Life at the Valley a Blessing for Fownes June 9, 2026 WITH the weather set fair in Hong Kong, racing enthusiasts can look forward to an exciting nine-race programme at Happy Valley on Wednesday, beginning at 11.40am. Trainer Caspar Fownes has welcomed seven winners into the winners’ circle in the past fortnight, and the stable is slowly but surely taking a stranglehold on the champion trainers’ [...]
Hope not a requirement if backing Precision for victory June 9, 2026 IT COULD pay to follow the fortunes of former French champion apprentice Alexis Badel, who has his card marked in eight of the nine races at Happy Valley on Wednesday. The 36-year-old, who first arrived in Hong Kong 10 years ago, has had numerous big-race successes in his career, including Voyage Bubble in the BMW [...]
Back Bonnard to upset Cellini in the Derby June 5, 2026 WORLD Pool is in operation for a second successive day at Epsom, with all eight races on Derby Day being globally commingled. I’m keen to play in the feature and take advantage of the potential for healthy overpays offered by the global pools, and you can too by betting with the Tote. BENVENUTO CELLINI spearheads [...]
Kinswoman to take the honours in Dash for glory June 5, 2026 THERE aren’t many races that are over more quickly than the Epsom Dash (3.15pm), a five-furlong handicap run largely downhill that takes about 55 seconds to run. It goes without saying that you need blazing speed for this test and KINSWOMAN certainly has that sort of raw pace. William Haggas’ filly had a busy first season, [...]
Pay Attention to Crawford’s Public at Sha Tin June 5, 2026 SERIOUS minded bettors in Hong Kong will need to keep a close-watch on the weather again, as racing gets underway at the later time of 9.00am for an 11-race programme at Sha Tin on Sunday. There have plenty of thunderstorms and heavy showers circling the city over the last few days, and it is anyone’s [...]
Purton to tuck into a weekend winner with Gusto June 5, 2026 SPARE a thought for 29-year-old local jockey Angus Chung when he arrives at Sha Tin on Sunday. The two-pound claiming rider, retained by the Tony Cruz stable with 23 winners to his name this season, has only four rides on the card but more importantly has lost two plum rides on the programme. Unfortunately, despite [...]
Sweet on Sugar to cause huge upset in the Oaks June 4, 2026 AIDAN O’Brien is the modern dominant force in the Oaks with 11 victories to his name since 1998. The master of Ballydoyle relies on three fillies in this year’s renewal, with AMELIA EARHART his leading hope if jockey bookings and the betting is to be believed. She arrives to Epsom off the back of a [...]
Episode 89: Epsom Derby Festival preview with George Waud on Maltese Cross June 2, 2026 Tom Marriott and Bill Esdaile are back to preview the Epsom Derby Festival, featuring the Oaks and the Derby, with selections and analysis across the two days of action. Tom caught up with George Waud, owner of Maltese Cross, who looks forward to his run in the Derby and Wally Pyrah returns to preview Wednesday’s [...]
Bonnard to finish with a flourish in the Derby June 2, 2026 AIDAN O’Brien’s grip on the world’s most famous Flat race, the Betfred Derby (4.00pm), shows no signs of loosening. The Master of Ballydoyle has won the last three renewals of the Classic with Auguste Rodin, City Of Troy and Lambourn and has 11 Derby wins in total, more than any other trainer. This year, O’Brien [...]
Sweet on Sugar to cause huge 50/1 upset in the Oaks June 2, 2026 CONDITIONS will play a major role on Oaks Day, and with a significant amount of rain forecast it looks the time to back those who will act on softer going. I’m taking a massive swing in the Betfred Oaks (4.00pm) given the likelihood of testing conditions, and that’s with SUGAR ISLAND for the Ballydoyle and [...]