 live. Racecards, live text, results & reports on the BBC Sport website and app.
A town normally in carnival mode is eerily quiet. Where banners and marquees should herald the boisterous crowds to come, there is calm.
For four days in March, the Cheltenham Festival usually welcomes thousands of visitors for its annual carnival.
This year is different - no spectators or racehorse owners and a sport seeking a boost after negative headlines.