The going at Goodwood has been soft or heavy more often than not this year and nothing changed on their final day in October. You have to make the circumstances work in your favour if possible and that was certainly … Read More »

If I believed in ghosts I might find Islington Green a suitable starting point for a thesis. Trendy, even chic it may be nowadays but in the seventeenth century it was used as a plague pit  –  a little-known fact … Read More »

Hi there! With Arc trials at Longchamp on Sunday and Group 1 action in Ireland you could be forgiven for overlooking the victory of Bay Bridge in the September Stakes at Kempton on Saturday. With a BHA rating of 121 … Read More »

Like Marcel Proust, I drift back to the places of my youth. Some have disappeared, some have become something else and some are simply too loud. Actually it might be stretching a point to mention my formative years where the … Read More »

THE POINT-TO-POINT RECRUITS is back for the sixth consecutive year and Jodie Standing anticipates another successful season! The book is packed with over 90 undiscovered horses from the pointing world set to embark on their careers under Rules. As her … Read More »

The rain falls gently yet insistently on the Nine Elms Tavern which, like the rest of the borough, has undergone something of a transformation. One minute it was Battersea’s little-known cousin  –  nondescript flats, a little bit of this and … Read More »

Hi there, Before I pass on my thoughts about the Irish Derby I want to bring to your notice the victory of Manxman in the opening extended 1m 3f 0-55 apprentice handicap at Windsor on Saturday. I would not blame … Read More »

Written by Jack Dixon Another match in Euro qualifying and another win for England, thumping North Macedonia 7-0 at Old Trafford. The win against Malta was impressive, but it was slightly scrappy and there was, at times, a lack of … Read More »

England leave Malta with four goals and three points secured, beating Malta 4-0. The three lions were dominant all evening, having 66% possession and prevented Malta from registering a single shot on Jordan Pickford’s goal. England turned dominance into substance, … Read More »

Gordon Lightfoot died the other day. I dare say only members of my generation will remember him but he was a folk and country singer who let Alberta’s wide-open spaces compensate for disappointments in his personal life. We played him … Read More »

Hi there, After all the debate and discussion about the possible ramifications of this year’s Derby it ended up going to the old firm across the water and the long-term winter favourite. Auguste Rodin gave Aidan O’Brien his ninth winner … Read More »

Hi there! Given the open shape of the market before the Dante Stakes at York last Thursday – they ended up 9/2 the field – there was always the prospect of the race adding little clarity to an already opaque … Read More »