I’ve said before that if I were to single out just one leading principle to making a profit from backing horses it would be to monitor stable form. It’s quite extraordinary how things can go well for one yard and … Read More »

The busy Christmas schedule next week should bring some much needed clarity to the ante-post markets for Cheltenham. The highlight will be the King George VI Chase on Boxing Day, for which Gaelic Warrior and Jango Baie currently head the … Read More »

I readily admit that I go on about this sort of thing quite a lot, but there was an outstanding example of a horse apparently improving dramatically on his previous recent form last Monday at Ayr. King Gris was hammered … Read More »

Ask me about Christmas and I come up with three or four vivid memories  –  not bad when you consider Halloween’s second triumph in the King George VI Chase came 71 years ago. My Aunt Em ferried the bets to … Read More »

Hi there It is said that everybody is entitled to an opinion, but in certain areas of expertise I would suggest that not everybody’s opinion should carry equal weight. For example the majority of media pundits have never ridden a … Read More »

I’m not sure what to make of the John Durkan Memorial Chase at Punchestown yesterday. On the one hand it was thrilling to see Gaelic Warrior and Fact To File – the ‘right’ horses – engaged in such a tussle … Read More »

I want to start this week with a few words about our first Weekend Bulletin, which covered the weekend’s racing including the three-day meeting at Cheltenham. Jodie and I were delighted with the coverage that we were able to give … Read More »

On Sunday a colleague sent me a copy of a piece from the Racing Post Grapevine feature in which Tony Charlton expressed his appreciation for my putting him in touch with Toby Balding. I don’t recall doing that but I … Read More »

November has always been my favourite month. Right from the day Gaykart just outpointed Pretty Puffin, with Eric Eldin getting the better of Lester Piggott on a bitterly cold Newmarket afternoon and urchins were begging ‘A penny for the Guy, … Read More »

There were points of interest for us all over the place this weekend, with everything from a modest 0-60 nursery on Friday at Southwell to the razzmatazz of the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar. It’s a reflection of the rich … Read More »

Now this is going back a few years, but there is never a day in our industry when this doesn’t apply. Back in the 70s when I was a student I used to frequent a betting shop in the Whitgift … Read More »

I approach my 77th birthday not in trepidation but with much to ponder. I am greatly interested in quotes attributed to famous people. I don’t always agree with them, of course. Francois de La Rochefoucauld, whom I studied at school and … Read More »