Newmarket’s 1,000 Guineas saw several threads of trainer Roger Varian’s career intertwining in the victory of his filly Elmalka, who took the season’s second classic on only her third racecourse start. Varian had established his reputation during a ten-year stint with trainer Michael Jarvis. On Jarvis’s retirement Varian took over… Read More »
With trainer Aidan O’Brien being inducted into the British Racing Hall of Fame earlier in the afternoon the script appeared to be written for his unbeaten three-year-old City Of Troy as he lined up as odds-on favourite for the 2024 renewal of Newmarket’s 2,000 Guineas, the first classic of the… Read More »
What UK racing needed following last year’s Grand National, a race disrupted by Animal Aid protesters, was a 2024 renewal that rekindled the nation’s love affair with the historic event. It did not disappoint. 2024 Grand National – I Am Maximus pic.twitter.com/uiojcBqrfk — History of Horse Racing (@horsevault) April 13,… Read More »
Trainer Nicky Henderson endured a challenging Cheltenham Festival after going into the meeting with many of his stars withdrawn as the stable was under a cloud at the time. He understandably approached Aintree’s Grand National meeting with a feeling of trepidation but the victory of Sir Gino in Thursday’s Anniversary… Read More »
Aintree’s Grand National meeting got off to the sort of start the Jockey Club were hoping for on Thursday as good crowds through the gate witnessed top-class jumps racing with four Grade One races starting the meeting off in style. The spectre of animal rights protests had been lessened by… Read More »
Given his dominance at Cheltenham it took Willie Mullins until 2019 to win his first Cheltenham Gold Cup. Since then he’s waste no time at all in racing to four wins in the jumping season’s blue riband event, winning the 2024 edition with Galopin Des Champs, who was repeating last… Read More »
Day 3 of the 2024 Cheltenham Festival saw the British trainers bite back after the Irish had dominated days 1 and 2. But Gordon Elliott’s Teahupoo ensured the biggest prize of the day still crossed the Irish Sea by taking the Stayers’ Hurdle and redeeming himself after his defeat last… Read More »
Aidan O’Brien continued his dominance of the European two year old scene by unleashing the Justify colt City Of Troy to demolish the opposition in the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket. City Of Troy had been very impressive on his two starts prior to Newmarket, winning on his debut… Read More »
Newmarket’s Future Champions meeting has been a happy hunting ground over the years for the all-powerful Aidan O’Brien stable and he unleashed another two year old Group 1 winner in the shape of Ylang Ylang. The Frankel filly, out of a Shamardal mare, had arrived on the back of two… Read More »
Highfield Princess was a warm favourite to repeat last year’s win in the Coolmore Nunthorpe Stakes on the back of her recent win at Goodwood. But for the third time this year the star filly couldn’t quite get it done at the top level and it was one of the… Read More »
Aidan O’Brien won yet another Yorkshire Oaks as his Galileo filly Warm Heart, ridden by James Doyle, narrowly held the Frankie Dettori ridden Free Wind at the finish. It was O’Brien’s 7th win in the Group 1 contest and Doyle’s second, following his win on Sea Of Class in 2018…. Read More »
The Juddmonte International Stakes at York had been billed as the next milestone in the increasingly impressive career of Aidan O’Brien’s three-year-old colt Paddington. But John and Thady Gosden had other plans as they hatched a strategy they felt might upset the odds and their ploy played out perfectly as… Read More »
The Qatar Nassau Stakes at Goodwood was billed as a match between the three year old filly many were claiming to be the best of her sex in Europe, Blue Rose Cen, and last year’s winner Nashwa, fresh from her Group 1 success in the Falmouth Stakes last month. It… Read More »
Aidan O’Brien’s three year old colt Paddington may have started the season in handicap company but he’s quickly elevated himself to the head of Europe’s miling division with a win in the Sussex Stakes backing up his recent win in the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot The ground… Read More »
There was huge hype surrounding Ascot’s King George VI and Queen Elizabeth QIPCO Stakes ahead of the race and while some of the anticipated fireworks fizzled out when the favourite, Derby winner Auguste Rodin, fell tamely away the finish more than lived up to expectations in the end with a… Read More »
Although Aidan O’Brien had already won the Irish Derby 14 times his stable jockey, Ryan Moore, had never won it. It remained the only classic in Britain and Ireland to have eluded him. Moore put that right today on Auguste Rodin, giving O’Brien that record-extending 15th Irish Derby win and… Read More »
Dermot Weld’s disappointment when Tahiyra was beaten in the 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket was palpable. He mentioned several possible reasons for the defeat but you felt that he’d very much expected her to win. Since then his faith has been entirely vindicated and at Ascot today the filly showed she… Read More »
Frankie Dettori may have had a quiet start to Royal Ascot 2023 but he’s more than made up for that since winning the Queen’s Vase on Wednesday and on Thursday winning his ninth Ascot Gold Cup on the John and Thady Gosden trained Courage Mon Ami. Courage Mon Ami was… Read More »
Day Two at the Royal Ascot meeting looked tricky for punters and so it proved with five of the seven races going to horses at double figure odds and only one winning favourite. However, the sole winning favourite was an extremely popular one with the large Ascot crowd as Frankie… Read More »
Royal Ascot 2023 kicked off in familiar fashion with Aidan O’Brien’s all-conquering team notching up a first day double, following up River Tiber’s win in the Coventry Stakes by taking the day’s feature event, the St James’s Palace Stakes. The Group 1 St James’s Palace Stakes was billed as the… Read More »
