The Guineas Weekend at The Curragh by Hector Steiff This weekend sees the third leg of the Triple Crown of the Guineas races for three year old colts and fillies in their classic season. The Irish have held the upper hand in the first two legs of the Guineas at Newmarket and ParisLongchamp with success for Poetic Flare and Mother …

A preview of the Aintree Festival feature by Hector Steiff Silver Birch Wins The 2007 Grand National@Flickr Who’s Going to win the Grand National? That’s the question I get asked more than any other. An occupational hazard, I suppose. Like a Policeman being asked the time. I’ve already been asked ten times this morning and there’s still five days to …

Michael Dickinson after training the first five home in the Gold Cup: Flickr The final day of the 2021 Cheltenham Festival and it’s Gold Cup day. The blue riband event of the four days and what a renewal is in store. In defence of his title is Al Boum Photo, running in Joe Donnelly’s black and gold checks that may …

David P Howard: Geograph Onto the third day of the Cheltenham Festival and it’s the day where the home team might take back some ground in the race for the Prestbury Cup. With the Irish team expected to be ahead at the halfway point of The Festival, Thursday can go to the home team. The opening race, the Marsh Novices’ …

The great Sprinter Sacre: Dual winner of the Queen Mother Champion Chase: Wikimedia Commons Wednesday, day two of The Festival, and it’s Champion Chase day. There can be no better sight to a lover of this Sport of Kings than the two mile chasers attacking those fences at full tilt before grinding it out up the punishing hill on the …

David P Howard: Geograph The crowds will be missing, the owners cannot enjoy their moment in the winners’ enclosure, the amateur jockeys have been supplanted this year and there’ll be no roar from over sixty thousand racegoers to send them off, but, it’s still The Festival, the most important of all the National Hunt meetings. It’s the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, …

The daily preview for the Cheltenham Festival from Hector Steiff Wikimedia Commons What a difference a year makes! On March 9th last year, at Plumpton racecourse, I chatted to one of the Tote girls. She told me it would be the first time in thirty-one years she would not be working the Festival. Knowing that there was a government meeting …

A Preview of the Dublin Racing Festival by Hector Steiff The Christmas Festival in the Dublin suburb that is Leopardstown is a great social occasion, but, with the Cheltenham Festival edging ever closer this is the real racing festival that matters in the Irish National Hunt Season. Four Grade 1’s, one Grade 2 and three Grade B handicaps and that …

A preview of this weekend’s racing in store from Cheltenham, Doncaster and Naas Wikimedia Commons: Ghaiyaath We have long been fans of Ghaiyaath here in the Office so we are delighted to celebrate his success as the world’s best racehorse at the Longines World Racing Awards. Last year saw the son of Dubawi fulfil all the promise shown over the …

Longchamp Parade Ring: Wikimedia Commons Winter has a deadly grip on Northern Europe and beyond, and as bad news surrounding the Coronavirus pandemic seems to dominate all the headlines, we can look ahead to some quality horseracing over the weekend as a brief diversion. However, this week also has brought us the sad news of the passing of Prince Khalid …