Hurricane Fly is hot favourite to retain his crown in the Stan James Champion Hurdle, but how good is the Willie Mullins-trained eight-year-old, and can he hang on to his title?

BLOODSTOCK sales group Robert Goff has returned to profit, with Goffs chairwoman Eimear Mulhern stating that the group has managed to come through a very difficult period and has now stabilised its finances.

Guillaume Macaire struck with his first British runner for nearly three years as Royal Tune danced 17 lengths clear in the Walters UK Ltd Handicap Chase at Ffos Las.

Soldatino belied his inexperience to deny Barizan a gutsy front-running success by bridging a Grand Canyon-size gap in the JCB Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham.

Firebet has been anonymously purchased out of Richard Fahey’s yard to race in Dubai.

Party Politics, winner of the Grand National in the British general election year of 1992, has died at the age of 25.

SPONSORS betdirect make Gerard Butler’s Silver Pivotal their 9-4 favourite to land the spoils in today’s Winter Derby at Lingfield.

THREE further cases of ‘swamp fever’, a potentially fatal virus in horses, have been confirmed in Ireland.

CHENCHIKOVA, a full-sister to multiple Group One winner High Chaparral, was an impressive winner on her racecourse bow at Tipperary yesterday.

Cyfor Malta is expected to make his eagerly-awaited return to action at Cheltenham on Saturday.