O’Brien’s Luxembourg aiming to sign off in style with Hong Kong Vase victory December 6, 2024 AIDAN O’Brien is hoping that Luxembourg can bow out in style in the £2.4 million G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Vase, a race that has proved the most fruitful opportunity at Sha Tin so far for the Master of Ballydoyle, having won the one-and-a-half-mile contest three times in the past. The five-year-old son of Camelot joins [...]
Insanity far from a mad bet in Friday’s opener August 22, 2024 YORK is a very hard place for jockeys to ride winners, but Rossa Ryan has one of the best strike-rates in the weighing room at 16% and I fancy him to land the opening 1m4f Sky Bet Handicap (1.50pm) with INSANITY. Alan King’s four-year-old had a couple of starts over hurdles last December, which didn’t [...]
Haggas and O’Meara hold the key to Clipper August 21, 2024 THURSDAY’S card isn’t easy and finding the winner of the valuable Clipper Handicap (3.00pm) certainly won’t be. The obvious one that punters will side with is ELNAJMM for William Haggas, the Yorkshireman who loves having winners on the Knavesmire. A gelding operation last summer seems to have worked the oracle as he has been impressive [...]
Bell ready to Carry home first prize in Ascot International July 23, 2024 RACING returns to Ascot for another big weekend, headlined by the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (3.40pm), a race that usually serves up one of the spectacles of the Flat season. That was certainly the case last year, when Hukum and Westover fought out a pulsating duel up the home straight, with Hukum [...]
Play King’s Gambit to make the winning move at York July 23, 2024 THERE’s also high-quality Saturday action away from Ascot the Group Two York Stakes (3.15pm) from the Knavesmire. My eye is immediately drawn to Passenger at the top of the market. The Niarchos-owned colt ticks many of the rather clichéd boxes as a ‘classic, progressive Sir Michael Stoute-trained four-year-old’ and impressed on his seasonal return with [...]
Moore Ascot magic expected from The Wizard June 21, 2024 STANDING at over 17 hands with four white socks, THE WIZARD OF EYE has a favourite’s chance of being the Best Turned Out in the Group One Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (3:45pm) if nothing else. But not only is he a knockout in the paddock, things have started to fall into place again on the [...]
Task to Force his rivals into submission in the Jersey June 21, 2024 WITH several runners dropping down from Group One level, Saturday’s Jersey Stakes (4.25pm) looks like a Group Three in name only. The second and third from the Irish 2000 Guineas, HAATEM and RIVER TIBER clash again, with that form having been firmly rubber stamped by winner Rosallion, who landed the St James’s Palace Stakes on [...]
Take Twa to Feeg-ure out the Albany puzzle June 20, 2024 IF THE vibes around FAIRY GODMOTHER are to be believed, she is going to be very hard to beat in the Albany (2.30pm). Aidan O’Brien’s filly cost 425,000 guineas at the sales, was a fine second on debut at Naas, before returning to the track to win a Group 3 over the same course and [...]
See The Fire to fan the flames for bookmakers June 20, 2024 ANDREW Balding landed the Group One Coronation Stakes (3.45pm) with Alcohol Free for owner Jeff Smith three years ago, and the pair will be hoping lightning can strike twice on Friday afternoon. SEE THE FIRE is impeccably bred, by Sea The Stars out of Juddmonte International winner Arabian Queen, and she made a strong start [...]
Back Arizona to Blaze a trail in the Norfolk June 19, 2024 JAWS dropped to the floor when Valiant Force landed last year’s Group Two Norfolk Stakes (2.30pm) at 150/1. It was lesser-known trainer, and former dairy farmer, Adrian Murray’s first ever Group race win, not to mention his first ever Royal Ascot runner, and despite representing the powerful Amo Racing operation, he flew in under the [...]
