Every jockey wants to win the coveted Grand National title but Paddy Brennan appears to want it more than anybody else though apparently only after Richard Johnson who, according to Brennan “Deserves it more than anyone else”.

Born in County Galway in May 1981, Paddy Brennan is one of Ireland’s brightest prospects for the future and a self confessed winning addict. After winning the Conditional Champion Jockey title in the 2004/05 season, Brennan turned professional and his first season started off very well when he got 60 winners under his belt. He has been improving ever since and broke the 100 winner mark in his 2007/08 season.

He is now a stable jockey for champion trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies and is in the Top 10 Jockeys in the UK. His Big Race wins include the Ladbrokes World Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in 2007 on Inglis Drever, the Ryanair Chase in March 2009 on Imperial Commander and the Coral Scottish Grand National Handicap Chase in April 2009 on Hello Bud.

According to Brennan, his greatest hero is A.P. McCoy and it was McCoy who sorted him a job in England with Paul Nicholls, but a combination of the wrong attitude, a broken leg and 6 months recovery meant a re-evaluation of his career, more time with Philip Hobbs and a brief stint with Howard Johnson before meeting with Graham Wylie, who still sponsors him now.

He is now in his third season at Naunton with Twiston-Davies and rode in the Grand National for him in both 2009 on Knowhere and Fundamentalist in 2008.

One thing is for sure, Brennan wants to be the best, and judging by the way he learns from his mistakes, and the way he is continually improving we are sure he one day will be!

Seven year old Arbor Supreme is a progressive Irish handicapper who had three wins in 2008 and had a fairly great season in 2009 also. He began to show huge promise when he came first in his consecutive race entries, the Dunboyne Castle Hotel & Spa Handicap Chase at Punchestown in April 2008 followed by the Porterstown Handicap Chase at Fairyhouse in November.

His solid form including a good third place at Down Royal in March, where he travelled well on soft ground over 3m 2f, demonstrated to all that he is a game stayer. This achievement provided him with odds of 12-1 for the Irish Grand National Chase, where he was up against several top horses. He only managed to come a disappointing 14th, but made up for it when he came third in the Pat Taaffe Handicap Chase at the Punchestown Festival in May, to Ambobo and Vic Venturi, when ridden by Ruby Walsh.

Owned by JP McManus and trained by Willie Mullins, it comes as no surprise that Arbor Supreme is a likely candidate for the 2010 Grand National at Aintree with antepost odds of 25/1 on Paddy Power and 30/1 on Betfair. He has won over distances in Ireland in particular, so his stamina is not questionable, and he might not be the best on firm ground, but he has proved himself to be well capable on good and soft ground. He is definitely considered to be an improving young stayer who could become one of Ireland’s high hopes for Grand National glory in April 2010.

Born in Galway, Ireland in 1975 Graham Lee astounded everyone, when after years of relative obscurity, he won the 2004 Grand National on Amberleigh House, and then just two weeks later won the 28-runner Scottish Grand National on Grey Abbey. He also rode Amberleigh House in the Grand Nationals of 2005 and 2006 but without repeated success.

Lee had no horse racing background but was drawn to the sport as a result of living so close to the Galway racecourse, in the West of Ireland. His initial problem was the opposite of most jockeys in that he needed more weight rather than less, and the five foot six teenager had to adopt a high-protein diet in order to build himself up for National Hunt racing to a weight of nine stone ten pounds.

Lee rode his first winner, Blushing Pearl, in Navan in 1992 but it was almost a full decade before he achieved any notable victories. Then in the 2003 season he went ten weeks without a single winner, when suddenly he started pulling wins left, right and centre, including a four-timer at Wetherby.

He won no fewer than 94 wins from 625 rides, earning £1,356,423 in prize money and reaching third place in the jockey’s championship. Key factors in his new found success included his association with Howard Johnson, whose yard had been greatly boosted by the big-spending of its principal owner, Graham Wylie, as well as his partnership with Amberleigh House.

In the 2009 Grand National Lee rode Kilbeggan Blade who was highly tipped for an each-way bet but who, unfortunately, pulled up at fence 21. Who he chooses to ride for and partner up with in the 2010 Grand National could be quite telling because he is a great jockey and tends to pick horses that actually have a chance!

For all of the ante-post odds for the Grand National 2010 check out Paddy Power.

