Richard Dunwoody - Winning Tips From a CHAMPION

By Richard Dunwoody

DESPITE results heavily favouring the bookmakers at what was a tremendous Coral Welsh National meeting over Christmas, there was no fluke about the result in the feature race itself.

And those looking at the form for today's Blue Square Gold Cup Chase at Haydock should look no further than the winner of the Welsh National, since DREAM ALLIANCE (15:35pm) looks primed to go well again. The first six home at Chepstow renew rivalry £100,000-added Grade 3 event over a gruelling 3m 4f and there is no

Welsh National winner Dream Alliance

obvious reason why the Philip Hobbs-trained Dream Alliance isn’t the one to beat. He has testing conditions to suit, and meets those rivals on roughly similar terms.

Dream Alliance, bred on an allotment on a hill just outside Cefn Fforest, a village near Blackwood, Newport, came home three quarters of a length in front of the Scottish raider Silver By Nature and the favourite Le Beau Bai at Chepstow 54 days ago. High-class on his day, he chased home Denman in the Hennessy Gold Cup two years ago, but then Dream Alliance struck into his tendon at Aintree 20 months ago and the vets at Liverpool University gave him no chance of racing again. Getting him back on the track took plenty of patience and expertise from the Hobbs yard.

Breeder Jan Vokes has proved that you don’t need millions to breed good horses. She bought a dam, Rewbell, for just £350 before sending her to unfashionable sire Bien Bien, and Dream Alliance was the result. The delight of the 23 members of the Alliance Partnership, who own the gelding, was a joy to behold after his Welsh National victory and hopefully they will continue to experience more thrills. Of the others, Our Vic is never a horse to rule out over these extreme trips and he is well used to shouldering big weights. I doubt he will be far away.

HERECOMESTHETRUTH (15:15pm) is the one to be on in the Grade 1 Ascot Chase. He has won each of his six completed starts over fences and despite going off in front a jot too quickly in the Peterborough Chase at Huntingdon, he was still travelling well enough when unseating Christian Williams. Ruby Walsh takes the ride today and he will be given another positive ride. It will be interesting to see how the race develops, because there are only six runners and Monet’s Garden, who is clear on Timeform ratings, also likes to dominate from the front.
Still, Herecomesthetruth has more scope for improvement than Nicky Richards’ 12-year-old. It should be a fascinating tactical battle.

RUSSIAN FLAG (16:20pm) is not the easiest horse to win with, because he doesn’t like to get his head in front too soon. He was produced late by Timmy Murphy to beat the smart Consigliere at Sandown last time and he is partnered today by Alex Merriam, who takes 5lb off his back. Alex has won on him before and Russian Flag is as consistent as they come, finishing out of the frame in just two of his last 14 runs. Trainer Neil King clearly knows what this horse is capable of and places this gallant chaser to good effect.

Richard's selections:

15:35 Haydock Dream Alliance 0.5 pt e/w at SP

15:15 Ascot Herecomesthetruth 1 pt win at SP

16:20 Ascot Russian Flag 1 pt win at SP


About Richard Dunwoody

One of the greatest jockey’s in British racing history, Richard Dunwoody broke the previous record for the greatest number of career wins for a jump jockey of 1678 when Yorkshire Edition won at Wincanton. Richard went on to ride a career total of 1699 winners. That mark was finally beaten by Tony McCoy in August 2002. As an amateur jockey, he rode his first winner on Game Trust at Cheltenham in May 1983, and the following spring rode a four-timer at Hereford as a 7lb claimer. He was champion jockey for three seasons and is one of only four post war jockeys to have captured the illusive triple crown of the Gold Cup (Charter Party 1986), the Champion Hurdle (Kribensis 1990) and the Grand National (West Tip 1986 and Minnehoma 1994). Richard also rode more than 100 winners in ten consecutive seasons.  His best season saw him ride 197 winners in 1993/94. Yet, to most, he is most well known for his partnership with the iconic Desert Orchid. The pair won seven races, including the King George V1 Chase in 1989 and 1990.

Richard has undertaken various expeditions since hanging up his boots, including a 350-mile cross-country ski race to the Magnetic North Pole and in January this year completed an amazing 673 mile trek to the South Pole, something he considers his greatest ever achievement.

He joined the BBC racing team at Aintree this year, writes a column for the Daily Mirror pull-out section on Saturdays and is a consultant to the British Racing School at Newmarket, where he coaches young and up-and-coming jockeys.

Richard Dunwoody also runs his own highly successful racing service. Recent winners include Kalahari King succesfull two weeks ago at Doncaster.

"IT HAS not been an easy time for many trainers, in particular for those in the North of England. Ferdy Murphy had a three-week spell where 16 inches of snow covered his Malton gallops. He resorted to taking his horses to Redcar beach to work them as best he could on the sands, a 50-mile round trip.

Those horses included the North’s main hope for the Queen Mother

Relaxing after a workout Kalahari King

Champion Chase Kalahari King, who is set to make his seasonal debut in the extended Blue Square Handicap Chase at Doncaster today.

Murphy believes that he has him fit enough to do himself justice, but said: “You could not work a horse on the beach, you can only hack him for seven miles and it is not really the sort of thing you want to be doing with a Champion Chase contender, but we’ve had to do what we can.” Having been beaten narrowly in last season’s Arkle Trophy before going on to win the Grade 1 Maghull Novices’ Chase at Aintree, Murphy has also been left frustrated by minor injuries to the eight-year-old.But he brought him to the boil for Cheltenham last year and is hopeful that he’ll have him spot-on again.

Murphy said: “He had an infection just before he was scheduled to return at Kelso and on top of that he had a splint injury. When we got him ready to run we’ve had the weather to contend with. “Meetings have been called off all over the place and we are running out of time. I’ve been desperate to get a run into him and hopefully Doncaster will be on. They had an inch of snow covering the track on Thursday morning, but that has apparently gone, so we have to keep our fingers crossed.

“If we can’t go there, we’ll probably be left with no option but to go to Newbury next week.”

KALAHARI KING (15:25pm) will shoulder top weight of 11st 12lb in the extended two-mile chase. He has an abundance of class and though he has to overcome a 287-day lay-off, some bookmakers appear to have either over-reacted or underestimated Murphy’s skill. While the Champion Chase is obviously his target, Kalahari King is as big as 11.0 with Ladbrokes for today’s contest and that looks a cracking each-way price."

Pick: Kalahari King 2pts e/w 1/4 1,2,3 - 11.0 - Ladbrokes

Richard has put forward many other recent winners including Wayward Prince 4/5, Ginger Grey 9/4, Grey Command 11/10, Dvinsky 11/8, Clear Sailing 11/10, 'Shadows Lengthen 11/4, Gargano 11/8, Milans Man 11/10, Qozak 2/1, Oiseau De Nuit 2/1, Clear Sailing Evs, Wunder Strike 2/1, Ere Alfie 100/30, Doctor Pat 9/4 & What A Friend 11/2.