Hi there If I were Sheikh Mohammed there would have been a lot of things I would have done differently. One thing would have been to delegate more and not interfere. Without trust you cannot delegate wholly and in my … Read More »

Hi there I was very taken with the attitude Thyme Hill displayed in his three runs last season, as much in defeat as in victory, and it was that tenacity that stood him in good stead on his hurdling debut … Read More »

Hi there It’s Arc weekend and plenty has been written about Enable, with the Racing Post’s well-respected judge Paul Kealy putting forward some sound reasons why the favourite “won’t be beaten.” If that were the case, with his assertion that … 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 »

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 »

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 »

Hi there! There is always something of a lull after the excitement and drama of Cheltenham and this year is no exception, with a pretty dire week of racing and nothing to look forward to until Aintree, which starts a … Read More »

Hi there! Such has been the quality and quantity of informed content – already over 32,000 words – that I have received for this year’s Cheltenham Festival I have decided to publish my exclusive insights for the ten main handicaps … Read More »

Hi there, Although the news that racing can resume on Wednesday was very welcome the BHA’s ruling that no entries will be accepted from horses that have not been vaccinated in the previous six months may extend the period of … Read More »

Hi there! We are normally seeking out the mudlarks in the first week of February, especially in Ireland, but the ground for the second day of Leopardstown’s weekend festival was changed to good, with good to firm patches, on the … Read More »

Hi there! I am struggling to come to terms with the word ‘firm’ appearing in going reports at a time when we are usually racing in hock-deep ground. In fairness to the clerks of the courses the reports from the … Read More »

Hi there! The jump meetings at Carlisle are always in a different class to their Flat programme and the early meetings this autumn have, in my view, taken a further step up in grade. I brought a handful of horses … Read More »