Much speculation surrounds the possible entrants for the 2010 Grand National and one of the horses that seems to have a bit of buzz about it on the ante-post odds is Gone to Lunch.

Foaled in April 2000, Gone to Lunch is the Irish nine year old who is trained by farmer turned trainer Jeremy Scott, who works out of Higher Holworthy Farm, in Exmoor. He is owned by Gary Lever, who owns and has shares in four or five of the horses at Holworthy Farm.

A former Point to Pointer who moved on to Novice Hurdles in 2007, Gone To Lunch is looking likely to run in the 2010 Grand National, with antepost odds of 38/1 on Betfair, having ended last season in great form, going down by just half a length in the Scottish National, to Hello Bud. He then capped off the season with an excellent performance at the Champion Novice Chase at Punchestown, but again he was caught out, this time by Dessie Hughes’ Rare Bob.

He had an exceptional period in 07/08 but recently has a dip in form going from three back-to-back wins at the end of 2008 to his current P2-285. I should point out that during his best periods he has been paired with A.P. McCoy but has recently been taken out by a number of different jockeys including Barry Geraghty and Nick Schofield.

If his trainer can get him back on form and help him shed a few excess pounds he could be favourably handicapped for the Grand National. His current handicap mark would have seen him race off a pound less mark than Comply or Die, the 2008 National winner, so he therefore needs to drop his weight to be competitive in the 2010 Grand National – which shouldn’t be difficult with his bottomless stamina!

Trained by Paul Nicholls and usually paired with jockey Sam Thomas, he is almost certainly in contention for the Cheltenham Gold Cup in March but whether Thomas rides him again or Ruby Walsh changes his allegiance from Kauto Star remains to be seen. Paddy Power are sure Ruby Walsh will remain loyal to Kauto Star this March and they’re currently offering 2-9 that Ruby rides Kauto Star and 11-4 Denman. And what a pair to be able to choose from, with Kauto Star will be aiming for a third Gold Cup, and Denman for his second.

Betfair are currently taking ante-post bets on Denman to win the 2010 Grand National but I imagine that Nicholls won’t be making any kind of definite commitment on that score until much closer to the race though if he enters him the betting will go through the roof, especially as he could potentially be up against Tricky Trickster, the Nigel Twiston-Davies contender, who also heavily tipped to pull out the performance of a lifetime in the race.

For all ante-post odds on the 2010 Grand National visit Paddy Power or Betfair.

Timmy Murphy has had a pretty turbulent career by anybody’s standards but it’s not all doom and gloom. And if his metamorphic change over the last few years is anything to go by then it appears a leopard really change it’s spots!

Born 20 August 1974 in County Kildare, Ireland, Murphy is most famous for his victory in the 2008 Grand National on Comply or Die. In that race, he won by four lengths on the David Pipe-trained horse and in the process gave punters a ‘national victory’ as bookmakers faced multimillion pound payouts following a last minute surge in betting on Comply or Die.

His father was a former leading Irish amateur so it came as no surprise when he showed enthusiasm for the sport by working weekends for Cheltenham Gold Cup-winning trainer Noel Chance while still a schoolboy. After a spell under the supervision of Limerick trainer Michael Hourigan, Murphy moved over to the UK to work at Kim Bailey’s yard in the Cotswolds but it was here that the trouble started when he was dismissed for poor time keeping.

Off he went to Paul Nicholls stables but sadly, didn’t fair any better there when lost his job twice and landed himself with two drink-driving convictions. He was also banned for 30 days for persistent whip offences, which meant that he missed out on potentially riding a winner in the 1997 King George VI. One would think this would be rock bottom but not so in Murphy’s case because his ultimate low didn’t come about until 2002 when he was given a six month prison sentence for indecent assault after a drink-fuelled incident on a plane. Thankfully he left prison a changed man, teetotal ever since and has gone on to great things.

When Tony McCoy left champion trainer Martin Pipe in 2004, Murphy became the retained jockey to Pipe’s leading owner, David Johnson. It was therefore a fitting re-launch to Murphy’s career that it was Johnson’s horse Comply or Die that he brought to victory at the Grand National. Anybody else see the irony in Murphy riding a horse called ‘Comply or Die’??

If you want to back a potential Grand National runner for 2010 and like the ante-post odds being offered then just get yourself to Paddy Power for all the options…

The bookies may be crying into their cups of tea but the racing world is on a high after Denman took his second Hennessy Gold Cup title on Saturday at Newbury. The favourite romped home by three and a half lengths over his nearest rival, What a Friend, to become only the third horse to win this race twice – the other two being Arkle and Mandarin.

