Although the final declarations have yet to be made (at the time of writing), it appears certain that there will only be a small field for this Grade 2 affair and that that defending champion hurdler Punjabi is an intended starter.

Looking at the possible opposition only Medermit jumps out as a likely danger at the weights, even though former champion Sublimity is, theoretically, in with a decent shout. Nicky Henderson has stated that Zaynar (who would be a massive danger) will not run and the remaining entrants simply don’t look anywhere near good enough.

I’ve been saying for a while (and backing it up with hard cash) that I believe Punjabi will retain his crown at the Cheltenham Festival in March. I’m expecting the Raymond Tooth-owned gelding, who to my eyes shaped very well until blowing up on his seasonal reappearance at Cheltenham races last month, to cement his claims with a good performance at the Lancashire track.

I really believe that if you back Punjabi before the Haydock race you will be in a position (should you choose) to lay off for much of your entire stake, at what will be much shorter odds after he wins. At 12.5 on Betfair and 10/1 with the regular bookies, Punjabi could be cut to only 5 or 6/1 should he prevail on Saturday.

The opportunity is clear – grab it with both hands.

The lady who produced the mighty Best Mate to win three successive Cheltenham Gold Cups during the last decade has focused her gaze on the upcoming Arkle Chase at the Cheltenham Festival where her rising star Somersby will be sent into battle against the mighty Irish pairing of Captain Cee Bee and Sizing Europe.

Currently on offer in the Cheltenham Festival Betting with Ladbrokes at a best-priced 8/1 (generally 7/1), the six-year-old Second Empire gelding has impressed in his two outings over the larger obstacles this term. He cruised around Warwick to justify favouritism on his chasing bow, before taking the scalp of the useful Crack Away Jack in a Grade 2 event at Sandown last month.

Rather than court the headline writers, Knight is to send Somersby to Hereford for his final pre-Festival race. After this, if all goes well, it will be full steam ahead for the Arkle.

It shouldn’t be forgotten that Somersby has already shown a liking for Cheltenham having run a blinder when third at 40/1 in last year’s Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, behind Go Native and Medermit.

Furthermore, ‘The Hen’s’ latest rising star has always looked as if his career would only really take off when he faced fences and that anything he did over hurdles would be a distinct bonus.

If you think that Ms Knight is on the verge of unleashing another Cheltenham champion, then maybe now is the time to step up and have a bit of 8/1 on her imposing looking charge winning on the opening day of the Festival.

Meanwhile, most pundits think you can bet on Cheltenham Gold Cup glory for either Denman or Kauto Star with few experts predicting other horses will get a look in during the race.

A former city trader, Baker quit the financial markets some years ago, and after spells abroad learning the training game in places as far flung as Vietnam, he popped up again in Britain as a journalist for the now defunct Sportsman. When the newspaper folded, Baker, encouraged by a venerable band of well-heeled and knowledgeable friends, decided to have a crack at training, and he’s done pretty well in his first couple of years.

Starting with a string of 25 horses at his yard at Moreton Morrell, Warwickshire, Baker sent out 21 winners to the end of 2008 and soon gained a reputation as a handler capable of laying one out for a touch. Excellerator’s debut victory at Southwell was a prime example, the juvenile filly having been backed at 9/1 early on in the day before being supported through all rates down to 5/4 and going on to win easily by three lengths. She later proved herself capable at a much higher level and achieved black type when third in the Princess Margaret Stakes at Ascot.

A roster of owners that include Harry Findlay, Paul & Susan Roy, Paul Beck, Freddie Flintoff and Sir Alex Ferguson, indicate that Baker’s talents have certainly not gone unnoticed. With a capable team around him, the affable ex-public schoolboy sent out 40 winners in 2009, most at a low level but showing that he knows how to place his horses to win. The old adage “keep yourself in the best company and your horses in the worst” seems to have been well heeded by the Baker team whose  strength now numbers around 70.

It is only a matter of time before Baker gets a better quality horse that will catapult him into the bigger league. He should come to the attention of the racing masses, even if he never achieves the wider public acclaim that comes with training a Grand National winner. In the meantime, profits can be made following his runners in sellers and claimers when the market indicates that they are expected to run well.

In other horse racing news, the odds for this year’s Cheltenham Festival are really starting to get interesting and could be worth keeping an eye on.

The sporting Waley-Cohen family have been an integral part of the jump racing season for many a long year and once again they appear to have a live candidate for major honours, writes Elliot Slater.

