Hi there, With the passing of time I find myself looking back more and more to my earliest days on the racecourse and recalling, some with affection, the characters that used to be around. One who never missed a local … Read More »

Hi there, You have to keep an eye on everything at the moment, with Group-class two-year-olds making their debuts in midweek maidens, but last week my eyes were drawn to two horses in France. The first was Velikaya, who showed … Read More »

I’m not alone in having felt the last few days have passed through in a bit of a whirl. We had 31 thoroughbred races over the four days of Doncaster and then a clutch of Pattern races over the weekend … Read More »

The ‘number crunchers’ will have their say at some point, but without having access to all the figures my impression is that this year’s crop of middle-distance three-year-olds is distinctly ordinary. Dual-Derby winner Lambourn finished fifth of seven in the … Read More »

I’m not sure how much money it would have taken to move a horse’s odds from 16/1 the night before to a starting price of 11/8, especially at a late-August Sunday afternoon meeting at Brighton, but an otherwise low profile … Read More »

I can’t recall a major Flat meeting when as many of the competitive handicaps were won by horses at the head of the market as at York last week. The opening 20-runner sprint handicap on the first day was won … Read More »

I wrote a couple of weeks ago about the potential benefits of finding what I referred to as a ‘golden thread’ of form. This was in relation to the 1m 1f novice stakes run at a Carlisle evening meeting at … Read More »

The result of the Sussex Stakes, won by 150/1 chance Qirat, encapsulated the season so far. I have often talked and written about the ‘rhythm’ of a season, with a top horse or yard heading the field, but it would … Read More »

One of the most profitable sources of winners is to identify what I call a ‘golden thread’ of form before it becomes generally recognised. Going back many years, I remember Green Desert being beaten by Sure Blade on his debut … Read More »

I was saddened to read that Alan Bailey died last week at the age of 86. Although I hadn’t seen Alan for a few years, we became friends when he trained a filly for our racing club named Timelee. She … Read More »

I tend not to speak to trainers these days unless I happen to see them at the races. I occasionally email them but I fundamentally believe it is not my business to ask them about their horses. That was certainly … Read More »

I have just had a friend over from the States who has followed racing in the UK closely for over 60 years and it’s always interesting to hear what he has to say, given his distant perspective. The first thing … Read More »