Cheltenham Preview Nights

Any chance we could have a mole at the Wexford preview - more to her O'Brien and Bolger's thoughts on their string next year than anything else!
 
I'm not sure of the point you're making there, Grey, if there is one, of course.

A preview night was held last year at the same venue, a first for the South Wales valleys, we believe.

It was a fiver last year and was a great success. The money raised goes to the local Riding for the Disabled school.

Ladbrokes were kind enough to help out with sponsoring of prizes for a raffle held on the night and quite a lot of money was raised.
 
.
Murphys bar/ballymore eustace-23rd feb - pat nolan,matt chapman,oliver brady,d.mcelroy,r catterson,fran flood,paddy aspell, daragh fitzpatrick.
glencarn hotel,monaghan-24th feb- dermot weld,oliver brady,fran berry,matt chapman.
dunboyne castle co meath-24th feb-colm murray,arthur moore,davy russell,tony martin,brendan cummins.
lough rea hotel-feb 25th-g mcdonagh,damien meelroy,micheal cunningham denis oregan.
roganstown - done earlier
bridgewater inn, sallins-feb 26th-pat nolan,mick halford,paddy flood,martin murphy,ryan mcelligott,daragh fitzpatrick
woodlands hotel waterford-brian gleeson,john francoe,mike cattermole,nick luck,mick fitz,davy russell,pat keane,noel o brien,justin carty, noel cummins.
heritage hotel portlaoise-feb 26th-charlei swan,david casey,paddy power,damien mcelroy kevin o ryan.
killarney racecourse corporate suite- feb 26th- dave duggin,jim culloty,tom doyle,tom cooper,murt murphy,donal mccarthy,kevin o ryan.


astro active centre, wexford - march 1- jim bolger,mick fitz,ivan yeates,aiden o brien,paul nolan,liz doyle
Dunraven arms,limerick-march 1- dave duggan,alan king,eric mcnemara,edward o grady,richard johnson,christian williams,andrew mcnamara,willie power
salthill holtel, galway-march 1 - bareny curley,philip hobbs,paddy brennan,matt williams , don mcclean.
europa hotel, belfast-march 2-tony o'hehir,sam thomas,denis o regan,tony mullins,matt chapman, brian and ronan graham.
Silversprings cork-march 2 - Dessie Scahill,ruby,davy russell,denis o reganpat keane,oliver brady,dave nevison,seamus durrack paul cashman.

(I notice denis o regan is down for 2 on the same day??)
Courtneys pub-lucan- march 3- tom halpin,jessica harrington,barry geraghty,tom malone.
langton house,kilkenny-march 3 - timmy murphy,edward o grady,don mcclean,tony mullins,david minton.
abbey hotel-roscommon-march 4- ted and ruby,nina,tony mullins ken whelan.
glenroyal hotel-maynooth-march 4-tony o hehir,jim mcgrath,noel o brien,damien mcelroy,dessie hughes,tom taaffe,philip carberry,dave mcguerrin.
abbey hotel-donegal-march 5-garry o brien,dessie hughes,harry findlay,oliver brady,davy russell.
mccarthys-galway-march 5 -george mcdonagh,charlie swan,nina,dereck o connor,ian mccarthy.
Francis mckennas-harolds cross-march 5-patrick mullins,andrew lynch,roger loughran,ado mcguinness,paul ferguson,ryan mcelligott
 
Colin Phillips said:
I'm not sure of the point you're making there, Grey, if there is one, of course.

A preview night was held last year at the same venue, a first for the South Wales valleys, we believe.

It was a fiver last year and was a great success. The money raised goes to the local Riding for the Disabled school.

Ladbrokes were kind enough to help out with sponsoring of prizes for a raffle held on the night and quite a lot of money was raised.
Click to expand...


Sorry for the delayed reply, Colin. I was just trying to say, in a roundabout way, that 6 quid seems very cheap for a buffet.
 
No problem, Grey, probably me being a touch sensitive.

