Horse racing came together to fight tax hikes. Now it must unite again March 12, 2026 The Jockey Club’s chief executive’s recent rallying cry to British horse racing was bang on, writes Ed Warner. All successful sports have tentpole events, the occasions that attract attention well beyond hardcore fanbases and which drive profits that may (although not always) provide financial scaffolding for its lesser players and promoters. The Cheltenham Festival is [...]
Women’s Super League fans spend more on matchdays than Premier League counterparts March 12, 2026 Football fans attending Women’s Super League matches spend more than those going to Premier League games, according to new research commissioned by Barclays. Fan spend per matchday, excluding tickets, averaged £145 for supporters in the WSL compared with £138 in the Premier League, the research found. Non-food spending – merchandise and match programme – was [...]
Uno that Haiti will take some Passing in Gold Cup March 11, 2026 FRIDAY at the Cheltenham Festival is always a day full of drama, and the crescendo comes with the blue riband itself, the Cheltenham Gold Cup (4.00pm). This year’s renewal might lack a standout superstar, but that only makes it more intriguing from a betting perspective. Gaelic Warrior heads Star Sports’ market at 7/2 and while [...]
Don’t Panic if you’ve not had time to Study the form March 11, 2026 ONE OF Ireland’s ‘good things’ will be carrying a lot of cash in Friday’s Mares’ Chase (2.40pm). As everything builds towards the Cheltenham Gold Cup later in the day, punters will be piling into Dinoblue, currently 6/4, to make some early gains. Last year’s winner has won three of her four starts since and there [...]
Jonbon can finally make his mark at the Festival March 11, 2026 LAST year those at Cheltenham were treated to one of the best performances in recent Festival memory when Fact To File cruised to victory in the Grade One Ryanair Chase (4.00pm). His ability to jump and travel at pace, plus excess reserves of stamina over this trip, make him ideally suited to this two-and-a-half-mile contest [...]
Ma Shan’t let you down in the Stayers’ Hurdle March 11, 2026 THURSDAY’s card at the Cheltenham Festival sees us cross the halfway mark of proceedings, and it gets no easier for punters with a set of fiercely competitive handicaps and Graded races. The Stayers’ Hurdle (3.20pm) is no different with a smaller, but deep field assembled. There’s a mixture of older, proven horses with the likes [...]
Hundred auction: Wong and Cortneen-Coleman get 700 per cent pay rises March 11, 2026 Rising stars of English cricket Dani Gibson, Issy Wong and Tilly Cortneen-Coleman have cashed in after attracting some of the biggest bids in the inaugural auction for The Hundred. Sunrisers Leeds secured the signing of all-rounder Gibson, 24, for £190,000, making her the most expensive Englishwoman in Britain’s first auction in a major sport. Pace [...]
Sheffield Wednesday: New preferred bidder’s quick deal incentive revealed March 11, 2026 Sheffield Wednesday’s new preferred bidder, US group Arise Capital Partners, hopes to complete a cut-price takeover of the fallen English giants before the end of the season. The group, made up of investors David Storch, Michael Storch and Tom Costin, has emerged as the club’s latest would-be saviour with an offer reported to be in [...]
2026 Fifa World Cup: Iran ‘welcome’ despite US military attacks, Trump March 11, 2026 Fifa president Gianni Infantino says he has received assurances from President Trump that Iran are welcome at this summer’s World Cup despite ongoing US strikes on the country. Iran have qualified for this summer’s tournament in the US, Canada and Mexico but their participation has been in doubt since an American-Israeli offensive began last month. [...]
Toulouse minority owner: Prem Rugby franchising ‘very exciting’ March 11, 2026 A ringfenced Prem Rugby should be seen as an exciting prospect that could one day chase down the powerhouse Top 14 league, according to a co-owner of six-time Investec Champions Cup winners Toulouse. The RFU Council voted through measures last month that ended automatic promotion and relegation from Prem Rugby to the second-tier Champ. It [...]