It sounds like a disaster but Boardman perversely appreciates his misfortune
It sounds like a disaster but Boardman, perversely, appreciates his misfortune."Well, although these things happen, I still felt a bit daft about it but, in terms of my career, it was the best thing that could have happened to me," he said. The multiple fractures to his left leg, plus a broken right wrist, ended his Tour almost before it had begun, and kept him out of the cycling for three months. Before one could utter the phrase: "Take me to your leader," the leader appeared, lean, fit and still pinching himself at his rapid ascendancy. They all may have looked like extras from The X-Files, but in reality they were cyclists from the Wirral, including the leader, who turned out to be Olympic pursuit champion, Chris Boardman, who starts his major comeback tomorrow in the Paris-Nice race after his injury during last year's Tour de France.Predicting an overall top 10 finish in the Tour, Boardman crashed out after just two and half minutes of the Prologue, on day one of a three- week race. Outside a bicycle was perched against the side of a car while each alien filed past peering at it with reverence as if it were a dead king lying in state.
A sign outside said the Eureka Cafe, but as you walked in through the door you could have been entering the Twilight Zone. There must have been 40 of them, sitting wall-to-wall, in their pointy helmets and feet, and their multi-coloured, skin-tight clothing. Tote: 5-4 One Man, 9-2 Imperial Call, 5-1 Dublin Flyer, 9-1 Rough Quest, 10-1 Monsieur Le Cure, 12-1 Couldnt Be Better, 16-1 Barton Bank, 25-1 others.. It may have been an unlikely place to have begun world domination, but in a small cafe, just outside Chester, it looked as if aliens had landed. Tote: 6-4 Viking Flagship, 5-2 Sound Man, 7-2 Strong Platinum, 8-1 Klairon Davis, 10-1 Travado, 16-1 Coulton, 33-1 Martin's Lamp, Dancing Paddy.GOLD CUP (Cheltenham, Thursday): Ladbrokes: 5-4 One Man, 4-1 Imperial Call, 11-2 Dublin Flyer, 7-1 Monsieur Le Cure & Rough Quest, 12-1 Couldnt Be Better, 20-1 Barton Bank, 50-1 others. The Irish riders will be making their way from Chepstow after the BBC's televised events to the Channel 4-screened Sandown card.CHAMPION HURDLE (Cheltenham, Tuesday): Ladbrokes: 10-11 Alderbrook, 9- 2 Danoli, Hotel Minella, 6-1 Mysilv, 12-1 Collier Bay, 20-1 Land Afar, Mack The Knife & Squire Silk, 25-1 Right Win, 50-1 others; Tote: 10-11 Alderbrook, 5-1 Danoli, Hotel Minella, 7-1 Mysilv, 12-1 Collier Bay, 20- 1 Mack The Knife 25-1 Land Afar, Squire Silk, 40-1 others.QUEEN MOTHER CHAMPION CHASE (Cheltenham, Wednesday): Ladbrokes: 13-8 Viking Flagship, 2-1 Sound Man, 7-2 Strong Platinum, 10-1 Klairon Davis, 12-1 Travado, 14-1 Coulton, 33-1 Martin's Lamp, 50-1 Dancing Paddy.
The front-running grey Senor El Betrutti is among the Cathcart Chase entries, but comes up against only three opponents here.Later on, General Rusty, Charlie Mann's hopeful entry in the Sun Alliance Chase and the Gold Cup itself tackles some names that used to belong to the Festival, namely King Credo, Buck Willow and Cuddy Dale.General Rusty is to be ridden by Richard Dunwoody, who, along with Tony McCoy, will be spending as much time in make-up as in the jockeys' room this afternoon. When she fell at Newbury last month she took down with her Norman Williamson. The jockey who completed the rare big-race double last year (on Alderbrook and Master Oats) dislocated his right shoulder in the accident, an injury which recurred on the gallops a week ago, ruling him out for the rest of the season.The smaller targets at Esher today also have a significance on Cheltenham races. This year's running features an animal who has already had a profound effect on the Festival, Eskimo Nel.
The money was also flying for Hotel Minella in the Champion Hurdle, for which he is a 9-2 chance (from 6-1).Among the other contestants for hurdling's crown is Collier Bay, who, last year, won this afternoon's feature race, Sandown's Imperial Cup. He will now be prepared for the Grand National at Aintree on 30 March, when he will be required to carry top weight, following Master Oats's with- drawal from the race.In the other main Cheltenham races, Viking Flagship was eased to 13-8 from 6-4 for the Queen Mother Champion Chase as the fast-ground performers Strong Platinum, Travado and Coulton came in for support. He will miss Thursday's Gold Cup because of a bacterial infection. Peter Beaumont's gelding has taken part in the last three runnings of the Blue Riband, succeeding at the first attempt in 1993 and finishing second to The Fellow the following year. If she had been a 14-1 or 16-1 shot, you wouldn't have to worry too much, but given her position at the head of the market, we had no option but to suspend betting."Another absentee will be one of the great constants of the modern Festival, Jodami. We are never happy when things like this happen, but we will leave it until the day before the race before making a decision."David Hood, of William Hill, reported: "There is no confidence in Draborgie in the betting market and there is also substantial support for those directly behind her in the market."We thought she would not run if there was fast ground at the Festival but there now seems some doubt as to whether she will run at all."Rob Hartnett of Coral, added: "At Sandown, the racecourse was simply swimming in rumours about her Bookmakers, trainers, everybody was talking about her.