As for £6 being cheap, it won't be anything too grand, it is the Rhondda after all.;)

There is a whisper around that David Ashworth will be in attendance, he obviously agree with you.:)
 
Last edited:
fr wishy washy said:
.
Murphys bar/ballymore eustace-23rd feb - pat nolan,matt chapman,oliver brady,d.mcelroy,r catterson,fran flood,paddy aspell, daragh fitzpatrick.
glencarn hotel,monaghan-24th feb- dermot weld,oliver brady,fran berry,matt chapman.
dunboyne castle co meath-24th feb-colm murray,arthur moore,davy russell,tony martin,brendan cummins.
lough rea hotel-feb 25th-g mcdonagh,damien meelroy,micheal cunningham denis oregan.
roganstown - done earlier
bridgewater inn, sallins-feb 26th-pat nolan,mick halford,paddy flood,martin murphy,ryan mcelligott,daragh fitzpatrick
woodlands hotel waterford-brian gleeson,john francoe,mike cattermole,nick luck,mick fitz,davy russell,pat keane,noel o brien,justin carty, noel cummins.
heritage hotel portlaoise-feb 26th-charlei swan,david casey,paddy power,damien mcelroy kevin o ryan.
killarney racecourse corporate suite- feb 26th- dave duggin,jim culloty,tom doyle,tom cooper,murt murphy,donal mccarthy,kevin o ryan.


astro active centre, wexford - march 1- jim bolger,mick fitz,ivan yeates,aiden o brien,paul nolan,liz doyle
mcnemDunraven arms,limerick-march 1- dave duggan,alan king,eric ara,edward o grady,richard johnson,christian williams,andrew mcnamara,willie power
salthill holtel, galway-march 1 - bareny curley,philip hobbs,paddy brennan,matt williams , don mcclean.
europa hotel, belfast-march 2-tony o'hehir,sam thomas,denis o regan,tony mullins,matt chapman, brian and ronan graham.
Silversprings cork-march 2 - Dessie Scahill,ruby,davy russell,denis o reganpat keane,oliver brady,dave nevison,seamus durrack paul cashman.

(I notice denis o regan is down for 2 on the same day??)
Courtneys pub-lucan- march 3- tom halpin,jessica harrington,barry geraghty,tom malone.
langton house,kilkenny-march 3 - timmy murphy,edward o grady,don mcclean,tony mullins,david minton.
abbey hotel-roscommon-march 4- ted and ruby,nina,tony mullins ken whelan.
glenroyal hotel-maynooth-march 4-tony o hehir,jim mcgrath,noel o brien,damien mcelroy,dessie hughes,tom taaffe,philip carberry,dave mcguerrin.
abbey hotel-donegal-march 5-garry o brien,dessie hughes,harry findlay,oliver brady,davy russell.
mccarthys-galway-march 5 -george mcdonagh,charlie swan,nina,dereck o connor,ian mccarthy.
Francis mckennas-harolds cross-march 5-patrick mullins,andrew lynch,roger loughran,ado mcguinness,paul ferguson,ryan mcelligott
Click to expand...

Thanks for that fr.wishy washy:cool:
 
A couple of extra ones in there if anybody's interested

Tomorrow Sun.22nd. NAAS, Racecourse Parade Ring.

Mon.23rd. BALLYMORE EUSTACE, Paddy Murphy's Bar.

Tues.24th. DUNBOYNE, Dunboyne Castle Hotel.
Tues.24th. LEIGHLINBRIDGE, The Lord Bagenal Hotel, 8.00pm.
Tues.24th. *****CASTLEBLAYNEY, Glencarn Hotel, 7.30pm.*****

Wed.25th. LOUGHREA, Lough Rea Hotel & Spa, 7.30pm.

Thurs.26th. WATERFORD, Woodlands Hotel, 8pm.
Thurs.26th. SALLINS, Bridgewater Inn.
Thurs.26th. *****PORTLAOISE, Heritage Hotel, 8pm.*****
Thurs.26th. ROGANSTOWN, Golf Club.
Thurs.26th. *****KILLARNEY Racecourse, 9pm.*****

MARCH
Sun.1st. ADARE, Dunraven Arms Hotel.
Sun.1st. GALWAY, Salthill Hotel.
Sun.1st. ENNISCORTHY, Astro Active Centre, Bellefield, 7.30pm.

