Sam Waley-Cohen treated himself to the best 40th birthday present/retirement party an amateur jockey can ever dream about — a Grand National title. Waley-Cohen won Saturday’s Grand National at Aintree aboard 50/1 Noble Yeats, beating 15/2 favorite Any Second Now by 2 1/4 lengths. As farewells go, this one’s hard […]
Tag: Grand National
Blackmore-Mania Hits Grand Peak After Barrier-Breaking National Win
This is what awaited Rachael Blackmore after she became the first woman jockey to win the Grand National in the 182-year history of the world’s most famous steeplechase. A congratulatory tweet from Ringo Starr. Calls for her to receive a damehood – the female equivalent of a knighthood. Odds on […]
Bettors Tip Their Wagering Caps to Grand National Favorite Cloth Cap
Cloth Cap won the Virtual Grand National Friday afternoon. Now, can the prohibitive favorite for the biggest race in Europe win the real thing Saturday evening? The bettors seem to think so. According to Oddschecker, they’ve unwound Cloth Cap down to 5/1 at most UK bookmakers. That lists Cloth Cap’s […]
Could Sir Alex Ferguson Bring ‘Fergie Time’ to Grand National?
The sight of Sir Alex Ferguson anywhere in the Liverpool city limits is one guaranteed to boil the blood of any Liverpudlian. The man once considered evil incarnate when he was leading Manchester United to 13 Premier League titles in 26 seasons – often at the expense of Liverpool – […]
Blackmore Takes Aim at Clearing Grand National Gender Hedge
Less than a month after she earned top jockey honors at the Cheltenham Festival, Rachael Blackmore could blaze another riding trail by becoming the first woman to pilot a Grand National champion. Could this be the year Blackmore … or Bryony Frost … or Tabitha Worsley clears that gender hedge? […]
Tiger Roll Won’t Chase Grand National History After Withdrawal
Tiger Roll’s date with history was canceled this week, when owners for the two-time Grand National champion pulled the 11-year-old out of this year’s April 10 event at Aintree. Gigginstown House Stud, which owns Tiger Roll, announced the horse won’t get his chance for a three-peat in the world’s most […]
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 […]
British Race Officials Extend Racing Shutdown Past Target Date
With no new date established to resume racing, the British Horse Racing Authority this week extended its coronavirus shutdown to sometime after May 1. But the BHA did leave wiggle room to resume racing without spectators in May. This wiggle room did not spare York Racecourse officials from canceling their […]
Millions Tune in to Watch, Bet on Virtual Grand National (VIDEO)
The good news was, no horses were injured during the Virtual Grand National, which was viewed by a peak audience of nearly 5 million viewers throughout the United Kingdom. And the bookmakers earned a respectable profit, which they donated to charity. The bad news? No real horses ran in Saturday’s […]
Grand National Canceled: World’s Biggest Horse Betting Event is Latest COVID-19 Casualty
The £1 million Grand National, the largest betting event on the world’s horse racing calendar, became the latest sporting victim of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic on Tuesday when race operator, Jockey Club Racecourses, canceled the event. Jockey Club Racecourses made the decision after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on […]
Will the Kentucky Derby Be Canceled for the First Time in History?
World wars, great depressions and countless global calamities have never stopped the Kentucky Derby, going all the way back to 1875. Only once, in 1945, was the Derby delayed, from May until June. Now, with only seven weeks until the 2020 Run for the Roses and the coronavirus pandemic shutting […]
Tiger Roll Favored to Win Unprecedented Third Straight Grand National Race
Tiger Roll could make history next month at Aintree, as the Irish-bred horse attempts to win his third straight Grand National. The 10-year-old Tiger Roll currently stands as the 5/1 favorite to win the world’s most prestigious National Hunt race, according to William Hill, after earning the title in both […]