Grands Crus impressed many observers when winning the Feltham Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day and trainer David Pipe had been considering running him out of novice company this weekend.

The exciting grey is favorite for the RSA Chase for novices at Cheltenham and also top in the betting for the Gold Cup.

Pipe revealed the news first on Twitter. He said: “We have decided not to run Grands Crus at Cheltenham on Saturday. We didn’t want to give him a hard race with March just around the corner. Grands Crus may run at Newbury in a three-mile novice chase on 11 February or he could go straight to the Festival.”

“A decision on which race Grands Crus will take in at the Festival is still to be decided and will not be made until much nearer the time.”

Captain Chris is the new favorite for Saturday’s Argento priced at 11-4.

Grands Crus is third-favorite for the Gold Cup, currently priced at 8-1 and 5-2 favorite for the RSA Chase in betting William Hill Horse Racing at Cheltenham Festival.

The 8-year-old missed intended comeback runs at Punchestown in November and at Leopardstown over Christmas as Willie Mullins revealed he was not happy with his charge, but he now looks set to grace the racecourse for the first time this season.

Mullins was very pleased with a recent workout from his charge and feels it is time he got back on the race track.

He said: “He is a hell of a horse and probably only once or twice in your lifetime might you come across a horse with that sort of ability.”

“He is hard to train as he is so tough on himself and we can’t let him do what he wants to do. I just want to keep him right and if he gets beaten, he gets beaten.”

“Hopefully he will improve for the run. He is a horse that has a habit of getting himself into trouble at home, but he seems to be right now.”

 Hurricane Fly could be joined by stablemate Thousand Stars, a winner of the French Champion Hurdle and Ladbrokes.com Morgiana Hurdle.

Mikael D’Haguenet, Zaidpour and So Young were withdrawn by Mullins on Tuesday, but Colm Murphy left in classy mare Voler La Vedette. Unaccompanied, Oscars Well and Kalann also complete the small but select field.

There will be no British interest after Nicky Henderson withdrew both Binocular and Spirit Son as anticipated.

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Trained by Paul Nicholls, Ranjaan was given a 14-1 quote for the Cheltenham event by Stan James.

He was always travelling strongly in the hands of Daryl Jacob and while there may be room to improve his hurdling, he obviously has a fair engine.

Fellow 7-2 joint-favourite and top weight Third Intention was his main rival over the final two flights, but the Highclere Thoroughbred-owned runner had far too much speed for that rival, albeit in receipt of plenty of weight.

The owner’s racing manager Harry Herbert said: “It’s so exciting. He was very impressive and it’s all systems go for the Triumph now. He’s amazing to look at. He’s very big for a four-year-old and when Anthony Bromley and Paul bought him I thought they must have got his passport mixed up he was so big.”

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This season, the Barbury Castle handler is particularly strong in the juvenile division with this four-year-old having impressed on his National Hunt debut at Taunton last month.

He will have to concede weight to each of his seven rivals in the Berkshire Stand Bookshop Juvenile Hurdle, but his trainer is excited about getting him back on the track

“I’ve been very happy with him since Taunton. He’s had two or three schools since then and everything has gone well,” said King.

“He’s ready to have another run. It was a straight choice between Newbury or running in a novice hurdle at Taunton on Thursday and I’ve decided to keep him against his own age group. We’re looking forward to running him again.”

King welcomed stable jockey Robert Thornton back to the yard on Tuesday morning as he continues to recover from the broken arm he suffered in a fall at Hereford last month.

“Choc (Thornton) was in riding work. He actually gave Grumeti a breeze and it’s great to have him back in the yard. He seems to be coming on well. He doesn’t go back and see the specialist until early February, but it’s good to have him around the place again,” said Alan King.

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Officials said that Cooper had hit his mount 23 times – 14 after jumping the last flight of hurdles and 12 of them without giving the horse time to respond. Cooper, 34, had not ridden a winner for 4,316 days prior to this success and went on to complete a double later that day.

Cooper had initially suggested he might be reconsidering his future as a jockey, but said: “I’m still a bit annoyed about it, but rules are rules and I can’t do anything about it.

“I’m not a jockey who is known for using the stick and it’s the first ban I’ve ever had. I showed I didn’t need to use it there, but I threw my whip away and I imagine I’ll be fined for that too!

“I’ve got a bit of a holiday now to think about things but Mortimers Cross is an absolute star and he’s a horse that gives you the buzz to keep going.”

Better change your horse racing betting strategies as Cooper will be suspended on days when there are amateur-only races scheduled. He added: “I know I was way too many over, but it wasn’t intentional. I don’t think it [the ride] is offensive in any shape or form.”

The number of uses per race for the whip by a jockey is seven on the Flat and eight over jumps.

However, it was a happier ending to the day for Cooper as he picked up the SIS Live Handicap Chase at Fontwell on Mortimers Cross for John Needham, who also trains Elton Fox. After passing the post he threw his whip into the air in celebration.

Winner of his three previous starts, Darlan was sent off the 10-11 favourite for trainer Nicky Henderson and jockey Barry Geraghty. Giordano Bruno made a bold bid from the front but he was dropping away as Darlan and Jump City came to challenge two flights from home.

The bare margin was no measure of Darlan’s superiority; however, as Geraghty was motionless on the winner as Ruby Walsh rode furiously on Jump City but without making any impression.

“He’s done it well but he probably made it look easier than it was,” Geraghty said. “He’s one of those that you just give him a kick and he goes.Jump City has been disappointing and a couple of others would need the run but he still won nicely.”

