Al Boum Photo can complete Paul Townend’s 12-month cycle of redemption in the Punchestown Gold Cup after last year’s inexplicable brain-fade on the same horseA quick rebrand has transformed Wednesday’s Sagaro Stakes meeting at Ascot into “Royal Ascot Trials Day” as a reminder that high summer is not too far away, but there are no excuses for starting at Punchestown, where the jumps campaign is still alive and kicking and the Punchestown Gold Cup later is potentially one of the races of the season.The betting cannot separate Al Boum Photo, Willie Mullins’s first Cheltenham Gold Cup winner at the umpteenth attempt, and his stable companion Kemboy, who unseated his rider at the first at Cheltenham but has since thrashed his...
The racecourse has spent years working to provide a large quantity of data for each race, available from next weekSagaro day at Ascot on Wednesday will see the launch of the track’s new “sectional times” display, first reported in The Guardian last summer. It represents three years of work by Ascot and Longines, one of the course’s official business partners, and will provide a wealth of data to help us all get a better understanding of the action on the track. Related: Talking Horses: racing attempts to get out in front of gene doping furlong by furlong times for the raceactual distance travelledtop speedfastest furlong. Related: Bryony Frost ‘fit as a flea’ and ready to fly at Sandown, says Paul...
Poet’s Word, running for Sir Michael Stoute in the King George at Ascot on Saturday, has blossomed in his last two racesCracksman will not run in today's #KingGeorge VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (sponsored by QIPCO), it has been confirmed.#cracksman out of the King George at #Ascot due to good-to-firm ground - the same as it was when he was declared to run. Betting market in limbo until <3hrs before race. Any guesses how much the fine will be? Related: Talking Horses: Cracksman needs storms at Ascot to run in King George Ascot 1.50 Royal Intervention 2.25 Papa Stour 3.00 Firmament (nap) 3.40 Poet's Word 4.15 Nate The Great 4.50 Ghayyar 5.20 Bajan GoldNewcastle 1.10 Sirius Slew 1.40 Mizen Master...
A heavy shower shortly before the last race will have done little to affect the official going, which left Cracksman’s supporters hoping for more significant rainfall overnightThe spectators were glancing nervously at a darkening sky as they started to leave the track here on Friday, but they were still no closer to knowing whether Cracksman, last year’s Champion Stakes winner, will line up for the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes on Saturday afternoon after several thunderstorms passed nearby while leaving Ascot itself largely untouched.There were several points during the afternoon when a downpour seemed inevitable, not least as Clon Coulis was led back to unsaddle after winning the Valient Stakes, the card’s feature race at 3.35, with thunder...
The announcement of the move by Ascot to switch away from Racing UK to Sky next year was clearly not welcomed by ITVNewmarket’s July meeting, one of the undoubted highlights of the summer racing programme, begins on Thursday with Ed Chamberlin and Francesca Cumani on hand to add polished presentation and glamour to proceedings on ITV. But will this fixture, or any horse racing for that matter, still be on the channel in 2021?The At The Races channel is to relaunch as Sky Sports Racing in January and Tuesday’s announcement that Ascot had signed up with Sky was the conclusion of the first significant skirmish on the way to the looming battle between the digital broadcaster and ITV for the...