The perfectly named Dream Alliance won the Coral Welsh National at Chepstow.

Dream Alliance is owned by 23 friends from a social club in the former Monmouthshire pit village of Cefn Fforest and bred on an allotment in Wales by Jan & Brian Vokes, who have previously won the Welsh National racing for pigeons - quite a double.

The Philip Hobbs trained gelding hit the front three out and soon had a decent lead.

Followers had palpitations at the last fence to be jumped as he dived at it but rider Tom O’Brien, recently returned after breaking a leg, held on tight.

The omission of the final fence due to ground concerns resulted in a long run-in and Dream Alliance began to idle in front, with the grey Silver By Nature closing the gap with every stride.

However the line came in time for Dream Alliance to record a ¾ victory.

Kauto Star put in what was arguably his best ever performance to win a fourth consecutive King George at Kempton Park.

Coming home a record breaking distance clear of his rivals he systematically destroyed a high class field.

Imperial Commander who ran him close in the mud at Haydock blundered at the second, as Nacarat and Ollie Magern battled it out in front with Ruby Walsh settling Kauto Star around sixth place.

Coming out of the back straight the field were strung out as Kauto Star came upsides Nacarat, the pair well clear of The Queen’s Barbers Shop who looked to be the only other runner in contention.

As they turned for home Walsh pulled clear on the champion and Barbers Shop pulled clear into second. However the Royal runner was never going to get anywhere near the Star.

The only danger facing Paul Nicholls superstar were the final two fences but he cleared them perfectly, showing no signs of the errors he made when younger.

Meanwhile further back down the course Madison Du Berlais made some late progress to deny Barbers Shop the runners-up spot.

Trainer Paul Nicholls said afterwards “it is the best he has ever run” and who would argue with that.

William Hill King George VI Chase
1st 5 Kauto Star 8/13
2nd 6 Madison Du Berlais 10/1
3rd 2 Barbers Shop 14/1
13 ran
Favourite winner
Distances Distance & 1
Tote
Win £1.60
Places £1.10 £2.70 £3.20
Exacta £7.40
CSF £7.33
Time 6’ 07.0”

Irish raider Go Native took the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton but had to survive a photograph after a late challenge from the sell backed Starluck.

Uneasy favourite Binocular, who blundered three out, was only able to finish third after taking the lead two out.

Straw Bear, returning to hurdles, set the pace with the principals happy to track the field.

As the field turned for home the field were well bunched as Binocular came through to take it up.

However Davy Condon eased into the lead approaching the last and was well clear. However once in front he began to idle allowing Starluck to close in.

After a delay judge Felix Wheeler called Go Native the winner by a short head.

Williamhill.com Christmas Hurdle
1st 3 Go Native 5/2
2nd 6 Starluck 100/30
7 ran
Favourite 1 Binocular 11/8 (3rd)
Distance short head
Tote
Win £3.00
Places £2.00 £2.10
Exacta £10.40
CSF £11.09
Time 3' 59.9"

Nicky Henderson’s strong start to the season continued as French import Long Run came home an impressive winner of the Feltham Chase at Kempton.

Despite a mistake at the second last the four-year-old came home an impressive 14 length winner.

Cheltenham Racecourse have announced that a Ladies-only charity flat race will take place at The Festival 2010 on Ladies Day, Thursday, March 18.

The race will be run after the six scheduled races on that day have been completed and will raise money for Cancer Research UK, which is this season’s chosen charity on Ladies Day.

Georgie Browne, the Official Ambassador for Ladies Day, will be one of the riders taking part in the race.

Applications are now being invited for the one mile five furlong flat race, with a maximum field of 12 runners, open to any Lady riders, licensed or not, each of whom is required to raise a minimum of £5,000 in sponsorship.

Participants are required to provide their own mount that must have run at least twice under the recognised Rules of Racing. Applications close on January 15, 2010.

Cheltenham’s Managing Director, Edward Gillespie, said: “This is an exciting addition to Ladies Day at The Festival for this season, which we hope will raise a significant sum of money for a worthy cause.

“It is also an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Lady riders to take part in the special atmosphere at The Festival. Let’s hope a well-known face or two might be tempted to take part.”

In a farcical situation, which will do nothing to help racings image, racing at Haydock was called off shortly before the opening race.

The course passed an early morning inspection, however temperatures did not rise as expected and as the frost covers were lifted the ground began to freeze.

Clerk of the Course Kirkland Telwright seemed determined to deflect responsibility by blaming the weather forecasters for giving an incorrect forecast.

The Long Walk Hurdle, due to have been run at Saturday’s Cancelled Ascot meeting will now be run at Newbury on the 29th December.

The BHA announced the move of the £70,000 contest on Friday afternoon.

The original 11 entries at the five day stage will be carried forward, with final declarations 48 hours in advance.

The eight-race meeting will now feature two Group One contests, the other being the Heros Charity Challow Novices' Hurdle Race.

Danny Cook has been given a 28 day ban by a BHA disciplinary panel after admitting taking the wrong course on Our Vic in the BOylesports.com Gold Cup at Cheltenham on 12th December.

This is the second time Cook has taken the incorrect course in the past 12 months, the previous occurrence occurring at Huntingdon on 22nd March.

It is because of the previous offence that the case was referred to the BHA.

Richard Johnson has become only the second national hunt jockey, after Tony McCoy, to ride 2,000 winners.

Racing at Folkestone was Cancelled not long before the opening race due to a sudden drop in temperature which resulted in the soft ground freezing in places.

