by Stable Lad
Those owners on millionaires row can relax a little now, mainly because the main English Classic, the Epsom Derby, has been done and dusted, mopped up again by the insatiable Ballydoyle winning bandwagon.
by Stable Lad
Do you recall me mentioning a few weeks back about the strategy of the team from Ballydoyle with regard to the Chester May meeting?
Well, they did prove once again that these tactics are worth their weight in gold, for along with picking up some nice prizes, the visit also showed Aidan and the team what the relative strengths were on both sides of the water.
by Stable Lad
At last, we are into the countdown for the biggest Epsom meeting of the year, whicjh of course includes the two prime classics, the Oaks on Friday, and the Derby on Saturday.
KENAMRE driver Seamus Quill bagged a brace on the opening day of racing at a well attended Dunmanway .
Keystone Wingman who has been seen as an enigma put his pacing boots in order to produce his best run on turf to record a facile victory in the grade 1 . In a competitive contest this son of Dragon Again took up the running after the half mile pole and never looked in danger coming home with three lengths to spare over Lakeview Walter.
Frankie Dettori. Pic: Wikimedia Commons
by Stable Lad
Well, we witnessed bureaucracy in the racing world at its very worst over last weekend, with the very late obstacle to the anticipated return to the saddle of the irrepressible Frankie Dettori, when the French racing people refused to renew the Italian jockeys licence to ride, he having finished his six-months period of suspension on Sunday last.
Frankie was due to return to racing on Monday this week at Leicester, with his agent Ray Cochrane having already lined up a full list of mounts there, and also at the following days meeting at the Nottingham racecourse.
By Stable Lad
WHILE looking at the racing at Chester last week, it struck me that this looked to be a very extraordinary racecourse, with the horses seemingly always on the turn throughout most races, and the draw being particularly advantageous in the sprint races to the horses drawn on the inside of the track.
by Stable Lad
THE world of horseracing is absolutely chock-full of traditions, most of which go back a very long way, and are deeply attached to the realms of chance, good and bad fortune, and all that goes with these imposters in life.
How many times have you seen a “coincidence” bet come up, to do with specific names and numbers, and even sometimes to things as basic as birthdays etc.
by Stable Lad
“I made a catastrophic error!”. This was the frantic response of the renowned trainer at the British end of the Godolphin Empire, which has its stable in the heartland of English racing, at Newmarket, an area which is commonly known in racing circles as “Headquarters”.
The Godolphin people have been racing from here for years, and it is mainly from here that the irrepressible Frankie Dettori used to operate when riding in England.
Frankie Dettori. Pic: Wikimedia Commons
by Stable Lad
ON the weekend of the 4th/5th of May, we will have the first two classic races of the season at Newmarket, the 2,000 Guineas, for colts, and the Fillies race, the 1,000 Guineas, both races to be run over the famous Rowley Mile testing straight course.
These races have been won by many outstanding exponents of the turf, and it is the strong hope that this year the races will produce again a horse that can go on to win an Oaks or a Derby later on in the racing year.
by Stable Lad
It has always been very noticable, that when we are all through with the big festival at Cheltenham, followed quickly by the the sheer excitement of the Grand National and Aintree, racing goes into a kind of a lull, and seems to be marking time, getting ready, and having a long look at the early Classic races on the flat.
