The highlight of the 2013 John Smith’s Grand National Festival, the Grand National, will be held on Saurday 6th April at 4.15pm. This year is 40 years since Red Rum’s first win at the Grand National in 1973. He went on to win again in 1974 and 1977. Known as the “the ultimate test of a horse’s courage” the…
With the abandonment of the Sandown card on Saturday C4 filled in with discussions comparing Kauto Star with Arkle. Kauto Star is a great Chaser who has the speed to win at two miles and the stamina to win a Cheltenham Gold Cup. Film footage of the sixties bought back many happy memories of my…
This meeting is my favourite of the Flat racing calendar and this years meeting was exceptionally enjoyable. Wednesday’s Group 1 Falmouth Stakes, run in the pouring rain, showed how unlucky Nahoodh (pictured) was in the 1000 Guineas. She was given a great ride by Frankie Dettori and clearly relished the softer ground. Majestic Roi appeared…
With day 2 of the Cheltenham Festival abandoned due to high winds there will be a ten race card on Thursday and a nine race card on Friday. This will be a marathon for all concerned but at least no races will be lost. Unlike in 1975 when Cheltenham was waterlogged and the first day…
The Betfair Handicap Hurdle will be the centre piece of an excellent card at Newbury on Saturday 11th February, weather permitting. This race started off as the Schweppes Gold Trophy and was first run in 1963 at Liverpool. There were 41 runners that day on the tight Liverpool hurdle circuit. At the second flight Stan Mellor…
The BHP Insurance Champion Hurdle will be run this Sunday at Leopardstown in Ireland. A small select field will go to post with Hurricane Fly (pictured) a very warm favourite to add to his Grade 1 successes this season. He has put Solwhit in his place already this season and might have most to fear from…
As always the highlight of the Christmas Holiday period for Jump enthusiasts will be the King George VI Chase sponsored by William Hill, worth £180,000.00 and run over 3 miles at Kempton Park on Boxing Day (26th). Long Run (pictured) won this last year and is the bookies favourite to do so again. There will…
The Hennessy Gold Cup Handicap Chase, worth £150,000.00, will be run over 3 miles 2 furlongs at Newbury this Saturday (26th November). I doubt if we will have the excitment and emotion as experienced last Saturday with Kauto Stars’ brilliant comeback win in the Betfair Chase at Haydock Park but there have been some great…
For me the Charlie Hall Steeple Chase run over 3 miles and 1 furlong at Wetherby signifies the start of the new National Hunt Season. The race was first run in 1969 as the Wetherby Pattern Chase and won by Arcturus trained by Neville Crump and ridded by Pat Buckley. In 1978 it became known…
It is only two weeks since all the drama and excitement of the Aintree Grand National Meeting and although we have had the Scottish Grand National together with the Classic Trials for the Guineas since, the racing to me has been low key. However the two day Bet 365 Meeting gets underway on Saturday the 23rd at…
The grey Nacarat (pictured) is a Kempton course and distant winner and will carry top weight tomorrow in the Racing Post Chase at Kempton. Nacarat won this race two years ago and last year in this race just lost out to Razor Royale who was ridden by Paddy Brennan. Tomorrow Paddy Brennan takes the ride on…
The Irish Hennessy Gold Cup will be the feature race in an eight race card at Leopardstown in Ireland this Sunday (6th February). The race is worth 180,000 euros and will be run over 3 miles. Joncol (pictured) won this race last year and now that Pandorama is an absentee he could well win the…
Full marks to Newmarket racecourses for continuing to give concessions on all admission prices to all enclosures for all their meetings including the July 3 Day Festival which starts on Thursday 12th with the Princess of Wales’s Goldsmith Stakes run over 1 mile 4 furlongs as the main race. Red Cadeaux is favourite for this and…
Royal Ascot, which kicks off tomorrow (Tuesday 19th) is the Flat racing equivalent to the Cheltenham National Hunt Festival. Royal Ascot is over five days as opposed to Cheltenham’s four. The main race each day goes off at 15.45 pm. Super star Frankel runs in the first race on Tuesday which is the Queen Anne…
The third and fourth classics for the three year olds take place at Epsom on Friday June 1st and Saturday June 2nd. Both races look as though they could go to the all conquering stable of Aidan O’Brien from Ballydoyle in Ireland. Maybe is favourite for the fillies Investec Oaks worth £350,000.00 and run over 1 mile…
With the “Jump” season finishing last Saturday it is time to concentrate on the first two of the five classics for the three year olds at Newmarket this weekend. Both races are run over the straight Rowley mile. The 2000 Guineas for the colts will be on the Saturday and in this Aidan O’Brien has the…
The much heralded Qipco British Champions Day takes place tomorrow (15th October) at Ascot. There is a terrific card of top class racing, the star of which I am sure will be Frankel (pictured) who runs in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes over the straight mile. This race used to be run over the round…
The Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe is the greatest flat race in Europe and will be run this Sunday (2nd October) over 12 furlongs at Longchamp in France. Workforce (pictured winning from Nakayama Festa a year ago) will be attempting to win the race for a second time. The last horse to do this was…
The highlight of the 2013 John Smith’s Grand National Festival, the Grand National, will be held on Saurday 6th April at 4.15pm. This year is 40 years since Red Rum’s first win at the Grand National in 1973. He went on to win again in 1974 and 1977. Known as the “the ultimate test of a horse’s courage” the…
The greatest horse race in the world, the John Smith’s Grand National worth £975,000.00, will go off at 4.15 pm this Saturday the 14th of April. There will be a maximum field of 40 runners. The fences are not as daunting as they were back in 1960 when Merryman II (pictured) won the first televised…
Day 4 of the Cheltenham Festival brings us to the main event, the Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup Chase run over 3 miles 2 furlongs. Last years race (pictured) was truly exciting with Long Run outstaying Denman and Kauto Star. There is no Denman this year and Kauto Star is getting no younger. He is now…
The centre piece of the 3rd day of the Cheltenham Festival will be the Ladbrokes World Hurdle run over 3 miles. Big Bucks and Ruby Walsh (pictured) will be attempting to win the race for the fourth time. On Tuesday Quevega joined the short list of horses who have have been successful at four Cheltenham Festivals.…
For those who are new to racing the jargon used can be very confusing at times, as confusing as trying to find winners. Here are just some of the expressions the new racegoer might hear on the racecourse or on the racing channels on the television. Racing Jargon :- Amateur You can identify a non-professional…