Speaking before a midday inspection clerk of the course Neil Mackenzie-Ross, said: "Unfortunately the weather conditions are not helping us. The course was raceable first thing this morning but it has actually got colder since then and we are having some problems with the frost.

"The sun is stuck behind a bank of cloud and conditions have deteriorated over the course of the morning."

In something of an upset at Cheltenham this afternoon the progressive Khyber Kim beat the odds-on favourite and this year’s Champion Hurdle runner-up Celestial Halo in the Boylesports.com International Hurdle.

Celestial Hero looked all the winner approaching the last but Paddy Brennan asked Khyber Kim for an effort on the run-in and swept past Ruby Walsh on the odds-on favourite.

The 2:45 race at Doncaster, leg 4 of this weeks Scoop6 was declared void following a fatal injury to Spanish Conquest.

The horse fell at the first flight, however due to the horses position there was no room to by-pass the fence when the jockeys came round in the final circuit.

Enda Bolger once again proved himself to be the Cheltenham Cross Country King as Garde Champetre recorded a fifth victory on the idiosyncratic Presbury Park course.

Ridden today by JT McNamara instead of the usual Nina Carberry, Garde Champtetre overcame the welter burden of carrying 11st 12lbs to beat Sizing Australia by three parts of a length.

Nina Carberry today rode Bolger’s Heads On The Ground who tried to make all but faded in the closing stages to finish fifth.

In a contest dominated by jumping errors the Evan Williams trained Deep Purple took the Peterborough Chase at Huntingdon.

Herecomesthetruth set a very strong pace which seemed to upset the fluency of most of his rivals, most notably runner-up Tartak who made two bad mistakes as well as Tidal Bay and Albertas Run.

Racing Demon was well beaten when blundering two out.

Veteran jockey Mick Kinane has decided to retire, with his final year riding being an unforgettable one, partnering Sea The Stars to six Group One victories, including an unprecedented Derby / Arc double.

The 50-year-old has ridden almost 1,500 winners in his 34 year career. The only Britishand Irish Classic to have alluded him is the 1,000 Guineas.

Although he has never been British Champion Jockey he has won the Irish version ten times.

In a statement Kinane said, "I have decided this is the right time to retire from race-riding.

"At 50 I still feel fit and sharp enough to do any horse justice but, after the season I have just had in partnership with Sea The Stars, I have the privilege of being able to end my career as a jockey on an incredible high and that's what I want to do.

"I leave with a huge sense of gratitude to all the great horses I have ridden, all the great trainers whose genius developed those champions and everybody else in racing, from the stable lads to the owners, who have made me deeply thankful for my involvement in the game.”

Ayr’s meeting on Monday has been Cancelled due to a frozen track.

An inspection had been planned for 7:30 on Monday morning but when officials checked the course on Sunday afternoon it was quickly realised there would be no prospect of racing taking place.

Lingfield have Cancelled the planned hurdle races on Saturday’s card due to waterlogging.

The meeting will now consist of just chases and a bumper.

Delegator has been formally disqualified from the totesport.com Celebration Mile at Goodwood in August, following a British Horseracing Authority Hearing.

The Godolphin runner was an impressive winner of the race but a subsequent urine sample was found to contain methylprednisolone, a prohibited substance.

The source of the substance was an injection of 20mg of Depo-Medrone administered by Godolphins vet to treat a ligament problem.

Trainer Saeed bin Suroor admitted a breach of Rule 53 of the Rules of Racing and was fined £750.

Delegator's disqualification means Zacinto has been awarded the Group Two contest.

Owner Leighton Brookes has been banned from racing for three years for laying his own horses to lose.

The charges relate to his horse Man Of War on three occasions in 2008 and 2009 and to Trimlestown in 2009.

Brookes, who failed to attend the enquiry, had claimed a friend who had access to his Betfair account had placed the bets without his knowledge.

He was also found guilty of failing to provide telephone records.

Paul Nicholls claimed a fifth consecutive Tingle Creek as Twist Magic made all under Ruby Walsh to land the Keith Prowse Hospitality sponsored contest at Sandown Park.

Forpadydeplasterer took second spot, 15 lengths behind the easy winner. Well Chief was third, whilst the favourite Big Zeb was never sighted, clearly unsuited by the very soft conditions.

The man accused of murdering jockeys Jamie Kyne and Jan Wilson, who died in a fire in a block of flats, will face trial at Leeds Crown Court next April.

Peter William Brown (37) of Knottingley, West Yorkshire, is accused of murdering Kyne and Wilson,  in Malton, on September 5.

He appeared  before Leeds Crown Court on Friday, speaking only to confirm his name and date of birth.

Brown will face a ten-day trial beginning on April 26 next year.

Brown was remanded in custody and will next appear at Leeds Crown Court on February 23 when he will enter his plea.

The final two races on the card at Exeter were Cancelled due to dense fog.

Visibility deteriorated as the afternoon progressed and the decision to abandon the meeting was made on safety grounds.

Elaine Burke, wife of warned-off trainer Karl Burke has had her application for a trainers licence turned down by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA).

Karl Burke was warned off for a year in August after admitting passing information for reward as part of a race-fixing inquiry.

Elaine Burke's father, Alan Jarvis, took over the stables in a caretaker role until the end of the turf flat season.

Mrs Burke, who was Burke's assistant trainer, then applied for a licence in her own right.

BHA spokesman Paul Struthers said, "I can confirm that Elaine Burke has been informed that the licensing committee are not prepared to consider her application further whilst her husband remains disqualified."