Roger Varian’s gelding has a fine chance in the big-field handicap, the highlight of ITV4’s Saturday coverageAndrea Atzeni has had to go to Newbury for a couple of nice rides but he could be feeling a bit wistful as he watches York’s John Smith’s Cup, as Fifth Position (2.30) has a fine chance in the big-field handicap, the highlight of ITV4’s Saturday coverage. A sizeable sort with a half-brother who jumps fences, he was crying out for a step up to this distance before scoring at Doncaster last month.A bigger field and a stronger pace can help Roger Varian’s gelding take the step forward he needs here. It’s worth remembering the two horses who beat him on his seasonal return...
Goodwood has made little secret of its belief that it would be an ideal venue to trial a limited return of spectators to the track“At the moment, we’re working on plans A to about W,” Adam Waterworth, Goodwood’s managing director, said on Thursday, 12 days before the start of the track’s biggest meeting of the year. “It’s almost harder to stage an event with nobody here than it is in a normal year with thousands of people. “It’s working up multiple plans all at once that really takes the time but you’ve got to do it if you’re going to be ready and next week is when we’ll need to know which plan we need to deliver.” Related: Talking Horses:...
Rumours are circulating that at least a partial crowd could return for the Leger meeting or even in time for the Ebor at YorkRacing was the first of Britain’s “elite” sports to resume after lockdown and there is still hope in Yorkshire that it will also be the first to welcome back at least a limited number of paying spectators. Two of the season’s biggest racing festivals in the north are scheduled for August and September, and rumours are circulating that at least a partial crowd could return for the Leger meeting at Doncaster in September and perhaps even in time for the Ebor Festival at York, which is due to open on 19 August.Time is running out for the...
Nobody is allowed on to a French racecourse without a mask and that could soon be the same at British tracksPinatubo was back in the winner’s enclosure for the first time since his dominant two-year-old campaign in Sunday’s Prix Jean Prat at Deauville and his return to winning form also coincided with the return of paying spectators to French racecourses following a government decision on Saturday to allow total attendance of up to 5,000 people at sports stadia.As a result, television viewers gained a sense of what racing will look like when lockdown restrictions in Britain begin to ease sufficiently to get at least some paying spectators back on track. The experience of watching racing behind closed doors does not...
The selection impressed in beating the US raider Kimari at Ascot and can build on that first run of the year on SaturdayHe is well established as the favourite but there is plenty to like about Golden Horde (3.35) in the July Cup, especially for 10-year trend enthusiasts. He comes from the Clive Cox stable that has punched miles above its weight in winning this top-class sprint twice in the past seven years, and is also a three-year-old, like four of the past five winners.It appears that the invention of the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot has been a help to sprinters of that age, though they have long held a decent record in Newmarket’s big race, back to the...