British stables produced just five winners at the Festival and the authorities say work is under way to increase competitivenessThe British Horseracing Authority said on Tuesday that “the health of British jump racing is always on our radar” and that “work is well under way across several areas” to improve the competitiveness of British-trained National Hunt horses at the highest level, following the four-day Cheltenham Festival meeting where Irish-trained horses won 23 of the 28 races.Tuesday’s comment is the BHA’s first public acknowledgement of the unprecedented dominance of Irish stables at the sport’s showpiece event, despite the visitors fielding only 40% of the runners over the four days. Related: Talking Horses: date set for owners' return to tracks as lockdown...
Racing takes its first significant step out of the latest Covid restrictions next week at meetings in England and ScotlandRacing will take its first significant step out of the latest lockdown restrictions next Monday when two owners per runner will be allowed to attend race meetings in both England and Scotland, albeit with no significant hospitality facilities in place. The move will allow a small number of owners to attend the Grand National meeting in early April while a further loosening of the restrictions will follow on 12 April, when government rules should relax to allows tracks to re-introduce outdoor hospitality.Owners have been barred from seeing their horses, either in their stables or when competing on the racecourse, since early...
Trainer David Jeffreys has seen one of his runners at Monday’s meetings go from 50-1 to just 6-4 in latest multi-horse plungeWe have a potentially interesting but also rather odd gamble to start the week, thanks to five horses from David Jeffreys’ yard near Stow-on-the-Wold which were backed in multiple bets when early prices went up on Sunday evening.All five have shown little form in a combined total of 16 starts for the trainer, with not a single place in the frame for any of them when running for Jeffreys. Several have interesting snippets in their back-catalogue, though, which would give them a chance on Monday if back to something like their best. Related: Irish-trained runners reign supreme at Cheltenham...
Screaming Colours, the only Irish raider in a 20-strong field, can land the Midlands Grand National at UttoxeterIt has been a brutal week for British stables at Cheltenham where Irish-trained runners dominated to an extraordinary degree, and it will rub salt into the wound if Screaming Colours (3.35), the only raider in a 20-strong field, can land the Midlands Grand National at Uttoxeter on Saturday.William Durkan’s runner looks to have been laid out for this too, and is very lightly raced for a 10-year-old with just nine starts over fences to date. Related: Minella Indo narrowly foils Rachael Blackmore to win Cheltenham Gold Cup Fontwell 12.30 Sambezi 1.05 Caspers Court 1.35 Belle De Manech 2.10 Mac Amara 2.45 Demopolis 3.20...
Strength of Foster’s Festival hand shown by top price of 16-1 to finish the four-day meeting as its leading trainer Denise “Sneezy” Foster will saddle her first runner since taking over the licence at Cullentra House Stables in County Meath from Gordon Elliott at Clonmel on Tuesday, when Areutheoneiwant is expected to set off as second-favourite for the mares’ bumper which closes the card at 5.30.Foster formally assumes responsibility for Elliott’s stable on the first day of what is expected to be a six-month suspension of his licence, after it emerged 10 days ago that the trainer posed for a photograph while sitting on a dead horse on his gallops in 2019. Related: Talking Horses: pressure builds on Irish racing...