He started favourite with every bookie and if you backed him earlier in the week you could have got him for as much as 4/1 but on the day his odds tumbled to a very short 2/1, but that’s still double money so not too bad given his calibre and the fact that barring a major incident he was always going to win the race, or is that hindsight talking??

He may have been lumbered with 12lbs over his closest bookie rival and had a whopping 22lbs on the second placer but that didn’t stop him from jumping magnificently and running supremely. The Paul Nicholls-trained runner who was ridden by Ruby Walsh, took the lead from Niche Market with a monster jump at the cross fence on the second circuit but was being closed down by Barbers Shop and stablemate What A Friend.

His stablemate What A Friend attempted to put up a fight and may have even given Denman the impidous to go all the way after they drew alongside each other at the final fence but a jumping error from What A Friend saw the title slip away from him and Denman roared over the fence and on to the winning post.

If you fancy Denman for the Grand National why not check out all the ante-post odds at Betfair where you now back him at 24/1.

The Hennessy Gold Cup is one of the most prestigious races on the UK racing calendar and takes place every November during the Winter Festival at Newbury Racecourse. It was first run on 26 November 1960, beginning the longest unbroken commercial sponsorship in British sport.

The Gold Cup at Newbury is a 3m2½f steeple chase over 21 fences designed to test even the most competitive and on form horses. This year the prize money for the Hennessy Gold Cup is a record £200,000 as well as the race celebrating 50 years at Newbury Racecourse and this year’s renewal has attracted a bumper and quality field of entries, which has currently been whittled down to 37.

And though winning this race comes with incredible prestige for the trainer, jockey and horse, it can also be very effective at indicating who could do very well in the following Grand National.

This year is no different and with 37 horses lined up to start the Gold Cup race, quite a few of them are already being heavily backed on ante post odds with the bookmakers. For example Denman, Gone to Lunch, State of Play, Arbor Supreme, My Will, Snowy Morning, Mon Mome and War of Attrition, to name a few, are all tipped for both races.

The Hennessy Gold Cup is going to be a great race this weekend and for those of you looking for an inside edge on the 2010 Grand National potential entrants and winner this is the ideal place to start your research.

Hennessy Gold Cup Entrants – November 28th 2009, 2pm

Paddy Power Odds as of Tuesday 24th November 2009

• Denman 4/1
• What A Friend 6/1
• Barbers Shop 13/2
• Killyglen 7/1
• Cappa Bleu 9/1
• Carruthers 9/1
• Gone To Lunch 14/1
• Casey Jones 16/1
• Horner Woods 16/1
• Ballyfitz 16/1
• State of Play 16/1
• Nenuphar Collonges 20/1
• Arbor Supreme 20/1
• My Will 20/1
• The Package 20/1
• Roll Along 25/1
• Snowy Morning 25/1
• Kornati Kid 25/1
• Siegemaster 25/1
• An Accordion 25/1
• Offshore Account 25/1
• According To Pete 28/1
• Niche Market 28/1
• New Alco 33/1
• Joe Lively 33/1
• Calgary Bay 33/1
• Darkness 33/1
• Chelsea Harbour 33/1
• Dream Alliance 33/1
• Operation Houdini 33/1
• Treacle 40/1
• Hennessy 40/1
• Chief Dan George 40/1
• Mon Mome 40/1
• Ponmeoath 40/1
• War Of Attrition 40/1
• Freeze Up 66/1
]]> http://www.grand-national2010.co.uk/can-the-hennessy-gold-cup-predict-the-grand-national/304/feed 0 http://www.grand-national2010.co.uk/write-a-betting-slip/118 http://www.grand-national2010.co.uk/write-a-betting-slip/118#comments Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:01:38 +0000 Jockey http://www.grand-national2010.co.uk/?p=118

To place a bet in a bookmakers you’ll need to write out a betting slip, it can be a scary experience the first time you do it! But don’t worry if you’re not sure what to do, we have a great little video guide that shows you the correct way to fill in the slip. You can be writing slips like a seasoned punter in no time.

The video guide above cover betting on a ’single’ if you are interested in learning how to write a betting slip for ‘each way’ bets then we will be adding a video guide for this very soon.

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