Racing Post

Host James Stevens is joined by Tom Park, Graeme Rodway and Brett Williams to go through the big races this week at Windsor and Market Rasen on Friday, as well as top-class cards at Ascot and Haydock on Saturday. In the main part of the show, the panel discuss the Clarence House Chase battle between chasing titans Jonbon and Energumene. Who of the duo will our panel side with, or will one of the outsiders spring a shock?  There’s also a terrific running of the Peter Marsh Chase at Haydock, headlined by Betfair Chase winner Royale Pagaille. Will Venetia Williams' course specialist strike again in Lancashire? Our panel have their say. The team finish off by providing their weekend NAPs.

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.