Talking Horses: the latest news and tips in our horse racing blog

State Of Play, runner-up to Ollie Magern in the Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby last year, should go one better today. He is at his best first time out, as he showed when winning the 2006 Hennessy Gold Cup, and his in-form trainer Evan Williams reported yesterday that State Of Play "hasn't missed a day's work". The eight-year-old lost his form after taking on Denman in the Lexus Chase last December, but it was only a 6lb penalty that beat him in the Charlie Hall, when he went under by a length and...