After riding Baaeed to his ninth consecutive victory, Jim Crowley was in awe. After watching his charge capture the Group 1 Sussex Stakes by 1 3/4 lengths, trainer William Haggas was relieved. These are the reactions perfection — and the tightrope navigating that entails in horse racing — bring out […]
Tag: British Horse Racing
No. 1 Baaeed Goes for Nine in a Deep Sussex Stakes Field
Even putting aside undefeated favorite Baaeed, who comes into Wednesday’s Group 1 Sussex Stakes at 8-for-8, the depth in this Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series race is so pronounced that trainer Charlie Appleby can replace one major contender with a Breeders’ Cup champion. Appleby has that luxury, courtesy of Modern Games. […]
King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes Come With Plenty of Jewels
Consider Saturday’s Group 1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot a European preview to November’s Breeders’ Cup Turf at Keeneland. And consider it a meeting of some of the best turf runners in the world: European Division. Which is appropriate, given the winner of this 1 1/2-mile jaunt […]
A Royal Flush at Royal Ascot: Two Bettors Hit All Seven Races
The odds of hitting all seven races on last Friday’s Royal Ascot card were 122,889/1, according to William Hill. And yet, two horseplayers on opposite ends of the world managed to beat those odds and hit the improbable wager. And both did it in proverbial lottery fashion. An English bettor […]
Moore, O’Brien, Godolphin Capture Royal Ascot Titles, Ward Blanked
Three very familiar names: Ryan Moore, Aidan O’Brien and Godolphin, wrapped up their respective titles as Royal Ascot wrapped up its 2022 meet Saturday. Godolphin’s successful defense of its owner title came after the Saudi monolith tied Coolmore with five wins each. But Godolphin notched three runners-up to Coolmore’s one. […]
At 50/1, The Ridler Sheds His ‘D’ for a Royal Ascot ‘W’ in Norfolk Stakes
Even with one ‘d,’ The Ridler was named after the Batman villain, courtesy of a birthmark in the shape of a backwards question mark on his face. Given what The Ridler did on Day 3 at Royal Ascot, question marks are appropriate. Leaving the Group 2 Norfolk Stakes starting gate […]
Stradivarius Ready to Play a Closing Note at Royal Ascot’s Gold Cup
If we’re going to put a label on Stradivarius, the obvious one would be “crafty veteran.” It’s the perfect description for an 8-year-old staying legend who’s on the cusp of furthering his legacy. The three-time defending champion of the Gold Cup, Royal Ascot’s marquee race, will attempt to join Yeats […]
Favorite Desert Crown Shines Brightest, Wins 243rd Epsom Derby
Two of British racing’s iconic figures: Queen Elizabeth II and the late jockey Lester Piggott, were absentee honorees from Saturday’s Epsom Derby. But both would have found Richard Kingscote’s Derby-winning ride aboard Desert Crown a masterstroke of horsemanship. Kingscote piloted 5/2 favorite Desert Crown to the Epsom Derby title Saturday, […]
Star-Packed British Champion Stakes Looks Like a Breeders’ Cup Field
The British Champion Stakes bears a resemblance to the Breeders’ Cup Classic, if that $6 million all-star race was held in the UK. There’s an all-star flavor to the anchor race of British Champions Day at Ascot. You’ve got multiple Group 1 winner Mishriff taking on Epsom Derby champion Adayar. […]
Dean’s List: British Bettor’s Smart Cash-Out Brings Him £250,000
Almost immediately after favorite Envoi Allen crashed out of the Marsh Novices’ Chase, punters and journalists around the world were calling Paul Dean’s decision the greatest cash-out in the history of wagering. Dean, who stood to win £511,225 if Envoi Allen won the Cheltenham Festival’s Thursday opener, instead took a […]
Seven Horses Withdrawn at Newcastle After Starter Snafu Forces Restart
In a moment fitting perfectly into 2020’s surreal archives, Newcastle’s final race on Saturday turned into a Monty Python skit after the race’s starter prematurely started the race while one horse was still being reloaded into the gate. The false start resulted in seven of the race’s 13 horses being […]
He’s Back: Two-Time Grand National Champ Tiger Roll is on the Prowl
Over the past decade, Tiger Roll illustrated he has his jump counterparts by the tail. Now, the two-time Grand National champion returns to flat racing for the first time in 4 ½ years on Thursday, taking on nine other horses in the Flower Hill Maiden at Navan. The keyword in […]
Stradivarius Searches Again for the Right Note in Long Distance Cup
The British Champions Long Distance Cup is where dominance ended for Stradivarius last year. And after his seventh-place finish in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, the British Champions Long Distance Cup is where Stradivarius seeks to regain it this year. And bettors think he will. The standout Irish stayer […]
Two-Time Horse of the Year Champion Enable Retires
Record-breaking mare Enable retired on Monday when her Juddmonte Farms connections announced she would begin her breeding career next year. The announcement came in a written statement from Juddmonte Farms early Monday. The statement announced that Enable’s first date next spring is with the stallion Kingman. “After consulting her trainer […]
Enable Running for History in King George VI and Queen Elizabeth
Horseplayers, your handicapping homework for Saturday’s King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes is minimal. No need to crunch volumes of numbers, because trainers for the Ascot race crunched them for you. They crunched them down to four horses for the Group 1, 1 ½-mile race at Ascot. Despite its […]
Crash Survivor Namesake Nando Parrado Pulls 150/1 Royal Upset at Ascot
The horse was named for a survivor of the infamous 1972 plane crash in the Andes, which made Nando Parrado such an international celebrity that Ethan Hawke played him in the movie. And the horse Nando Parrado became an instant celebrity Saturday, becoming the biggest longshot to win a race […]
Greedy for Victory, Sharing Seeks Motion’s First Royal Ascot Triumph
Graham Motion understands the complexity of what lies ahead for him and his star filly, Sharing, in Saturday’s Group 1 Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot. It’s one thing to beat two of Europe’s best juvenile fillies on your home turf in America. It’s quite another to tangle with some of […]
Stradivarius, Jockey Dettori, Play a Beautiful Tune at Royal Ascot
If you’re ever fortunate enough to gain entrance to the Royal enclosure at Ascot, you’ll see a statue of jockey Frankie Dettori, who rides Stradivarius in Thursday’s Gold Cup at Royal Ascot. The monument commemorates his “Magnificent Seven” victory performance at Royal Ascot in 1996 when he took a multi-million-pound […]
Is the Third Time a Charm for Irish Sprinter Battaash at Royal Ascot?
Will this be the year the skittish Battaash finally breaks through at Royal Ascot? His nemesis for the past two years, Blue Point, is off to the stud barn. And, there will be no crowds – polite and well-dressed as Royal Ascot crowds are – to send his nerves buzzing. […]
Bettors Square Up Wagers on Favored Quadrilateral in 1000 Guineas
Quadrilateral is the favorite. Millsie is the sentimental favorite, thanks to her trainer, Jessica Harrington. And Love is the value favorite for Sunday’s 1000 Guineas on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket. The 1000 Guineas is the second of England’s four Classic races. Dating to 1814, it sends out the UK’s […]