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 »

David Brailsford was renowned for his use of the marginal gains theory in cycling, which is based on the premise that if you break down everything that goes into riding a bicycle and then improve it by 1% when you … Read More »

I think it’s fair to say that the Irish Derby on Sunday confirmed the earlier impression that we are not dealing with a vintage crop of middle-distance three-year-olds this season. Lambourn was all out to beat stable-companion Serious Contender, who … Read More »

A lot is made of which horses can act on the ground when conditions are testing but rather less is said when the ground is riding fast. Members of the TV teams working at Royal Ascot last week noted the … Read More »

Although there is no disputing the quality of racing at Royal Ascot this week, there has not been anything like the build-up in the media that you have in the jumps season for Cheltenham. There is no weekly ‘Road to … Read More »

I made no secret that I did not hold a strong view on the Derby and readily concede that this time a week ago the winner was not on my mind. Having said that, had I followed up the train … Read More »

Now that there are regularly six meetings a day in Britain and Ireland it is even more important for serious backers to be selective and not allow themselves to become distracted. There is plenty of low-grade racing around at this … Read More »

Last Sunday at the Curragh could prove to have been one of the most pivotal days in Aidan O’Brien’s season. Of course, a weekend seldom passes in Ireland without a representative from Ballydoyle making an impression, but the reason why … Read More »

One of the personal benefits of writing the Dark Horses Annual is that I used to view most of the maiden and novice races that took place in the autumn. I still managed to see many of them, but one … Read More »

Following a relatively slow start to the campaign, probably by design, Aidan O’Brien now has a firm grip on the middle-distance Classic picture having won most of the recognised trials. Taking a look at the Derby betting, and this is … Read More »