Late bloomer Wise Dan has been named the United States Horse of the Year, easily beating I’ll Have Another for the title. The five-year-old, winner of five of his six starts in 2012, became the first gelding to win the title since John Henry in 1984. His major wins were… Read More »
Racing is facing a second successive whiteout after widespread snow led to a blank afternoon of racing in Britain on Friday. While Chepstow’s jumps card was an early casualty on Friday morning, even the all-weather meetings at Wolverhampton and Lingfield were unable to cope. All three of Saturday’s jumping fixtures… Read More »
Former Australian-based jockey Andrew Heffernan and eight unlicensed individuals will have to wait until next Friday to know their fate following a British Horseracing Authority disciplinary panel hearing over breaches of the rules of racing. Ten days had been set aside for the hearing which began on Monday at the… Read More »
Taunton’s richest ever meeting on Saturday could be the best chance of any turf racing going ahead over the next few days. Temperatures in Somerset are fairly tropical compared to most of the rest of the country, but even they are not completely safe, with a band of either snow… Read More »
Tom Scudamore has three possible mounts in the Cheltenham Gold Cup in March. David Pipe’s stable jockey could ride Grands Crus for his boss or one of David Bridgwater’s two entries – last year’s Gold Cup runner-up The Giant Bolster and impressive Ascot winner Wyck Hill. “The Gold Cup entries… Read More »
Trainer Adam Duggan is confident Frozen Rope has the hallmarks of a quality stayer and he hopes to test his theory this campaign. The five-year-old’s biggest asset is his turn of foot and he has used it to establish an almost 50 per cent winning strike rate, and a few… Read More »
Britain’s freezing weather looks set to take its toll on important jumps races this weekend, affecting the preparations of several stars heading to the Cheltenham Festival in March. Frost has been posing a problem after the prolonged wet spell and officials at Ascot, Haydock and Taunton are battling to keep… Read More »
Titleholder Rock On Ruby is one of four Champion Hurdle winners entered for this year’s race at Cheltenham on March 12. Hurricane Fly, successful in 2011, Binocular (2010) and Punjabi (2009) are the other past champions who could try to regain their crown. Last season it was Rock On Ruby’s… Read More »
Trainer Corine Barande-Barbe has warned Cirrus Des Aigles is not certain to head to this year’s Dubai Carnival as he continues to recover from injury. The seven-year-old kicked off an excellent campaign by winning the Dubai Sheema Classic on World Cup night last March, going on to claim the Prix… Read More »
Generous, the champion three-year-old of 1991, has died at the age of 25. The Paul Cole-trained colt took his three-year-old campaign by storm winning the Epsom and Irish Derbies along with the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes. He stood at Alfred Buller’s Scarvagh House Stud in Northern Ireland… Read More »
Comeback jockey Gary Stevens won the first race at Santa Anita on Saturday, giving him his first winner in North America since 2005 when he began a seven-year retirement that ended last week. Stevens, who turns 50 in March, rode 5-1 shot Branding to a two length victory in his… Read More »
Connections of South African champion Variety Club have sought special permission to bypass quarantine requirements to allow the horse to race at the Dubai World Cup carnival in March. The import of South African horses into Dubai is currently banned unless they go via Europe and the European authorities will… Read More »
Alan King’s Champion Hurdle winner Katchit has died at the age of 10. The diminutive gelding made little impression when trained on the Flat by Mick Channon but proved far better when switching disciplines with King at Barbury Castle. After making an early and successful start in the juvenile ranks… Read More »
British broadcaster Channel 4 is intent on “vigorously defending” claims of ageism by John McCririck after the former pundit initiated legal proceedings against them, seeking damages totalling STG3 million ($A4.60 million). McCririck was one of a number of faces dropped from the presenting team after Channel 4 awarded the production… Read More »
Ipswich Town striker Michael Chopra says he cannot afford to defend his name when a British Horseracing Authority panel begins its inquiry into alleged corruption next week. Chopra, a problem gambler, and jockey Andrew Heffernan, who was riding in Australia until the charges were announced in October, are among nine… Read More »
Eddie Lynam is preparing his star sprinter Sole Power for a third successive trip to the Dubai carnival. The six-year-old was narrowly beaten in the Meydan Sprint in early March and the Al Quoz Sprint on Dubai World Cup night last year, and the same two events are on his… Read More »
Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens has finished third in the first race of his comeback from a seven-year retirement at Santa Anita. He was aboard Jebrica in the sixth race on Sunday, a claiming race over 1600 metres on the turf. They were running second late in the race… Read More »
Ruacana has provided Sheikh Mohammed’s bloodstock adviser John Ferguson with the first Grade One win of his training career in the Future Champions Finale Juvenile Hurdle at Chepstow. Ferguson started training a few Godolphin cast-offs and a handful of other horses just two years ago having previously handled point-to-pointers. Some… Read More »
Ian Balding has paid tribute to Selkirk, who has died at the age of 25. Balding trained the George Strawbridge-owned Selkirk throughout a glittering career which saw him crowned Timeform’s European champion miler in 1991 and 1992. The chestnut won the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes in 1991 and claimed both… Read More »
Frankie Dettori has returned to the spotlight in a very different way, joining the Celebrity Big Brother house. The flamboyant jockey was the first to enter the stage at studios in Elstree, Hertfordshire. As always, the line-up for the latest series of the show was a closely-guarded secret, but it… Read More »
