No sooner is Aintree’s Grand National meeting over for another year than we dive into the Classic trials at Newmarket and Newbury, but that’s not all. Jumping devotees have the Scottish Grand National at Ayr and then, as the media … Read More »

There was unsurprisingly quite a furore from some quarters following the revelation that four horses trained by Dan Skelton plus one trained by Christian Williams, all winners, had been backed in multiple bets last Tuesday. The operation had apparently cost … Read More »

There have been some notable gambles landed in the last couple of weeks. I have tried to forewarn my subscribers of the early signals in my Daily Bulletin, even though we’re all aware that it does not take much to … Read More »

Aidan O’Brien’s Open Day for the Press took place last week and, as always, it made for fascinating viewing. He talked at length about every horse on display, hardly drawing breath, with an endearing, almost childlike enthusiasm. Every spring he … Read More »

Hi there, ‘It is better to travel hopefully than to arrive.’ So said Robert Louis Stevenson, whose wise words could be the guiding maxim for the legion of fans in the weeks leading up to the Cheltenham Festival. I tried … Read More »

I thought that it would be fun, on the eve of what many view as the most exciting day of the jumping year, to make a few speculative predictions for the week ahead. Despite not having the number of short-priced … Read More »

Now that the dust has settled over the participation of Constitution Hill in the Champion Hurdle there has been more discussion about the week’s other races. You can hear what people think in the selection of podcasts that are available … Read More »

I’m not sure that I would agree with those who say that Constitution Hill is held in great affection by the racing public. It is more a case of intrigue, with the future even more uncertain following his nine and … Read More »

I’m anticipating a flurry of activity in the ante-post markets for Cheltenham this week with the publication of the entries for the handicaps – the weights are then released next Tuesday (February 24th). Some bookmakers have been offering odds on … Read More »

I have mentioned before a profile of form over jumps which has occasionally been linked to horses that have landed a touch. This relates to a horse who has shown form in point-to-points, then joined a professional yard and been … Read More »

The Dublin Racing Festival eventually got under way on Sunday, thanks in no small part to the extraordinary drainage system at Leopardstown. Few courses could have handled that degree of rainfall and it will be interesting to see, notably at … Read More »

Trials Day at Cheltenham on Saturday could have been an opportunity to showcase jump racing at its best, but instead it exposed three of the most troubled and contentious areas of the game. Dan Skelton has made it clear all … Read More »