There are fears that racegoers are ‘out of the habit’ as Chester’s May Festival attendance dropped by a thirdConcerns about the extent to which racing fans have “got out of the habit” of going to the track during the pandemic can only increase following the news that Chester’s prestigious May Festival from Wednesday to Friday last week attracted a total attendance of 35,000 – a 35% drop from the 53,500 who were at the course over the same three days in 2019.Chester is – according to Guinness World Records, at least – the world’s “oldest racecourse still in operation” with a history dating back to 1539, and also one of Britain’s best-attended tracks, thanks in part to its memorable setting...
Fresh has the form to win one of the most competitive Flat handicaps of the season on SaturdayThe Classic trials at Lingfield on Saturday afternoon will offer a few more pieces of the puzzle before the Derby and Oaks at Epsom next month, but a more immediate priority for many punters will be an annual attempt to find the winner of the Victoria Cup at Ascot, one of the most competitive Flat handicaps of the season.A double-figure draw has been vital in the last decade, and Vafortino, who joined Kevin Philippart de Foy from Joseph O’Brien’s stable over the winter, is interesting from 27 after a promising return in March, while the 33-1 shot Royal Pleasure could outrun his price...
A superb Guineas weekend showing could help propel Charlie Appleby on to a short but illustrious list of Flat trainersSince the start of the 20th century, 39 trainers have won the championship on the Flat for the first time. Just five – Frank Butters, Cecil Boyd-Rochfort, Paddy Prendergast, Peter Walwyn and Aidan O’Brien – retained the title the following season. The old saw in football that winning the championship is tough but hanging on to it is even harder seems to hold true in Flat racing, too.But as the racing caravan moves on from Guineas weekend at Newmarket, towards Chester, York and the Derby meeting at Epsom, it is already clear that Charlie Appleby will take a great deal of...
The question for punters must be whether Native Trail’s price of around 11-10 is a fair reflection of his chanceThe 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket on Saturday revolves around Charlie Appleby’s Native Trail, last year’s champion juvenile colt, who will be one of the shortest-priced favourites this century when 15 runners go to post for the first Classic of the 2022 season.Like the same stable’s Pinatubo, who was odds-on for the Guineas two years ago, Native Trail arrives at Newmarket unbeaten and with juvenile Group One victories in the National Stakes and Dewhurst Stakes already in the book. Unlike Pinatubo, who finished third, he has already notched a win as a three-year-old, outclassing five rivals when 1-4 favourite for the Craven...
Former Grand National-winning jockey, who has been struggling with injuries, reveals news in IrelandRobbie Power, whose big-race victories include the Grand National, the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Irish Grand National, said on Thursday that he will retire from race-riding after partnering Teahupoo in the Paddy Power Champion Hurdle at Punchestown on Friday.Power landed the Grand National on Silver Birch in 2007 and the Gold Cup aboard Jessica Harrington’s Sizing John a decade later. He has struggled with a series of injuries in recent seasons, however, including a fractured hip which kept him on the sidelines from October until late January during the 2021-22 campaign. Continue reading...