I sit in the middle of a good run. At least, I hope it’s the middle and not the end, Koeman having finished a fair fourth in the Shergar Cup  –  a near miss but no cigar, not that I’d … Read More »

Having named the first two in the Bunbury Cup (but the wrong way round) and the first and third in the Moet & Chandon International at Ascot (without showing a profit), I may be going through a difficult phase at … Read More »

Hi there Yesterday’s King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Qipco Stakes turned into the epic battle everyone was hoping for. The ‘right’ horses filled the frame, with the admirably gutsy Salouen finishing a highly creditable fourth. However it was the … Read More »

The sad passing of John McCririck will not have surprised anyone who saw him at the races recently. The weight had dropped off him, he sat quietly in the press room and one had the feeling that he was merely … Read More »

I tried hard to help David Ashforth with his Grab A Grand quest in the Racing Post. Indeed, I spent two or three hours on Tuesday’s Brighton Placepot and went very close, though one can over-analyse these things. True, only … Read More »

I shall always remember Royal Ascot week 2019. A seventh grandchild arrived on Wednesday morning and 24 hours later I attended the funeral of Terry Geoghan, who managed a betting office in Bath for 30 years and was very popular … Read More »

An excellent run was bound to come to an end and it did so down by the furlong pole at Salisbury on Tuesday. Having made the point in this space ten days ago that horses identified as poor value invariably … Read More »

Hi there! Well what a contrast to last year, when we were enjoying record-breaking temperatures soaring into the high 30s! By contrast I am writing this soon after news that Uttoxeter and Haydock have been abandoned, with standing water at … Read More »

I never really thought of 70 as a special landmark and maybe everything that’s happened is mere coincidence, though you’d have to say a pacemaker followed by the loss of work at both the Irish Field and the Racing Post … Read More »

York was enjoyable, even if the punting left something to be desired. One or two long-held theories were put to the test and came up short, so there will have to be intense concentration over the coming weeks. Whilst I … Read More »

Hi there! As I write this, a few days before the Dante Stakes, the Derby market is dominated by colts trained by Aidan O’Brien. No fewer than four of the top eight horses quoted are trained at Ballydoyle, with Paddy … Read More »

There was a moment at Punchestown when it looked as if a major betting treble had just escaped us. I retired from the Irish Field after 32 years as British correspondent, Ruby Walsh called it a day and then we … Read More »