Balthazar King is more likely to run in the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase at the Cheltenham Festival than the Crabbie’s Grand National after he made a welcome return to Philip Hobbs’ yard yesterday.

UK: Spider eggs discovered in a bunch of bananas have been found to belong to a harmless species — after initial fears that a killer spider was on the loose in Britain.

Cork Church of Ireland will finally learn how far David Hobbs’ new approach has taken them as they host high-flying Banbridge in an Irish Senior Cup second round clash at Garryduff tomorrow (3pm).

Willie Mullins’ Cadspeed, having his first run since May and backed from 6-1 to 9-2, was a desperately unlucky loser of the Kilsheeelan Beginners’ Chase at Clonmel yesterday.

Binocular will bypass the BetVictor Morebattle Hurdle at Kelso tomorrow and instead head straight for next month’s Stan James Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham.

Free set to make it three

Edinburgh 15 Cardiff 38

MONKSTOWN’S wait for a men’s Irish Senior Cup title will stretch into a 98th year after they were beaten 4-3 by Cookstown in a stunning final at Belfield yesterday.

TWELVE months on from throwing his Champion Hurdle bid into doubt with an unimpressive success in the totesport 0800 221 221 Contenders Hurdle at Sandown, Binocular was back at the Esher track on Saturday.

TO date, no credit union affiliated to the Irish League of Credit Unions (ILCU) has required a single cent of state support.

THE property investment company established by consumer advocate Eddie Hobbs moved into the red last year, after recording a pre-tax loss of €11,039.

AIDAN COLEMAN is counting down the hours until what he hopes will be the ride of his life on Mon Mome in the John Smith’s Grand National today.

IRELAND’S hockey coach Paul Revington has described the loss of two key players on the eve of his side’s World Cup qualification campaign as ‘a body blow’.

Gauvain was given a 33-1 quote by Coral for the Arkle Trophy at next month’s Cheltenham Festival following his victory in the Grade Two Kilbrittain Castle Novices’ Chase at Sandown.

RICHARD Johnson and Philip Hobbs have a better record than any in the Racing Post Chase and the pair team up today through the grey Lacdoudal.

Charlie Mann is revelling in his best-ever season and Gauvain provided him with another Cheltenham Festival contender when taking the Grade Two Kilbrittain Castle Novices’ Chase at Sandown.

Neither Qozak or Inchidaly Rock are likely to be gracing the Cheltenham Festival but both gave encouragement for their potential careers over fences as part of a three-timer for Paul Nicholls and Ruby Walsh at Taunton.

Alan King completed a first-and-last-race double for the second year running at Warwick with jumping debutant Trenchant and smart bumper performer Double Pride.

In a season dominated by new champions like Katchit, Master Minded and Denman, the final major race of the National Hunt campaign went the way of an old timer.

Natal could bypass Cheltenham in favour of a crack at the Topham Trophy over the Grand National fences after plundering the Connaught Gold Cup at Newbury.

Hibiki booked his ticket to the Cheltenham Festival as he just held off the late surge of 33-1 shot Prince Du Beury in the Alfa Aggregates Products Novices’ Hurdle at Ludlow.

A trip to Newbury in the spring is on the agenda for Maggie Mathias after the consistent sort was rewarded for her efforts in the Mares Only “National Hunt” Novices’ Hurdle at Warwick.

Ascot was the calm before the storm ahead of Saturday’s card but a Cheltenham Festival contender emerged in the bright winter sunshine as Acambo made an accomplished start to his chasing career.

Philip Hobbs has an impressive recent record in Cheltenham’s Greatwood Handicap Hurdle and is expected to be celebrating another victory on Sunday with Lead On.

WEXFORD jockey Tom O’Brien set a new record for the most wins in a season for a conditional jockey in Britain with a 383-1 treble aboard Lincoln’s Inn, Xila Fontenailles and Good Book at Warwick yesterday.

Tom O’Brien set a new record for the most wins in a season for a conditional jockey with a 383-1 treble aboard Lincoln’s Inn, Xila Fontenailles and Good Book at Warwick.

Liberate left the Philip Hobbs stable dreaming of another victory in the JCB Triumph Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival after maintaining his unbeaten record with ease in the closing race at Wincanton.

One Knight is likely to tread an unorthodox path to the Coral Welsh National on December 27.

Tony McCoy and Jonjo O’Neill thwarted an ante-post plunge on Vodka Bleu as Exotic Dancer made an emphatic return to form in the Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham.

Philip Hobbs believes Noble Request will benefit from the run when he makes his seasonal reappearance in the £1 Million totetentofollow Elite Hurdle at Wincanton tomorrow.

Desert Quest, as low as 10-1 for the Champion Hurdle in March, is set to carry top weight of 11st 12lb in the Greatwood Handicap Hurdle at Cheltenham on Sunday week.

WITH Eddie Hobbs’ stance on the price of groceries and Michael McDowell’s biometric ID cards for non-nationals, it is hard to tell who is the greater threat to this country’s values.

Philip Hobbs has not ruled out running Monkerhostin twice at Aintree this week.

Philip Hobbs has confirmed his totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup hopefuls on target for the feature race of the Cheltenham Festival, which gets underway on Tuesday.

OWNER Terry Warner last night led the tributes to Rooster Booster, the popular grey who collapsed and died on the gallops today.

Owner Terry Warner led the tributes to Rooster Booster, the popular grey who collapsed and died on the gallops today.

Lacdoudal is likely to be Philip Hobbs’ sole representative in the Robin Cook Memorial Trophy at Cheltenham on Saturday.

Supreme Prince carries the hopes of the Philip Hobbs team in the bonusprint.com Old Roan Chase at Aintree on Sunday following the success of the ill-fated Farmer Jack in the corresponding race 12 months ago.

Former Champion Hurdle winner Rooster Booster, trained by Philip Hobbs, is set to make his seasonal reappearance at Huntingdon on October 15.

FINE GAEL last night accused Taoiseach Bertie Ahern of ordering a dirty tricks campaign to try and destroy the credibility of consumer rights champion Eddie Hobbs.

SO the Coalition Cabinet are going to study the statistics used in the TV series Rip Off Republic fronted by Eddie Hobbs (Irish Examiner, September 8).

It should be a chastened and worried Fianna Fáil parliamentary party which gathers in County Cavan today to consider what state it is in and, more particularly, what it is doing wrong to provoke such an angry reaction among the electorate.

THE reaction of Government TDs to Eddie Hobbs’ programme on RTÉ about the cost of living is as pathetic as it is insulting to the Irish consumer and taxpayer.

WITH reference to the complaints to the RTÉ Authority about Eddie Hobbs’ TV programme, Rip-off Ireland, I think they are largely unfounded and seem to fly in the face of everything I thought the PDs stood for.

THE Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment has called foul on an appeal by TV presenter Eddie Hobbs to send nappies to Minister Mícheál Martin.

A RELEASED convict has admitted to beating and stabbing to death his eight-year-old daughter and her best friend, authorities in the US say.

CHAMPION hurdler Hardy Eustace will start back on the road to a Cheltenham defence when he has his first run of the season at Navan on Sunday.