Less moaning by racing fans about multiple entries from Ballydoyle in the top races is one likely result from LongchampIt would be stretching things more than a little to suggest that Enable was denied a third win in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe on Sunday because American beef farmers use a synthetic drug called zilpaterol to fatten their cattle for slaughter. And yes, “more than a little”, in this case, probably means “quite a lot”.But there is also no doubt that the scratching of Aidan O’Brien’s four declared runners in the Arc, following positive tests for zilpaterol after they ate contaminated feed, made a real difference to the way that Sunday’s race played out. Without Serpentine and Sovereign, one...
Gallic runners have won five of the last 11 runnings of the Group One prize and the selection has a lovely action for soft groundAs some British racing professionals head across the Channel for Arc weekend, a French raider coming the other way is sailing under the bookmakers’ radar. Half Light, trained for Godolphin by Henri-Alex Pantall, was beaten less than a length on her only previous tilt at a Group One and looks overpriced at 11-1 for Newmarket’s Sun Chariot Stakes.This race has been won by French runners five times in the past 11 years. Unexposed and with a lovely action for soft ground, Half Light will be ridden for the first time by William Buick, taking over from...
The North Yorkshire-based jockey is said to be ‘disappointed with himself’, having been suspended after an August drug testThe jockey Nathan Evans has tested positive for a banned substance, understood to be a metabolite of cocaine, and is facing a lengthy suspension as a result. The news, which emerged on Wednesday, explains why Evans has not been seen in public since being taken off his mounts at Beverley on 27 August, when the test result became known to officials.A statement from Paul Struthers of the Professional Jockeys Association said: “Nathan has been informed that he was tested positive for a prohibited substance and was suspended with immediate effect as a result. Related: Talking Horses: Paul Nicholls has huge team despite...
The 11-times champion trainer discusses possible plans for his horses, including big names newly arrived from IrelandAmid all the Covid-related talk of racehorse owners cutting back and getting out of the game, Paul Nicholls’s stable is bucking the trend. New boxes having been added there this summer to house the many animals he has been sent.“We’ve just built up a bit of extra capacity,” the 11-times champion jumps trainer told the Guardian during a pre-season tour of his Ditcheat stable, where the strength in depth of equine talent gives him an obvious chance of a 12th title. “We’ve got 150 in work and Will Biddick is doing some pre-training for us down the road at Alhampton. So some days we’re...
Very soft ground at Longchamp is thought to be bad news for the crack Irish filly Love, who has lost her spot atop the bettingEnable is the new favourite for Sunday’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, when she will try to make history by becoming the first to win the famous race three times. A wholesale shake-up of the betting market took place on Monday as punters cottoned on to the likelihood of a soggy racing surface at Longchamp, which is not expected to suit the erstwhile favourite, Love. Related: Talking Horses: racing urges workers with Covid-19 to come forward WALDGEIST upsets ENABLE to win the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. @AtTheRaces pic.twitter.com/UPPaiip3HIAyr 12.30 Cruyff Turn 1.00 Whatzupwithme 1.30 Stroxx...