Henderson was not at Taunton to pass on his running plans for Darlan but, even if he now goes straight to the Festival, he has shown enough to start as one of the favorites, not least if he is the chosen mount of McCoy, the retained jockey to J P McManus, Darlan’s owner.

Although Darlan is now a general 14-1 chance for the William Hill Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, the sponsors were not so impressed and only trimmed him to 16-1 for the first race of the meeting.

For horse betting fans, look into the horse racing betting tips on Darlan at William Hill Supreme Novices’ Hurdle.

Twelve of the world’s top jockeys are set to compete in a series of four races over two days. Both race meetings will be sponsored by Longines, the official timekeeper for all equine events held in Meydan. The programme kicks off the 16 horse racing fixtures that will be contested during the Dubai World Cup Carnival, which concludes with the Dubai World Cup on March 31.

The 12 jockeys will fight for the title, including the young Frenchman Mikael Barzalona, who won the 2011 Epsom Derby with Pour Moi. Also in the line-up is the Norway-born William Buick, who dons the familiar yellow colours for Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid while in the UAE and rides for John Gosden, the top British trainer, in Europe.

Mirco Demuro, the 2011 Dubai World Cup winner, Godolphin’s superstar rider, Frankie Dettori and top French jockeys Maxime Guyon, Andrasch Starke from Germany and Christophe Lemaire also compete.

Japan’s Kenichi Ikezoe and the globe-trotting Australian Craig Williams are making their Meydan Racecourse debuts.

They will face the three-time British champion Ryan Moore, the Irish rider Tom Queally, who has ridden super colt Frankel to every one of his nine victories, and Aidan O’Brien’s jockey, Colm O’Donoghue.

Points are earned based on best finishes in those races with a champion named after the completion of the four events.

“I honestly couldn’t be happier with him, he’s eaten everything up and he looks a million dollars,” said Paul Nicholls, who deflected the suggestion that the victory had effectively marked ahigh pointof his training career.

“He’ll go straight to the Gold Cup and we won’t train him any differently from any other season. There are a few things that we have swapped about with his routine to keep him happy at home this year but nothing major. He’ll have a quiet few weeks now, where the stable winds down a bit in any case, and then we’ll start all over again.”

Nicholls was keen that it was Kauto Star, who will be 12 in the coming days, who received all of the plaudits.

He told Sky News: “He’s been great for racing, great for the village, great forSomerset- and great for the whole team. They are a long time retired.”

“You don’t retire a horse or an athlete or a footballer when they are on top of their game.”

“As long as he’s okay and we’re happy with him between now and then we’ll have a crack at the Gold Cup.”

The Gold Cup will take place on March 16 during the Cheltenham Festival. Kauto Star will be aiming to add to his two triumphs in the race but will again face competition in the form of defending champion Long Run.

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A year ago, there was still an air of invincibility about Kauto Star at Kempton, and he started at odds of 4/7 to make history by winning the Grade One for a fifth time.

However, Long Run stole the show with a devastating 12-length rout, a superiority that he reinforced under the weight of expectation in the Cheltenham Gold Cup in March.

Kauto Star, now 11, couldn’t cope with Long Run atCheltenhamin March, and a woeful effort at Punchestown in May triggered talk of retirement.

Kauto Star will be back at Kempton in search of a remarkable fifth King George success and the finest National Hunt horse since the mighty Arkle will face the greatest challenge of his illustrious career.  After widely being written off and with calls for his retirement ringing loudly in the ears of Paul Nicholls, Kauto Star and his masterful trainer recently proved all their doubters wrong with a spellbinding victory in the Betfair Chase last month.

There wasn’t a dry eye on course as he entered the winner’s enclosure at Haydock but the raucous ovation he received on Merseyside would be eclipsed by the celebrations at Kempton if he could regain his King George crown.  Kauto’s followers will be keen to stay loyal to the battle-hardened superstar, but there will be plenty happy to rule with head over heart and side with last year’s winner Long Run.

It’s also difficult to forget the manner in which Long Run won the King George last year. Come with the finishing line Kauto Star was fully twelve lengths in arrears, well beaten as he bid for his fifth win in the King George. A lot of online horse betting fans expect Long Run to confirm his superiority over Kauto Star in the King George on Boxing Day.

The December 26 race has long been the target for Master Minded but he will also be joined by Kauto Star, who will be back to try and regain his King George crown from Long Run after defeating last year’s winner in the Betfair Chase at Haydock last time.

Long Run is the only horse shorter than the Paul Nicholls-trained pair in the market for the Kempton feature and Smith said: “It is wonderful to have these two horses competitive in this great race. Kauto has proved that he is right back to his best and we were always aiming Master Minded at the race but it only seemed fair that we should have Kauto in the race as well.”

Kauto Star answered his critics with an eight-length defeat of Long Run at Haydock and Smith said: “Paul Nicholls said that he felt Long Run had quite a hard race that day and Kauto Star had a tough race.”

“Whether Long Run can reproduce his excellent form of last season is another thing.”

“We will be pressing on in the race and will expose any jumping limitations that Long Run might have. He is a lovely horse and a fine champion so we have got it all to do there is no doubt.”

The King George will be the first time Master Minded has raced over three miles but his owner is confident he will handle the step up in trip with relative ease.

“I think he has always looked like he has stayed in races well up to two and a half and in the Aintree race, the Melling Chase, he seemed to have plenty in hand there at the finish.”

Kauto Star will earn a place in history if he is able to win the King George for a fifth time and Smith said that is the outcome he would like to see. “I don’t really mind but I suppose I would marginally prefer Kauto Star to win but I just want to see a good race.”

To check the horse betting odds of William Hill King George VI Chase, go to William Hill Sports and you only have until December 23, 2011 to bet.