Over the last 25 years and more Robert Waley-Cohen has seen his brown and orange colours carried to victory in Britain by high class performers such as Stayers’ Hurdle (now World Hurdle) winner Rustle, and Triumph Hurdle and dual Aintree Foxhunters winner Katarino (ridden by Waley-Cohen’s amateur jockey son, Sam). Most recently, up-and-coming four-year-old French chaser Long Run, winner of a Grade 1 hurdle at Auteuil and the top-class Grade 1 Prix Maurice Gillios Grand Steeple Chase, has been making serious waves. On Boxing Day Long Run made his eagerly anticipated British debut in the Grade 1 Feltham Novices’ Chase at Kempton, over three miles.

Trained in France by the excellent Guillaume Macaire, Long Run recently moved to the care of Nicky Henderson, and the vibes emanating from the Seven Barrows stables suggested that Long Run might make short work of some serious rivals on Saturday.

The son of Cadoudal did have a point or two to prove, having never raced away from Auteuil and never jumped a British steeplechase fence in public. As good as young Waley-Cohen is, he has a Grand National ride under his belt, the gelding would doubtless have been an even shorter price at the start if he had had a professional pilot.

Some might have felt that tackling a right-handed course in a race run at a different tempo to France was sufficient reason to oppose the Henderson-trained British debutant. However, those who did not take the plunge would have been disappointed as the horse scored an impressive victory on its British debut.

With an excellent Boxing Day result behind them, it looks fairly certain that the Waley-Cohen’s have another potential star to go with for a number of seasons to come. However, it remains to be seen whether Long Run can cut in when it comes to big races at meetings like the Cheltenham Festival.

People are always crowing on about ’systems’ for backing winners. Most of them are completely useless and have as much chance of success as the UK at the Eurovision Song Contest! writes Elliot Slater.

There is though one tried and tested rule that year after year can help punters in their ongoing battle to get the better of those bookie chaps. If punters latch on to an up-and-coming trainer or jockey before they hit the headlines and become ‘fashionable’, there is every reason to believe that a sound profit can be shown, perhaps even at high-profile meetings like Cheltenham

Amongst the eye-catching conditional jockeys this season, Peter Toole has been worth his weight in gold, riding plenty of winners at decent prices and making the most of his now 5lb allowance. In the training ranks, Paul Midgely did particularly well during 2009 and looks one to follow again next season, particularly with his sprint handicappers. In National Hunt racing, Martin Keighley is a man you should take a close look at, if you haven’t already.

The former David Nicholson jockey and work rider has based his string at Condicote in Gloucestershire and so far this term has a tremendous 30% strike rate with his chasers, and a more than respectable 18% strike rate with his hurdlers. The talented Warren Marston has ridden most of Keighley’s winners and the pairing boast a £55 profit to level stakes this season.

Now, people are beginning to sit up and take notice of Martin Keighley. News broke earlier this week that no less than the Princess Royal is to send three horses to be guided by Keighley and it must be long odds-on that plenty of other decent horses will follow.

If he continues in the same vein as the last 12 months, Martin Keighley, whose Wolf Moon is being targeted at the Coral Cup at the Cheltenham Festival, could very soon be a name on everyone’s lips.

He might have been a 25/1 shock winner when sprinting away with last Saturday’s Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle, but Noel Meade’s Go Native has now put himself firmly in line for a crack at this season’s £1 million Grade 1 hurdling bonus, writes Elliot Slater.

There was no semblance of a fluke about the Newcastle victory in which the six-year-old got the better of a back-to-form Sublimity (a former Champion Hurdle winner), with hotpots Binocular and Solwhit toiling in his wake.

Now, if the son of Double Eclipse can follow up in Kempton’s Christmas Hurdle, he will stand on the brink of landing the massive bonus prize awarded to the horse that can win all three major Grade 1 two mile hurdle races in Britain this season. The Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham in March is the final leg of the treble, and having won the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle there 12 months ago over course and distance, there is a very real chance that Go Native could add his name to the great roll of hurdling champions.

Although his odds for Cheltenham have been severely trimmed since Newcastle, Go Native is still (to my mind) an appealing ante-post bet at currents odds of around 12/1 – that’s double the prices on offer for either Solwhit or Binocular! Clearly many bookmakers and punters alike are yet to be convinced that Go Native is the real deal.

As long as the Champion Hurdle isn’t run on soft ground (it’s normally run on ‘good to soft’ or better), there is absolutely no reason why Go Native should not have a mighty chance of maintaining a perfect record around Cheltenham. You can be sure that if he wins the second leg of the treble at Kempton, his odds for the big one in March will be slashed to the bone. It seems to make good punting sense to have a piece of the action now and have a tasty bet that you might be able to lay off later in the season.

In other news, betting for the Grand National 2010 is now in full swing.

