Any rider who tests positive can be stood down for the day before they pose a threat to the safety of othersSome of Britain’s jockeys will get their first experience this week of a new procedure that could eventually be a regular part of their working routine. The Guardian understands that a pilot scheme to conduct pre-racing saliva tests for cocaine on riders, which was announced by the British Horseracing Authority in February, will be launched over the next few days, in a significant step towards finding out whether the weighing room has a deep-rooted problem with the drug.Recent evidence might suggest that the answer is yes. Benoit de la Sayette, the 18-year-old apprentice who won the Lincoln Handicap on...
Charles Hills’s colt lacks experience but stormed clear of a small field in a lightning-fast time at the Craven meetingAidan O’Brien has a record 10 wins in the 2,000 Guineas to his name already and has enough confidence in a three-strong team for this year’s Newmarket Classic to keep St Mark’s Basilica, the Dewhurst winner, at Ballydoyle while he waits for the French equivalent.That feels ominous for the home team but while Battleground, Wembley and Van Gogh all have solid claims, there is no sense of a standout colt in the O’Brien squad, or in the race as a whole for that matter. Related: Talking Horses: Energumene takes Novice Chase to set up Shishkin rivalry Goodwood 1.00 Master Milliner 1.30...
It was a third win in the Punchestown Gold Cup for Paul Nicholls and the first for a runner from Britain since 2010Clan Des Obeaux, part-owned by Sir Alex Ferguson, recorded the first victory for a British-trained jumps horse in Ireland for nearly two years when he made all the running under Sam Twiston-Davies to beat Al Boum Photo, the Cheltenham Gold Cup winner in 2019 and 2020, by a length and a half in the Punchestown Gold Cup on Wednesday evening. Related: Talking Horses: Lester Piggott and Frankel join Flat racing Hall of Fame Lingfield Park: 1.00 Sergeant Tibbs 1.30 Billhilly 2.00 Mighty Power 2.30 Jadwal (nb) 3.00 Lady Florence 3.35 Marshall Plan 4.05 Rewired Continue reading...
Chacun Pour Soi v Allaho, Monkfish v Envoi Allen plus Paul Townend and Rachael Blackmore chasing the Irish titleIt is a measure of Ireland’s current near-monopoly on the biggest stars in jump racing that the first meeting between Chacun Pour Soi and Allaho, two of the country’s best five steeplechasers on the official ratings, at the Punchestown Festival on Tuesday is some way from being the most eagerly anticipated race of the five-day meeting.It is not even the most high-profile head-to-head on the opening day’s card. That will arrive just over an hour later, when Monkfish, a Grade One winner at Cheltenham, takes on Envoi Allen, unbeaten until his fall when odds-on at the same meeting, in the Champion Novice...
The Gosden runner Palace Pier the best bet in bet365 Mile as Flat racing returns to the Esher racecourseThe quality of Sandown’s Bet365 Classic Trial has varied over the years, as have the subsequent trajectories of its winners. Sevenna Star, successful three years ago, was last spotted in a Class Three handicap at Wolverhampton in September 2020 and was sold for 4,000gns not long afterwards.The 2021 renewal looks like a strong one on paper, however, as all but two of the 10 runners hold Derby entries, including all of the principals in the betting. Related: Talking Horses: Havlin appeals against 21-day ban for Lingfield ride Doncaster Continue reading...