Stable companions Sir Ron Priestley and Nayef Road are among nine confirmations for the Matchbook Yorkshire Cup on Friday. Sir Ron Priestley has made a fantastic return from a year and a half off the track this season, with a successful comeback in the Further Flight Stakes at Nottingham followed by an impressive front-running victory […]
News of Faugheen’s retirement comes as a shock to nobody, but it should not be forgotten just how good he was in his pomp. Here, we select seven of the Willie Mullins-trained star’s greatest successes in the colours of Rich and Susannah Ricci: Neptune Novices’ Hurdle, Cheltenham 2014 Faugheen on his way to winning the […]
Owner Rich Ricci has announced the retirement of three of of his equine superstars in Faugheen, Douvan and Benie Des Dieux. Faugheen in particular will go down as one of the most popular National Hunt horses of the modern era, with the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham, the Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown and back-to-back victories […]
Emma Lavelle is looking ahead to a bright future after appointing Tom Bellamy as her stable jockey. The Marlborough trainer felt the time was right to have a retained rider for the first time in several years. Having Bellamy on her side means Lavelle will have the consistency she requires after the jockey made the […]
He may be 50 and by his own admission only motivated by the big occasions these days – but Frankie Dettori proved again that when it matters there are not many better as he plotted a route to tote+ Chester Cup glory on Falcon Eight. The Dermot Weld-trained top-weight was slowly away, meaning Dettori was […]
Martyn Meade believes the experience of running in Lingfield’s Novibet Oaks Trial Fillies’ Stakes could prove invaluable for Technique ahead of a potential bid for Classic glory at Epsom next month. Successful on her racecourse debut at Wolverhampton in late January, the daughter of Mastercraftsman marked herself out as an Oaks contender when narrowly beaten […]
Adayar gets the opportunity to stake his claim for Epsom glory in the Novibet Derby Trial at Lingfield on Saturday. Trainer Charlie Appleby began the week with several hopes for the Cazoo Derby on June 5. But with Wirko and Yibir failing to run up to expectations in the Chester Vase and Dee Stakes earlier […]
The prospect of a deluge over Merseyside could hinder Copperless’ bid for the Grade Three Swinton Handicap Hurdle at Haydock on Saturday. Olly Murphy’s six-year-old was bidding for a hat-trick when contesting the Pinsent Masons Handicap Hurdle at Aintree on his last appearance, but the gelding suffered a fall when in contention only two flights […]
El Astronaute blitzed his rivals to claim a third win at Chester in the Boodles Conditions Stakes. John Quinn’s popular speedball brought a tremendous course record back to the Roodee, having never finished out of the first three in six previous visits. While he has previously had issues with the starting stalls, the eight-year-old went […]
Jessica Harrington fires a twin assault in her bid for back-to-back victories in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Blue Wind Stakes at Naas. The Moone-based trainer saddled One Voice to land a rescheduled running of the Group Three contest at Leopardstown last season and is this year represented by Silence Please and Sacred Rhyme. Silence […]
Frankie Dettori ended a 30-year wait for his second victory in the tote+ Chester Cup aboard Dermot Weld’s Irish challenger Falcon Eight. Out of the same mare that produced the top-class Free Eagle and dual Irish St Leger heroine Search For A Song, Falcon Eight was a 15-2 chance as he made his handicap debut […]
Armory proved a class above his rivals as he made a successful start to his campaign in the Melodi Media Huxley Stakes at Chester, with a step back up to the highest level next on the agenda. The Galileo colt brought some top-class form to the table from last season, having finished fourth in the […]
Grove Ferry enjoyed a charmed run through the field to win the tote+ Placepots Pay More Earl Grosvenor Handicap at Chester. Andrew Balding’s four-year-old was quietly fancied for the Lincoln having tuned up for that with a win on the all-weather, but he failed to cut much ice in that race. David Probert only had […]
High Definition is among 18 confirmations for Thursday’s Al Basti Equiworld Dante Stakes at York. Aidan O’Brien’s unbeaten colt lost his position at the head of the ante-post market on the Cazoo Derby after an unsatisfactory blood test earlier this week. O’Brien had intended to run the son of Galileo in Saturday’s Derby Trial at […]
Hugo Palmer’s Acquitted will compete over seven furlongs for the first time when he lines up for the ultra-competitive tote+ Victoria Cup at Ascot on Saturday. The four-year-old was beaten just a neck when making his seasonal reappearance in Doncaster’s Spring Mile, his first run since being gelded last year. Palmer, who hopes that a […]
