Today’s racing

Defi Du Seuil is the headline act among the field of eight that will contest today’s Grade 1 Betfair Tingle Creek Chase (1m7½f) at Sandown.

JP McManus’s six-year-old, trained by Philip Hobbs, started this season with a bang when he got the better of Politologue to take the Grade 2 Shloer Chase (2m) at Cheltenham last month. John Hales’s grey takes on Defi Du Seuil again and is searching for a first win since taking the Grade 2 Christy 1965 Chase (2m5f) last year.

The field also includes the Willie Mullins-trained Un De Sceaux, who won this race back in 2016 when he got the better of Sire De Grugy.

Sandown’s card also features the Grade 1 Henry VIII Novices’ Chase (1m7½f), which will see an intriguing match-up between the Dan Skelton-trained Nube Negra and Tom George’s Summerville Boy.

The latter was an impressive four-length winner on his chasing debut at Uttoxeter last month while Nube Negra has won both of his starts this season by a combined 13 lengths.

Elsewhere today, Aintree stages an eight-race card that includes the Grade 3 Becher Chase (3m2f) and the Grade 2 Many Clouds Chase (3m1f), which sees Black Corton, Might Bite, Native River and Outlander vie for the spoils.

There are also jumps fixtures at Chepstow, Wetherby and Navan (Ireland) while Wolverhampton stages an all-weather card this afternoon.

Arqana December begins  

The breeding stock circuit moves to France today with the Arqana December Breeding Stock Sale beginning a four-day run at 11am local time (10am GMT).

Among the lots to go under the hammer in Deauville are a 19-strong draft from Gestut Fahrhof, which is cutting back on its broodmare band.