Big Bucks winning run was stretched to five on Saturday, as the Paul Nicholls star barely broke sweat, during an easy victory in the Long Distance Hurdle at Newbury.

The six year old didn’t come off the bridle all race and the gap in quality over second placed Lough Derg was plain for all to see. The latter, ridden by Tom Scudamore, was pushed all the way by his jockey, only to see Big Bucks saunter past with two to jump before cruising to a seven length victory.

The fine performance meant a further cut in his price for the World Hurdle at Cheltenham and his ante-post odds are now just 2.18. Should he maintain his form, even that price may prove to be good value and jockey Ruby Walsh further extolled his values after the race.

“He felt as he did last year. He’s just a very, very good horse. He’s got loads of pace and he jumps exceptionally well” said Walsh.

The only horse to come close in the World Hurdle betting is Diamond Harry at 6.4, with third favourite Karabak already out to 16.5. Paul Nicholls is remaining wary however, and agrees with Big Bucks owner Andy Stewart, that Diamond Harry should not be written off.

The classy six year old has a superb record of seven wins in eight races and impressed with another victory on his seasonal reappearance at Haydock.

Nicholls said on Sunday: “I did say to Andy after Diamond Harry won at Haydock that he might be the one to beat in the World Hurdle. He’s a talented horse and he has a great trainer in Nick Williams, but he won last week off 149, whereas Big Buck’s is rated 174, so he still has a long way to go.”

It will take an almighty effort for any horse to beat Big Bucks this season and as such he is sure to attract plenty of betting interest. In an otherwise weak division, Diamond Harry will undoubtedly provide more of a challenge than Newbury witnessed at the weekend but as ever, the smart money is on yet another Nicholls superstar.

In other racing news, Grand National betting odds are heating up, so it could be worth your while to keep your eye on these for future betting opportunities.

Second up in our 2008-09 Ones To Watch series, is the hugely impressive novice hurdler, Dunguib.

The Philip Fenton trained six year old is already off and running this jump season with a comfortable victory at Punchestown and he will head to the Royal Bond Novice Hurdle this Sunday, a clear betting favourite.

Since finishing as runner up in his debut race, back in April 2008, Dunguib has won five of his six races and is already as short as 3.4 to win the Supreme Novices Hurdle at Cheltenham in March.

His next run should be his toughest test to date, as up to six competitors await in the Grade 1 contest at Fairyhouse. This will be the highest standard of opposition Dunguib has faced, with possible entrants including Some Present and Shinrock Paddy, as well as the unbeaten Sweeps Hill.

One of the keys to his early success has been amateur jockey Brian O’Connell, who has ridden the  gelding on every one of his career starts. O’Connell will link up with Dunguib again this Sunday, after their success in the Cheltenham race, and has also decided to turn professional prior to the race.

“Having Dunguib to ride, so early on, is a dream come true and I had a great season as an amateur last year,” said O’Connell,

“but it was always part of the plan to turn professional, and after discussing it with Philip we’ve decided now is the best time.

“I think I need to turn [professional] if I’m to further my career so I will do it either for Woodbine Willie on Saturday or wait until Fairyhouse on the Sunday.”

Such is the quality of Dunguib, that any less than a career best season for both jockey and horse, would surely represent a backwards step.

Champion trainer Paul Nicholls is no stranger to success and in Master Minded he has a six year old capable of producing the goods time and time again.

The gelding made himself a firm favourite with backers last season as he won all four of his races and hopes are high that he can continue that sort of form this time out.

November 15th looks set to be the date upon which Master Minded is unleashed this term, as Nicholls looks to the Connaught Chase in preparation for the Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown.

“He [Master Minded] worked on Saturday with Kauto Star and worked very well.” said Nicholls.

“The race at Cheltenham is going to fit in great for him, as I was desperate to find a race for him before the Tingle Creek, which is his big target.”

He added: “I didn’t want to run him in the Haldon Gold Cup, so to run him there will get him spot on.”

After experiencing mixed fortunes in his debut season, Master Minded has leaped into the spotlight, following a run of seven wins in eight races, that has included two successive victories in the Queen Mother Champion Chase. During that period he drew praise from a whole host of racing stars, including jockey Ruby Walsh who branded him “spectacular” and owner Clive Smith who said he was “a star”.

Fittingly though, it was Paul Nicholls that lavished the highest praise on his horse. After winning Ascot’s Victor Chandler Chase in January, he described Master Minded as “the best I’ve trained, and probably the best I’ll ever train”.

When you consider that Nicholls also has Denman and Kauto Star in his yard, it’s plain to see why he’s rated so highly in terms of horse racing betting odds which is exactly why he should be backed for even more success this season.

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