Mon.2nd. *****BELFAST, Europa Hotel, 8pm.*****
Mon.2nd. DUBLIN 12, Submarine Bar, 7.30pm.
Mon.2nd. CORK, Silver Springs Moran Hotel.
Mon.2nd. DUNSHAUGHLIN, An Sibin, 8.30pm.

Tues.3rd. LUCAN, Courtney's Pub.
Tues.3rd. *****KILKENNY, Langton House Hotel.*****
Tues.3rd. FERMOY, Kerins Bar.

Wed.4th. MAYNOOTH, Glenroyal Hotel, 8pm.
Wed.4th. ROSCOMMON, Abbey Hotel.
Wed.4th. MALAHIDE, Grand Hotel, 7.45pm.

Thurs.5th. HAROLD'S CROSS BRIDGE, Francis McKenna's Bar, 8.00pm.
Thurs.5th. DUNBOYNE, Dunboyne Castle Hotel.
Thurs.5th. DONEGAL, Abbey Hotel, 8pm.
Thurs.5th. GALWAY, McCarthy's Bar, Kilbeacanty, 8.30pm
Thurs.5th. DUBLIN, Stillorgan Park Hotel, 8pm.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Dave Nevison ha been added to the panel

Diamond Geezer said:
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The Cheltenham & Three Counties Race Club, in association with Cheltenham Racecourse will be hosting this year's Official Cheltenham Festival Preview at The Centaur, Prestbury Park on Friday 6 March 2009. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]This year's event, sponsored by William Hill, will boast a panel including Alan Lee, The Times Racing Correspondent, Jim McGrath, Alan King, Paddy Brennan and Racing Post's Matt Williams. We are still waiting for confirmation of a final panellist who we hope to announce shortly.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Ticket prices will be held at last year's level, advance tickets at £15 each will be available in early February by pre-ordering through www.cheltenham.co.uk or by calling 0844 579 3003. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Alternatively, tickets will be available at the door priced at £20. Food and bar drinks will be available all evening, Doors open at 6pm with proceedings under way at 7.30pm.[/FONT]
Click to expand...
 
Im going to the Oliver Brady one in Castleblaney tomorrow night, shall report my findings on here!!

Matt Chapman is the host...YEEEHHAAAAWW
 
In fairness The Package is a lovely stamp of a horse - not at all what you'd expect ot be trained by a Pipe! I think he just needs a bit of time and he may well still be affected by whatever it was that had the Pipe yard under such a cloud for so long this season.
 
Cheltenham Preview Night, Glencarn Hotel, Castleblaney Co Monaghan.

Proceeds split between The Shabra Foundation and Cancer Research.

Panel; Dermot Weld DW, Oliver Brady OB, Dessie Mc Donogh DMCD, John Cullen JC, Mark Walsh MW, Don Mc Clean DMCC, Frank Berry FB, Paddy Power PP, Dave Keen DK.

Host; Matt Chapman

First of all, it was a thoroughly enjoyable night. People came with the expectation of humour and craic, and they got it from start to finish. Oliver and his team put together an outstanding night of fundraising built in around the racing preview. He had a race night, an auction race which raised close to €6000, an auction, as well as raffles and prizes galore. The atmosphere was relaxed, and the evening kicked off with 3 races from the race night, before the panel were introduced. The host for the night, Attheraces own Matt Chapman, was at his brilliant best, with a typically over the top performance that best suited the occasion. I think a quieter host would have taken away from the night. Chapman introduced the panel with his usual gusto, including falling to his knees before Dermot Weld, commentating on a finish as John Cullen came up the steps, and describing Dessie Mc Donagh as the best sire in the country, having given us “The Enforcer”.

