General / Graham Cunningham / 21 December 2007 / Leave a comment Free £25 Bet

Graham Cunningham rounds up the talking points in the racing world...

You have to love the way the media helps move racing markets nowadays.

A trainer says something positive or negative about one of his stars and the price on Betfair automatically moves a few ticks.

Any rumour about the wellbeing of a fancied runner soon leads to frenzied laying and - believe it or not - even a snippet from Tanya or Barry Dennis on the ever amusing Morning Line can prompt some lively activity.

And then we have the old chestnut of whether a big stable has gone off the boil ahead of a big race. Step forward Jonjo O'Neill, who will bid to put a very quiet start to December behind him when the mercurial Black Jack Ketchum lines up for the Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot on Saturday.

The fact that Jonjo has had so few runners this month surely indicates that he isn't happy with some of his string and the Racing Post led with the "cloud over stable" line on Thursday.

That negative slant may well see Black Jack Ketchum drift come the weekend, but he has plenty in his favour.

Firstly, he looked as good as ever when giving weight and a beating to smart rivals at Wetherby on his reappearance. Secondly, the fact that this is a Grade 1 contest means he isn't penalised this time. And thirdly, his smooth travelling style might just lend itself perfectly to Ascot's new speed favouring layout.

Plainly, no race featuring the ageless Hardy Eustace will ever be less than a battle. Kasbah Bliss and Special Envoy will also be seen to good effect with the ground drying out, but Black Jack Ketchum can laugh last and loudest in a race which will go a long way to deciding who will pose the biggest threat to Inglis Drever in the World Hurdle at Cheltenham next March.

Demon can shake up Kauto with or without Santa's help

The run to the final fence in the King George is one of the defining moments of any jumping season.

Think of Desert Orchid storming to his fourth victory with Channel 4's Graham Goode bizarrely prattling on about the king being in his counting house.

Think of Florida Pearl thwarting Best Mate in 2001 or of AP McCoy flinging the reins at Best Mate as he went one better 12 months later. And think of Kicking King overcoming a last fence howler and a pitch invasion from a bloke in a Santa suit back in 2004.

But who will be in charge when the field for the King George VI Chase thunders down to the final fence at Kempton on Boxing Day?

The obvious answer is Kauto Star, who defied a final fence blunder of his own to bolt up last year, but no-one wants to be tipped an odds-on shot at Christmas time.

And maybe, just maybe, the favourite will have to work for his money. Exotic Dancer got closer to Kauto Star than he ever has in the Betfair Chase, while My Way de Solzen tired badly at Haydock but is far too good to treat lightly.

The gamble on the favourite's stablemate Taranis looks optimistic, but the value call remains a win and place bet on Racing Demon with a view to trading out in running at a little after 2.30 on Boxing Day.

Henrietta Knight's gelding is still available at double figure odds on Betfair and, though some will disagree, I feel he ought to be no bigger than [8.5].

The place half of the bet looks very interesting given that we could end up with a field of just six or seven and when that famous last fence comes into view - hopefully without Santa scurrying behind it this time - I have a feeling Racing Demon's followers will have been able to trade out for a guaranteed profit.

Lynch mob not necessary. But nor is the red carpet.

Freedom of expression is a priceless asset, but that doesn't stop me wanting to throw a brick through the television from time to time.

One such occasion occurred on Wednesday when Racing UK broke the news that Fergal Lynch had been granted a riding licence again by the BHA.

Angus McNae delivered the facts from the studio before handing over to Catterick, where Tom O'Ryan and Paul Morrison switched to comment mode to applaud Lynch's return with heartfelt sympathy for the mental anguish he must have suffered during the long-running probe and trial into alleged race fixing.

But let's get real over the Lynch saga. The trial was a fiasco, thanks largely to an astonishingly inept performance from the police and various witnesses, and the accused rightly walked free due to lack of evidence.

However, what events at the Old Bailey also showed was that Lynch had a close relationship with Miles Rodgers - a man found guilty of laying his own horses to lose - and that he broke the rules of racing by placing bets using Rodgers as an agent.

The trial now behind him, Lynch is rightly free to go about his business like any other rider.

What he doesn't need once he does return to the saddle is sly comments and flak from aggrieved punters who insist there is no smoke without fire.

And what the rest of us don't need is the sort of circle-the-wagons racing media cobblers suggesting he is a cross between Mother Theresa and Santa Claus.

In short, "little Fergal" has sailed very close to the wind without being blown off course. But, as any old sea dog knows, the most damaging gusts can blow up just when it seems the storm has done its worst.

Ahern ban cast a shadow over Christmas for racing

This is, of course, the season of goodwill to all men.

Sadly, it seems such kindness does not extend to all horses with the news that Eddie Ahern has been handed a three month ban arising from his use of the whip on Marsam at Southwell last Wednesday.
This was the story that received strangely little coverage in advance but deserves to get much more now on the back of a verdict which will infuriate animal welfare campaigners.

In short, the ruling handed down at Shaftesbury Avenue on Thursday suggests that Ahern deliberately set out to abuse Marsam in order to trigger a whip ban which would ensure he started 2008 with a clean slate under the totting up procedure.

Interested observers can review the race on www.attheraces.com and, having done so several times myself, it's clear that Ahern was far too aggressive.

Do I think a gifted horseman like Ahern would deliberately mark his mount just to help his own career agenda? I sincerely hope not and, in Ahern's defence, Marsam kept responding to strong driving in a sustained battle up the straight.

But is this tale of woe a depressing one to take into Christmas? You bet it is. Have a great holiday.

Tags: Asctot, Black Jack Ketchum, Hardy Eustace, Racing Demon