ARC explains that a reporting error led to alarming figures being posted on social media, suggesting a 15% year-on-year declineI can report a certain amount of spluttering at Doncaster racecourse and in the offices of its parent company, ARC, when attendance figures were posted on Twitter yesterday which seemed to show a dramatic downturn in the crowd for the recent St Leger meeting. The figures, taken from the very reliable Levy Board website, were posted by the bookmaker Andy Geraghty and recorded a 15% fall across the four days to a total of 50,414, with Leger day alone having apparently lost 5,000 people since last year. Related: Talking Horses: can Richard Johnson beat AP McCoy's record? Newmarket 1.50 Kick On...
Having got to 3,500, Richard Johnson needs at least another four and a half seasons to set a new record for career winsI was at Warwick yesterday to see Richard Johnson notch the 3,500th winner of his career, on an 8-1 shot in a novice hurdle. If I’d been watching on telly, I might have been struck down with ennui at the mention of a milestone that derives much of its significance from the decimal number system, but I was there to talk it over with him and see how unaffectedly happy he was to have done it. Related: Irish trainer fined €1,000 over cobalt in his horse Warendorf’s bloodstream Goodwood 2.00 Vexed 2.30 London Protocol 3.05 Mullionheir 3.35 Gabr 4.10...
American success for the British jockey suggests we made poor use of her talents while she rode hereThose of you who remember Sophie Doyle might like to know that she’s just finished third among jockeys this year at Arlington, where the season finished on Saturday. The 31-year-old had 52 winners at the Chicago track this summer, her rides accumulating $1.2m in prize money. Related: Sean Levey targets comeback in Sun Chariot Stakes on Billesdon Brook Lingfield 1.30 Goodwood Showman 2.00 Living Legend 2.35 Sam Cooke 3.10 General Zoff 3.45 Welsh Lord 4.20 Bayston Hill 4.50 Khafooq 5.20 Midnight Guest Continue reading...
Peter Michael, a punter from Dublin, is trying to avoid going down as one of the unluckiest gamblers in recent historyGamblers in the UK who feel betting firms hold all the cards when it comes to disputed bets should spare a thought for those in Ireland, who do not even have the option of a legal case as a last resort. As a result, Peter Michael, a punter from Dublin, has few alternatives left as he continues to seek compensation for what he claims was a failure by Ladbrokes to correctly process a bet in May 2015 that denied him a €19,900 payout.Michael attempted to put a bet costing a total of €1,440 into the Pick Six pool – equivalent...
The ability to go a bit further than six furlongs is an asset in a horse seeking to win this sprint on a testing surfaceThe ability to go a bit further than six furlongs is a useful asset in a horse seeking to win the Ayr Gold Cup on a testing surface and Aces (3.50) fits the bill on Saturday. Ian Williams’s charge beat 15 rivals over six at Epsom this summer, then stepped up to score over seven furlongs at Newmarket.There was little reason for optimism in his return from a break at Goodwood but any number of excuses could be made for him that day. He has soft-ground form from his days racing in France and still has...