Brady and Chapman worked well off each other all night. Oliver regaled the crowd with stories of past glories, and it was worth the entrance fee alone to hear the man. The preview included the showing a short film of the main contenders, followed by Chapman asking the panels views. From a punters point of view, I didn’t really learn much from the night, but I was there for the enjoyment. Anyone with the idea of going to a Cheltenham preview night and coming home with their cards marked is sadly mistaken. It was craic we went for, and its craic we got. During the preview night, Chapman was interrupted by Brady to tell him he had a special guest there to meet him. Sure enough, large as life, Pablo was led in through an emergency exit, paraded across in front of the stage, and out the side door. Oliver is adamant that he will get a win out of Pablo soon.

And so onto the racing. Il just do a brief summary of each race, and make any more points at the very end.

Supreme Novices Hurdle


FB confirmed that JP has indeed bought Karabak and he will be running in the Ballymore rather than the supreme.
With hurricane fly ruled out the panel were more or less unanimous that Cousin Vinny would be very hard to beat. They didn’t see him being the price he is now on that day, and reckoned hed go off a warm fav. Of the rest Torphichen has been nominated as the alternative.

.


Arkle Trophy


JC said he wouldn’t swap follow the plan for anything. Also said that Tatenen had everything in his favour the last day and that he cant have him at all. Interestingly, DMCD spoke highly of Kalahari King. He said that Graham Lee who he is still in contact with had told him he is very sweet on this one, and he seen him as a decent bet. DW said it was a very week renewal, and a no bet race.

Champion Hurdle


Most of the talk was about Binocular, some saying he was a good thing, some saying there is something to beat him, none of them knew what though!! Interestingly, FB said he liked Osana out of all the horses. JC put up Brave Inca as one hed like to ride other than the Favourite. PP said he thought fav would win, but they would be out to get him.

Ballymore Novices Hurdle


Karabak was well touted by all for this. JC did make the point however that Ruby thinks the world of Mikael D’Haguenet, “could be as good as Florida Pearl”, and that the horse has serious gears. Cape Tribulation was put up as an ew bet by both DW and OB.

R&S Novices Chase


DMCC said he felt the fav was weak. Was swaying towards Cooldine but was worried about the horse having a hard race last time out. Matt Chapman was keen on Gone to Lunch, pushed FB on jockey arrangements, he said Wichita would be going to the William Hill most probably over the 4 miler, and wouldn’t be running in this.Casey Jones was well touted as having a good ew chance as well.

Champion Chase


Only one winner, Master Minded. Only real opinion was Chapman, says Big Zeb wont win if he starts today. One other point made was for Well Chief, if he came back within a stone of his best he would place. PP made the point for ew punters, to back him now as the race might cut up to 6 or 7 runners.

Champion Bumper


One of the more interesting races discussed. Nobody knows what the best of mullins is, MW said the lads in the yard told him Sicilian Secret. DMCD was keen on Welds Rite of Passage that had won last weekend. DW was asked about him, said hed have a great chance, thinks a lot of him, and that he also thinks the world of a horse hel have out this weekend, Universal Truth, who could be backed at 33/1 for Cheltenham. I wouldn’t be surprised if that one is better……..
JC said he fancies Phillip Fentons, who reckons it’s the best hes ever sat on or had.




Ryanair Chase


FB reckons the banker of the meeting is Voy Pur Ustedes. Nobody really argued with him, Imperial commander was put up as an ew alternative, but no real strong case against he fav.

World Hurdle


Chapman thinks it should be ½, banker of the meeting for him. PP, DMcC the same. DmcC put up Tazbar as an ew alternative to the fav, felt he would run a massive race.

Triumph Hurdle


Given the location and the organisers, its not hard to know what horse was talked about. In fairness to the lads, they put all their bias aside, and made a rational argument for Ebadiayn. JC reckons he will benefit from the course, and the gallop at Cheltenham. DMCD says he really likes the horse. OB says he has left a little to work on, and he thinks hel win. I don’t know if it was a case of nobody dared to disagree, but nobody did. They all agreed the horse had a serious chance.

