David Lanigan is praying for a bit of rain before Windsor tonight, while Michael Bell hopes his run of form continuesTheresa May and her husband Philip are not due to make a further BBC1 appearance on this evening’s One Show – so no TV magic will be missed by switching over. If you can, switch to the Attheraces channel, which is showing a fascinating Listed race, the Royal Windsor Stakes. Related: Racing news and tips: Rivet sets out to secure French Derby Continue reading...
Cliffs Of Moher (2.25), who runs in the Dee Stakes at Chester, could emerge as Aidan O’Brien’s leading candidate for the DerbyChester owes Aidan O’Brien. It is a wonderful track in a beautiful and historic city and will never struggle to pull in a crowd, but you can only wonder what might have become of the Classic trials at its May Festival without O’Brien’s unstinting support over the last few years.O’Brien said on Thursday that he feels young, inexperienced three-year-olds can do a great deal of learning in a single spin around the Roodee, and he sends a colt of immense promise to the Dee Stakes, a venerable race that has now slipped to Listed level but, with O’Brien’s help,...
The enduring appeal of Chester’s May Festival stands out on a busy day of action. And it looks like Who Dares Wins can land the big race for Alan KingThe Chester Cup is invariably one of the top 10 races in May in terms of betting turnover, which is quite impressive given that it is staged midweek and up against Classics, Derby trials and high-profile weekends at Newbury, Haydock and Ascot. But a renewal like today’s helps to explain its enduring appeal, and the pleasure to be gained by solving a puzzle like this one is (almost) as satisfying as the financial return that comes with it. There are no real mysteries in today’s 17-strong field: Blakeney Point, with a dozen...
The Brazilian jockey and the Scottish trainer can score at Leicester. The only question is why they don’t work together more oftenSo Silvestre de Sousa has a couple of good rides for Mark Johnston at Leicester tonight. ‘Nothing new about that!’ I hear you cry. ‘The Scotsman and the Brazilian have been thick as thieves for years.’ Related: Dougie Costello splits from Quiet Reflection but hopes for fresh break Continue reading...
Noel Wilson has been bumping along on 4% in recent seasons but he’s hot now and could have a big day at AyrThe good times appear to be back at Noel Wilson’s County Durham yard, which has already sent out five winners this year, as many as it had managed in the whole of the previous two years put together. Wilson had a good run of six consecutive years in which he managed a double-figure number of winners and peaked at a strike-rate of 12% in 2008 but times have been harder since then, his strike-rate from 2013 to 2016 averaging out at 4%. Related: Winter wins 1000 Guineas at Newmarket for trainer Aidan O’Brien Related: Always Dreaming wins Kentucky...