Milan and Bourbon the Quai to success in Irish National March 31, 2026 A BUSY Easter weekend of racing approaches with quality contests to get stuck into across the UK and Ireland, and the Irish Grand National meeting taking centre stage at Fairyhouse. Rebecca Curtis became the first UK-based trainer to win the Irish Grand National (5.00pm, Easter Monday) since 2014 with Haiti Couleurs, and the away team [...]
Shanghai to put Talents to good use for Shum March 31, 2026 RACING in Hong Kong features a nine-race all-weather card at Sha Tin today, highlighted by the competitive Choi Wan Handicap (3.50pm) over the extended mile. Regular racegoers in the city would have left Sha Tin last weekend on good terms with themselves with eight favourites obliging on the 11-race card. The only blip came from [...]
There’s No Other Choice than to back Fownes runner March 31, 2026 WITHIN the past six weeks or so, it has been a case of musical chairs at the top of the trainers’ championship leaderboard. There have been five different trainers chopping and changing positions after either collecting winning trebles, four-timers, or in the case of Mark Newnham, a five-timer at Happy Valley a fortnight ago. The [...]
Champion the one for Size at Sha Tin March 27, 2026 WITH the clocks going forward an hour, Hong Kong racing fans in the UK can at last sit down and have their Sunday morning breakfast in comfort while watching all the action at Sha Tin. The showpiece contest on the 11-race programme is the six-furlong Class Two CW Chu Alumni Handicap (10.05am) which features a [...]
Geneva ready to peak under in-form Bowman March 27, 2026 IT IS safe to say 45-year-old Australian jockey Hugh Bowman is riding on the crest of a wave at present. The former LONGINES World’s Best Jockey celebrated his third success in the BMW Hong Kong Derby aboard Invincible Ibis a week ago and followed up with a winning treble at Happy Valley in midweek. Bowman, [...]
Long shots look Order of the day in the Lincoln March 24, 2026 NATIONAL Hunt racing takes a backseat this weekend as Doncaster hosts the traditional curtain raiser to the Flat season, the William Hill Lincoln Handicap (3.35pm). Plenty has been said about current Lincoln favourite La Botte, who looked an unlucky loser in the Britannia Stakes at Royal Ascot last summer. Harry Eustace’s contender could be the [...]
Caballo De one to make splash in Dubai Gold Cup March 24, 2026 DOMESTIC action in the UK is accompanied by a top-class Dubai World Cup card from Meydan, featuring five Group One races. The headline contest is the finale, where star Japanese raider Forever Young bids to become the first horse to do the Saudi Cup and the Dubai World Cup (4.45pm) double. He looks very likely [...]
Spirits can Further Newnham’s hot streak March 24, 2026 HAPPY Valley’s five-furlong Rotary Centenary Challenge Cup Handicap (12.40pm) is the feature race on another exciting nine-race card in Hong Kong today. There is no doubt there would have been a celebration party at the stable of trainer Mark Newnham on Sunday evening. The former assistant to Australian training greats Bart Cummings and Gai Waterhouse [...]
Shum’s King will Manage to make Profit at the Valley March 24, 2026 BETTORS could start the Happy Valley programme with a bang by supporting old campaigner MANAGEMENT FOLKS in the mile-and-three-furlong Tuen Mun Handicap (10.40am). Normally, serious form students would tread warily in Class Five handicaps over this distance, but the David Hall-trained galloper appears to have plenty in his favour and has the bonus of champion [...]
Episode 78: Lincoln meeting at Doncaster, Dubai World Cup and Happy Valley March 24, 2026 The flat is back! Tom Marriott and Bill Esdaile are here to preview the flat season’s curtain raiser at Doncaster as well as the action at Kempton on Saturday. There’s high class action at Meydan for the Dubai World Cup card and Wally Pyrah returns his best bets on Wednesday’s card at Happy Valley after [...]