Trainers are fulminating over the effect of watering on the straight-course ‘bias’ at Royal Ascot last weekThe first thing to say is that Pat Smullen has indeed been booked to ride Cracksman in Saturday’s Irish Derby, as anticipated in this morning’s Guardian. The 40-year-old won the Curragh Classic just last year on Harzand and now has an excellent chance of making it two in a row. Related: Racing news and tips: Cracksman short of a jockey for Irish Derby Continue reading...
Shrewd connections will field a couple of very interesting ex-Irish runners on tonight’s cardsThis week, it’s that Royal Ascot thing you may have heard of. We’ll run a tipping competition each day on Talking Horses, from tomorrow (Tuesday) to Friday, so you’ll have four chances to win. Whoever does best on each day will get a £50 bet from Ladbrokes. All you have to do is pick one horse in each race at Ascot that day and whoever does best to imagined level stakes of £1 at SP will be our winner. Related: Racing news and tips: Gay Kelleway backs Josephine Gordon for Royal Ascot breakthrough Continue reading...
Connections of British horses are having a bit of a moan about Wesley Ward’s youngsters getting some Ascot practiceJust as Royal Ascot has an official car (the Porsche Cayenne, since you ask), next week’s race-meeting now also has an official build-up controversy. You’d have thought it might be about medication, since we have so many US runners this time, but instead the subject is whether America’s Wesley Ward was given an unfair advantage when the track allowed him to work his two-year-olds up the straight on Wednesday. Related: Record number of runners in American raiding party at Royal Ascot Continue reading...