It is difficult to imagine where British racing might be now without the staggering sums that have found their way into the sport since Sheikh Mohammed took a train to Brighton in 1977 to watch his first winnerThe British Horseracing Authority and the executives at tracks such as Ascot and Goodwood have – quite understandably – had little or nothing to say so far about the developing crisis in the Gulf, which places British racing’s two biggest benefactors from the region on opposite sides of a blockade.Godolphin’s Sheikh Mohammed is the defence minister of the United Arab Emirates, part of a coalition led by Saudi Arabia which has cut diplomatic and economic ties with Qatar. Land, sea and air links...
From a position of almost no involvement less than a decade ago, Qatar now rivals Dubai for significance in British Flat racingThe escalating diplomatic crisis between Qatar and its neighbours is a subject of concern to many in British horse racing, as a result of that country’s enormous investment in the sport in recent years. From a position of almost no involvement less than a decade ago, Qatar rivals Dubai for significance in Flat racing, thanks in large part to the interest shown by two members of the ruling al-Thani family, Sheikh Fahad and Sheikh Joaan.But Qatar’s situation appears perilous, following the news on Monday that nations including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain had severed diplomatic...
The search will shortly begin for the British racecourses which are putting on the best show for their customers. Tell us what you thinkThis week will bring the launch of the Racecourse Association’s Showcase & Awards for 2017, designed to highlight the good things achieved by Britain’s racecourses while encouraging all tracks to learn from their rivals and copy their successes. I was on the panel of judges for the first time last year and have signed up to do it again. Related: Derby non-runner Diore Lia was nobbled, claims owner Richard Aylward Continue reading...
There’s a £20,000 handicap hurdle feature event at Newton Abbot, where Neil Mulholland’s Rossetti looks a lively optionThere are two meetings on the Flat this afternoon and two more this evening, but the most valuable card of the day – and by some distance – is over the jumps at Newton Abbot, where there is £68,000 to play for against the £57,000 on offer at Leicester. The feature event at the west country track is a £20,000 handicap hurdle which had eight runners, ideal for each-way betting purposes, at the overnight stage. Unfortunately, Ashoka has been taken out this morning and each-way punters will now need to find one of the first two home. That promises to be a much more...
Wings Of Eagles jockey talked after Epsom triumph of a fight to revive his career after ban for cocaine in AustraliaThe troubled passage endured through the Derby by Wings Of Eagles is mirrored in the previously troubled career of his journeyman jockey, Padraig Beggy, who must have feared his days in the saddle could be over when he was banned for a year in Australia at the end of 2014. Entertaining company, as well as a manifestly talented rider, Beggy talked his way into additional trouble after a positive test for cocaine, providing not one but two false explanations before accepting that he had deliberately taken the drug.For a jockey who had been kicking around for a decade or so...