Racing Post

The Front Page this week tackles some of the most fundamental issues facing the sport - including one that has impacted the man at the head of British racing's governing body. BHA chair Joe Saumarez Smith spoke to the Racing Post about his personal experience of being caught up in betting checks and account restrictions, issues that bedevil so many other punters. Lee Mottershead, Chris Cook and Scott Burton reflect on Saumarez Smith's comments and his hope that they might make the government and Gambling Commission think hard about their actions and policies. Another big issue facing British racing is Ireland's jumps domination. That was evident once again in the first set of entries for the Cheltenham Festival and, in particular, the presence of only five British-trained horses in the Gold Cup. The panel discusses that and then looks at the positives and negatives coming out of the Racing Post's five-part Project Spotlight series that set out to discover what a range of people think about the sport.

Host David Jennings is joined by Keith Melrose, Jonny Pearson and Brett Williams to go through the biggest races at Kempton, Ffos Las & Newcastle this weekend. They look ahead to a busy card at Kempton Park where the feature race is the Lanzarote Hurdle. The team then look ahead to some action from Newcastle on the All Weather following Warwick's abandonment earlier in the week. The panel finish off by providing their weekend NAPs.

The best chasers, the best hurdlers and some of the worst weather are the discussion points in the new year’s opening edition of The Front Page. Lee Mottershead, David Jennings and James Stevens spend the bulk of the programme reviewing some fantastic festive racing.  Is Galopin Des Champs now a good thing for a Gold Cup? Does Constitution Hill deserve to be odds-on for the Champion Hurdle? And which race will Brighterdaysahead run in at the festival? All those topics and many more are tackled as the boys pinpoint where they think some of Cheltenham’s top prizes will be heading. They also debate the spate of late abandonments that left owners and trainers frustrated - and ITV with no racing to broadcast on Saturday afternoon.

Host James Stevens is joined by Robbie Wilders, Jonny Pearson and Ed Nicholson to go through the biggest races at Sandown & Wincanton this weekend. They also look back on some of the highlights of the Christmas and New Year period, which included magnificent performances from the likes of Galopin Des Champs and Sir Gino. Nicky Henderson also gives his thoughts on the performances of his horses during this period and what might be next for them. The panel finish off by providing their weekend NAPs.