[denphone]

http://www.racingpost.com/news/horse-racing/

OSCAR TIME, who finished runner-up to Ballabriggs in last season's John Smith's Grand National, is set to miss this year's Aintree spectacular through injury.

http://www.racingpost.com/news/horse...es/979717/top/

BRITISH racecourses attracted record crowds in 2011 with aggregate attendances exceeding 6.15 million for the first time,
but those numbers disguised a downward trend in jump racing
as the average number of racegoers fell.

Despite the dip in numbers at jumps meetings, Racecourse Association chief executive Stephen Atkin was delighted with the general increase.

"I'm very pleased to see racecourse attendance on the up for
a third year in a row, and to break the previous record is fantastic,"he said. "Financially it is a very difficult time for people at the moment, so it's a vindication of the exemplary work being done on Britain's racecourses that more and more people are enjoying a day out at the races."

http://www.sportinglife.com/racing/n...n.html&BID=465

Hurricane Fly features among just six remaining entries for Sunday's BHP Insurance Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown.

The Willie Mullins-trained star cleaned up in the two-mile division last season, landing this Grade One prize before going on to further Champion Hurdle success at Cheltenham and later at Punchestown.