Gold Cup

Chapman still likes Denman, DMCD says he didn’t think the horse looked well when he last ran, and seen him on telly the other day and still didn’t like the look of him. Rest of the panel were against Denman. Some of them don’t think Kuato will get home, they think last years race has put them off Kuato round there. Barbers Shop was well touted by DMCC who also put up Air force one as an ew bet, and liked Madison de Berlais. .FB says it will be Kuato Star, Exotic Dancer, Neptunes Collonges 1,2,3. PP went for Exotic Dancer.

And so onto the charity bets at the end of the night, Chapman asked them for their naps and a lay each. They were given €250 for their naps by PP.

Mark Walsh NAP Cousin Vinny
Lay Diamond Harry
John Cullen NAP Ebadiyan, Mikael D’haugnet
Lay None
Don Mc Clean NAP Barber Shop
Lay Binocular
Dave Keen NAP Follow the plan, Quevega
LayTatenham
Frank Berry NAP L’ami
Lay Denman
Dessie Mc Donagh NAP Rite of Passage
Lay Cooldine
Paddy Power NAP Voy pur Ustedes
Lay Diamond Harry, Kuato Star
Oliver Brady NAP Won in the Dark ew
Lay None
Matt Chapman NAP Kasbah Bliss
Lay What a Friend
Other Points

Dave Keen was bullish about Quevega in the mares race, thinks its could well prove to be a cut above anything in that division, especially if Whiteoak was to go to the Champion.

Before Dermot Weld left, he was asked to give us 2 horses to watch. He nominated Mad about You on the 22nd of March.

Synchronised was also mentioned as a horse to watch, possibly in the pertemps.
 
Last edited:
Great stuff Del boy. Sounds like there was right crack had. I was supposed to head to one in Dunboyne last night with Davy Russell, Arthur Moore and Tony Martin, but something came up and had to give it a miss. If anyone made it, it'd be great if they could post up a few notes.
 
Just in from the Waterford preview -very brief synopsis.

Supreme Novices:Young Mullins has ridden approx ten times over hurdles ut despite this panel fancy him.If Ruby was riding he would be 6/4.Davy Russell likes stable second string Kempes.

Arkle -Big doubts about everything -Tatanen priced up on connections -very little inspiration for anything else.

Champion Hurdle: Justin Carty stated tha JP was unimpressed by Binoculars work yesterday.Davy Russell said the work was so bad that he would't be surprised if it was another horse.Henry de Bromhead was very bullish about Sizing Europe.Colm Murphy said no jockey booked for Brave Inca.

Mares Hurdle;Davy Russell and Noel oBrien positive on Quevega.

Bumper :Noel Cummins and Justin Carty fancied Welds Giant Causeway horse.Davy Russell said all the Irish bumpers have lacked strength in depth with everyone afraid to take on Willy.

Sun Alliance :Worries about Cooldines ability to handle Cheltenham.Francome offered up Charlie Manns horse at 50/1 -the horse who won at the Paddy Power meeting.

Ryanair :Everyone except Nick Luck for VPU.NL strongly against him.

Stayers Hurdle- Everyone for Kasbah Bliss -Tazbar nominated e/w.Mick Fitzgerald doesn't like Punchestowns or Barber Shop in the Gold Cup.

Gold Cup-panel divided on Kauto -Francome recommended Air Force One.
A great night with one of the strongest panels of the preview season-will post more if i find my notes.
Nick Luck was great -a real crowd pleaser.
 
Cheers Luke.

Anything said or any thoughts on why McNamara is jumping ship to ride Osana (providing Catch me doesn't run)?
 
LUKE said:
Just in from the Waterford preview -very brief synopsis.
Justin Carty stated tha JP was unimpressed by Binoculars work yesterday.Davy Russell said the work was so bad that he would't be surprised if it was another horse.
Click to expand...


Thanks Luke... This looks like a complete misreading of the situation to me. What were they expecting given the circumstances of him being stuffy and needing it?

Trainer and AP are happy with him.

I'm not a great fan of such previews. People will say anything just to say something.
 
Back
Top